Conservative landslide - how are we feeling as feminists?

[Cwenthryth]

I feel very mixed this morning. So worried about what this means for public services, policing, NHS, social care, mental health services, housing, in-work poverty... all of which disproportionately affects women, either as those needing these services or picking up the pieces when dependents cannot access what they need. We now have an openly misogynist prime minister (we did before, but now he has a secure mandate), who won’t even acknowledge all of his children whilst slagging off single mothers, and has had the police called out due to neighbours fearing for the safety of his partner from what they could hear through the wall.

But there’s a tiny silver lining of it seeming that it seems very unlikely that self-ID would be brought in under this government, at least in the form the Lib Dems were touting for, so we are probably more secure on retaining sex-based rights than we would have been with any other result.

To be honest it’s not really much comfort to me right now.

Laurie Penny's tweets earlier. She might as well have typed, "Mummy! Daddy! The staff aren't doing what I tell them!"

I think the attitude of some in the remain camp has been poisonous, and has helped cause the situation we're now in.

Agreed.

What happens after a vote is on the winners. Remain lost. And the media were NOT remain. As Leave won, they should have brushed it off and got on with (whatever it is they want). And now, increased poverty and burdens among women is on the Conservatives. It's in their policies, and unless they start doing impact assessments on their policies I can only assume women in poverty is what they want to see.

Had a really interesting chat with my pensioner Dad, lifelong Tory voter who has spent his life in a Labour stronghold (which is still red). Obviously he’s pleased at the result, but he’s genuinely very optimistic that the Conservative Party is going to change, that the new swathe of MPs will combine the best bits of ‘social Conservative’ and Blairite Labour approaches. Essentially that the conservatives are now the broad church party, whilst Labour have not been listening rather telling people what is good for them, and calling them names if they don’t agree.

He also said that despite being a lifelong Tory voter, he was very impressed with Jess Philips’ honesty, humility and attitude and if he was in her constituency he’d have voted for her

Lang FlyingOink

Thought you might appreciate this superb speech by Tony Benn which I came across recently. Gravitas and wit echo through his words.

www.google.com/amp/s/whitewednesday.wordpress.com/2015/06/05/tony-benn-on-democracy-and-the-eu-20th-november-1991/amp/

I lurk on a rabidly pro-Labour forum and any mention of Jess Phillips taking over is met with derision. Wasn't she the one who said she'd not stab Corbyn in the back, she'd stab him in the front (figuratively speaking)? Even if she makes the ballot, that would suggest she'll never get the support of the current membership. As a Tory voter myself, yes, she would appear to be a good choice but she looks way too centralist for the Labour mentality right now, I would suggest.

They'll pick a token woman to seem progressive, but it'll only be so she can keep the seat warm for the foreseeable; Labour has a huge mountain to climb to get out of their current unelectable position so they will be content to let a woman be the fall guy

To be absolutely brutal no one liked Tony Benn until it was assured he wasn't going to have any power.
Who ever leads the labour party now will never be PM, their role will be similar go kinnocks in the eighties.

They'll pick a token woman to seem progressive, but it'll only be so she can keep the seat warm for the foreseeable

I'm sure that's why Theresa May got thre gig. No-one wanted it at that time.

birdsdestiny

I might not agree with his politics, but that speech is superb. Apparently Norman Tebbit said it was one of the best speeches he had heard in the HoC. That’s praise indeed from a rival whose political philosophy couldn’t be more diametrically opposed.....

Yes I am sure Tebbit would have been in favour of Benn I know I would be if I was a conservative .

Ha! Not in favour of him being in power, but gracious enough to praise an impressive speech.....

I think the attitude of some in the remain camp has been poisonous, and has helped cause the situation we're now in.

As a unapologetically Leave-voting Conservative, I can honestly say that for three and a half years I have never felt such overwhelming rage against those politicians - in all parties - who tried to scupper the referendum result with cries for a 'Peoples' vote' and for Luvvie Remainers (yes,I'm looking at you Steve Coogan) who had the termerity to brand us all ignorant racist Northerners.

www.thesun.co.uk/news/10533719/steve-coogan-calls-tory-voters-ignorant/

Well, we had our say in the polling booth and yes, it feels good right now.

I can honestly say that for three and a half years I have never felt such overwhelming rage against those politicians - in all parties - who tried to scupper the referendum result with cries for a 'Peoples' vote' and for Luvvie Remainers (yes,I'm looking at you Steve Coogan) who had the termerity to brand us all ignorant racist Northerners

TimeLady
I think that sentiment is shared by millions of voters. Some of whom voted Conservative for the first time. If Labour are unable to analyze their decimation in the North without reverting to offensive tropes about thick old racists? They will be unable to extricate themselves from this crisis. Check out the Benn speech, you will love it!

I put this on another thread but Janice Turners column today is pertinent to this discussion

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/corbyn-is-clueless-about-the-working-class-683k78n7z?shareToken=5c0df8bba9736c1c114f33eb1a8669e0

Hey Errol
Thank you for posting that. Janice Turner is superb.
When Johnson toured Doncaster market in August his reception was enthusiastic but stall-holders were puzzled: “He had his head down, he didn’t say hello,” some said. For the PM, the working-class north is a dragon he bought drunk on eBay. It scares him, he doesn’t understand it — he knows it’s not really his

Johnson has Durham-born Cummings as his lead advisor, and Cummings is very well aware of the aspirations and expectations of the new blue collar Tory voters in the North and Midlands.

Brilliant analysis from Janice.

This is the thing, I live in a fairly rural area in the north which is Tory but also not as socially stratified as richer more populated places (ie we all shop at the same shops and send our kids to the same schools) so in my day to day life I mix with people from a range of different social classes many of whom are Brexiter Tory voters. My social media on the other hand is virtually all educated Labour or Lib Dem voters some of whom freely admit they don't know any Conservative voters.
It leaves a really nasty taste in my mouth to see my more educated, privileged friends slagging off my local friends as thick, selfish bigots.

The final paragraph of Janice’s article is the only bit that jarred for me. I did not hear that about his visit at all (from people who were there).

The rest of it was spot on though.

I remember my Dad saying he was voting leave because he was a Bennite Labour voter. That reason for Brexit seems to have been completely vanished from the conversation

Frank Field was castigated for being a left wing Brexiteer - and for voting for Theresa Mays' deal. In fact Jeremy Corbyn is a left wing Brexiteer too - but couldn't say so - because the young Momentum wing is so avidly Remain. You could see his dithering equivocation on this issue was an attempt to keep two disparate constituencies on board. all that managed to do was bring on board people who wanted the opportunity of another referendum - assuming the outcome would be Remain.

It leaves a really nasty taste in my mouth to see my more educated, privileged friends slagging off my local friends as thick, selfish bigots

I think this imperious, contemptuous attitude permeates Momentum

Re the last para of Turners piece - better to have an oxford PPE guy who knows the working-class north isn't his, than the oxford bromentum types who apparently assumed that it was their fiefdom while simultaneously being dismissive of working class concerns.

Luvvie Remainers (yes,I'm looking at you Steve Coogan) who had the termerity to brand us all ignorant racist Northerners

It is not so much about the "North' and 'Northerners' ( which in itself is clearly an offensive and ignorant characterisation based on stereotype) but about the gap between the big cities and university towns ( which tended to vote Remain/Labour) - and the rural & commuter suburbs in the South/the left behind, neglected deprived smaller towns and communities elsewhere ( many of which happen to be in the north - but certainly not exclusively so ( which voted Conservative/Leave).

I live in Liverpool - which voted Remain/Labour - but which also has high levels of deprivation ( as do all of the big cities). The deprivation in the big cities ( including London) has not really resulted in a Leave/Conservative. Maybe because there are enough affluent/educated/urbanites in our big cities to disguise the fuller picture. It's a complex picture and not easy to call in clear-cut ways

The idea, though, that London is 'another country' and the north voted 'Leave' just do not ring true. It isn't true. If you look at the map - it is the big cities ( many of which are in the north and the midlands/S.Wales) which form the red parts of the very blue patchwork.

"It leaves a really nasty taste in my mouth to see my more educated, privileged friends slagging off my local friends as thick, selfish bigots.*

And it's all over the broadcast media too. The only topical 'comedy' show I have any truck with these days is Would I lie to you. All the others have been relentless in their sneery references to people who share my political outlook. I don't mind satire - but it has to be applied to all parties across the board, and it hasn't been since the referendum vote. As for the Lord's Taverners throwing a roll at that bloke on stage last week - the sentiment behind that bread roll came from me to.

yes,I'm looking at you Steve Coogan

He might live in a London bubble now - but he's from Manchester.

I agree about the city v. rural and suburb split. Those in the latter group tend to be much more conservative (with a small C).