Jo Swinson taking calls on Radio 5 at 9am

[Madvixen]

Jo Swinson will be on Radio 5's Your Call at 9am this morning taking listeners questions.

Ugh. Regardless of your feelings on trans issues, hearing her say “well, I’m a woman...” and then trail off is just dire. No one asked if she was a woman! She’s never been challenged going into the ladies’ because she IS a woman.

Current protection in public loos if you see someone acting strangely is to complain to the management/security, or, ultimately phone the police. Women want to be reassured that if they phone the police/complain to management about odd behaviour in the loos then they won’t be told that they’re in the wrong. Men need to know that the authorities will back up the complainer.

Is this going to be the next version of 'But I never inhaled'?

Top marks Jo. Yes, you are a woman. What with having been born female and all, and the general impossibility of changing sex.

But what makes you know you're female?

Would it by any chance be your female anatomy?

Or are you making that judgement based on a liking for pink and sparkles and heels?

well, I’m a woman...”

She should be asked to how she knows. And if she says because I gave birth, the next question should be so are you saying a woman who has given birth but identifies as a man, isn't a man?

But she might come up with another reason how she knows she's a woman. But I'd like to hear it said out loud on national radio.

But but

How can Swinson try to challenge sexism if she doesn’t know what a man or a woman is

How can she square this in her mind?

To be fair to Swinson (yeah yeah I know but hear me out....) I don't think this can or should all be pinned on her. I remember threads about the LGTB Lib Dems long before she became leader.
Kathleen Stock has retweeted an old thread about them from September 2018, only a couple of months after Swinson took over. Sorry I can't link at the moment but it's on her recent twitter feed.

I can't find the dates right now but as I remember, the donations from Ferring Pharmaceuticals go back several years and began before she was leader.

Jo Swinson may be getting hung out to dry - and to be clear, I have no sympathy - but this stuff pre-dates her.

Yeah, but nah, Flo. Yes the LGBT Lib Dem twitter feed was totally out there in terms of general barking madness way before Swinson took over. But that doesn't fucking mean Swinson had to sign up to the madness. Nobody was holding a gun to her head.

And it's not just the trans stuff - the whole of Swinson's interview on Women's Hour was a complete car crash. She can't explain unilateral revoke in the face of people pointing out that even many Remainers think that would be an undemocratic move and the Lib Dems would be better off pushing for a second referendum, she can't explain her execrable voting record under the ConDem coalition, she can't debate her way out of a wet paper bag.

And the whole "but I could end up as PM" business just suggests she's completely detached from reality.

But mainly I can't stand the woman for selling out women's rights without a second thought.

Just manged to listen to it.

Why does the stupid woman keep going on about never being asked for a birth certificate when she goes to a toilet. She actually went on to mention swipe cards. Does she think the trans in the Lib Dems she has met are indistinguishable from women? She is really awful.

Flo, I agree with you actually. This has been agreed from elsewhere within the party.

Let's not forget Layla Moran's floaty spirit feelings.

I don't believe she included all this in her book on feminism? I remember listening to her on woman's hour a year or two ago and thinking how great she was; this particular issue wasn't in it as far as I remember.

But that doesn't fucking mean Swinson had to sign up to the madness. Nobody was holding a gun to her head.
I absolutely agree. What concerns me is that, if there's now a rush to throw Swinson under the bus, the people who initiated this will still be out there. Eyes on the real prize.

She hasn't applied proper critical thought Barbara, as as far as we can tell.

She's holding onto the "vulnerable marginalised" stuff.

This reminds me of what happened a couple of years ago, when Stella Creasy was unable to answer the question "What is a woman?"

twitter.com/MadamBiro/status/954870213291466753

Those who have a Telegraph sub - Blowers' cartoon today is a gem (all the party leaders in their Christmas jumpers - Swinson's is coming unravelled!)

Ha! I have just seen this! Very funny....

I want someone to ask her if she thinks TW should have access to gynaecological services- smears etc. Surely that would make the SEX question crystal clear.

Surprised no-one has pointed out her comment later on in the interview about sustainable farming, apparently there are sheep that “naturally lose their fur”. Fur. On a sheep. 🙄. If she can’t even get that right....

What concerns me is that, if there's now a rush to throw Swinson under the bus, the people who initiated this will still be out there. Eyes on the real prize

Absolutely! She didn't initiate this......but is now the fall guy.
She's pretty powerless even if a supposed leader.

apparently there are sheep that “naturally lose their fur”. Fur. On a sheep

That makes perfect sense... It's a wolf who identifies as a sheep. Their fur is lupine fleece. Bit like female penises.

Just listened. How much easier it would have been for her to say the three wee words "adult human female". Would have been interesting how she would define a mare for example ...

absolutely @TheProdigalKittensReturn.

In that moment when the urge to push comes over you, biology is pretty much all there is.

And actually i could say the same thing about laying on the operating table with the surgeon very carefully stiching the layers of my uterus, muscle and skin back together whilst i took my first look at ds.

How much easier it would have been for her to say the three wee words "adult human female".

It wouldn't have been easier. Woke Twitter would have called for her head, and she knows that. She took the coward's way.

Women want to be reassured that if they phone the police/complain to management about odd behaviour in the loos then they won’t be told that they’re in the wrong.

Exactly. And not told we are bigots for not going along with genderology bollocks when the fucking NHS prioritises 'gender identity' over biology.

And yes, let's not pin it all on Jo Swinson. The Lib Dem LGBT group (run by mostly het sex men unless I'm mistaken) has been out of control for ages. I don't remember anyone in the party condemning them for calling women terfs and telling other LD members to 'suck their balls' when they didn't get their way.

It's a wolf who identifies as a sheep. Their fur is lupine fleece. Bit like female penises.

That really made me laugh, Barbara

But yes, it's clear that Jo had to sign on to TWAW no debate to become leader, whether she believes it or not. Bit awkward when your party colleague is Helen Belcher, I suppose. I've seen Belcher on the telly, in my view this is a person who will never compromise and use all sorts of tricks to get their way.

So while we can make fun of Jo Swinson here, once she is gone, the problem will still be there.

Yes, I agree, the policy is now hard-baked into the very fabric of the Lib Dems.

In an odd sort of way, they've been given a get-out-of-jail-free card by Brexit. If it hadn't been for re-inventing themselves as the pro EU party, they would (and should) have been in the political wilderness for a generation after going into the ConDem coalition. Their voter base has always been centre-left - the sort of person who wants a bit of redistribution of wealth and a decent social security safety net, but quite likes a bit of regulated capitalism and certainly not full on socialism. They sold out that voter base completely with the coalition.

And they didn't do it (as is being retrospectively claimed) to water down the worst excesses of Cameron and Osborne's plans for the country. They did it, cynically and knowingly, because it was their only chance of getting into government ever. Just as, come next Friday, if there's another hung parliament, Swinson and her cronies will take the 30 pieces of silver from whoever offers.

Anna is doing all the call-in questions moving forward. Well done, girl.