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.

Still can’t believe it!! Absolutely fantastic!
Siameasy Couldn’t agree more..my DD lives and works in London and I’m proud of her that she’s been interested in BOTH sides of the argument, doesn’t always agree with mine or DHs politics, but isn’t so hardline either way as to lose all perspective, as we’ve seen with so many.

As a lone parent I'm worried. I'll be near the bottom of the pile.
Self ID might be reined in though.

I feel thrown under the bus by the selfish, selfish, selfish women who voted Tory over trans issues, frankly. I don't for one minute actually believe most of them care about trans issues. I think it was an excuse to vote Tory without feeling bad about it. For a lot of straight, white, middle-class women, voting Tory as a protest is how they justify the fact they secretly don't really give a fuck about a welfare state or a better deal for people of colour, and deep down they feel outraged that a younger generation of feminists feel differently from them.

I don't think that's anything like the only reason this country went Tory, of course. But it is the thing that upsets me most, as a feminist.

Well I hope all you so called feminist who voted Tory are happy. Housing is a feminist issue. Having enough to eat is a feminist issue, the NHS is a feminist issue. Children are a feminist issue. Being a carer is a feminist issue. Being a refugee is a feminist issue. I'm at the bottom of the pile too, megletthesecond. I feel very very depressed. Very scared and I don't actually think those who switched to Tory know what they have done. The working class ones certainly don't. I never knew we lived in such a horrible country.

Self ID was not at the top of the list for what stopped me voting Labour. That was Corbyn, Momentum and their policies that were too far left.

Self ID did stop me voting Lib Dem. I was considering it until I heard the R4 interview.

I'm very relieved.

I know a lot of us have been extremely angry at Labour, to the extent of cancelling memberships. I think of Lilly Madigan, of Munroe Bergdorf being drafted in as an advisor etc.

If I'd had the capacity to deliver a big Fuck You to the Labour party based on my feminism, I would have liked to have done so.

Well now the country has done that, and I hope that in part, this result is in some small way due to this issue.

I think the working class Tory voters knew exactly what they were doing. And until Labour manage to fathom it out too then we're stuffed.

Labour need to listen and work out what they are doing wrong. Which is Momentum and moving too far left.

I feel like a disappointing woman.

Nandy is the candidate in the Labour Party who best understands its current existential crisis

BUT

She is working class Northern and frankly I think will be perceived as somewhat backward by many metropolitan members. She advocated for going for a deal on Brexit rather than gambling and trying to 'win' Brexit.

She understood it wasn't for her to recklessly gamble other peoples future and could see it was potentially developing into an all or nothing scenario with the risk of no deal.

That's the problem. I don't think she's perceived as a compromise candidate by the wokebeards. She's seen as not being progressive enough and therefore 'selling out' on the precious ideals of identity politics.

In reality she sees the material reality that you can't force an idea down someone's throat. You have to bring people along with you gently not be authoritarian.

Labour will vote in its own image not in its best interests I fear, because the captain wokebeards out there are not ready to accept the concept of moderation and compromise. They righteously believe in their causes

Instead I fear you'll get a reaction to this culture war of thinking the correct response is more of the thing that alienated you from others. I don't think there us the mindset for self reflection yet.

Look at what is happening in the US.

Thus, don't be surprised by even more fantantism on self ID before it burns itself out. There are too many who are too emotionally, politically and financially invested in the idea still. Led by Stonewall.

Until Stonewall is actively dismantled one way or another by the public backlash or government finally calling it out properly, this will have some time to burn.

The Tavistock might be the thing to blow the lid off it completely.

The whole charity sector and university sector has a lot to answer for an echo chambers and lack of self scrutiny and necessary questioning.

Would Nandy be the leader the Labour need? I don't know, but until the leadership campaign starts I think she's the best candidate on paper.

Remember she stuck her neck out on a very contentious issue when Jess Phillips dodged self ID when her background meant she should have been all over the ridiculous homophobic sexist bullshit.

SarahandQuack and Boggin

Agree with you completely. I am a carer. Turns out feminism just isn’t interested in carers.

Don’t look at women look at the stodgy men at Momentum too arrogant to listen to the clear message their policies are not wanted.

Would Nandy be the leader the Labour need? I don't know, but until the leadership campaign starts I think she's the best candidate on paper

Yes. But I'm sorry to say that I agree with you on the wokebeards.

Delighted .

Sarah & Boggin, your upset is palpable in your posts but I do not agree with blaming other women for the choices they made; ultimately the feminist/gender critical voice has had little overall impact on how this election went (apart from possibly Jo Swinson), the damage done to Labour of women leaving them in droves was done long before this election was called, and other issues have had much bigger impacts.

I feel that FWR as the place for non party political feminist discussion action and organising may change, given that the previous solidarity between a lot of us of being in a state of ‘political homelessness’ has now diverged into all of our different responses at the GE.
I hope you’re wrong there too. I think more FWR women may join or rejoin Labour & Conservatives now, because we now have 5 years to work within the parties before anything else major will change. I salute those who are considering joining the Conservatives as much as those who might join me in considering Labour. Both parties need our voices within them. I think the kind of person doing this though is the kind of person willing to listen to others points of view, and collaborate on issues that are bigger than party politics. FWR can hopefully remain a non-partisan forum to debate, advance and organise.

Yeah I saw Nandy on the tv. She knew exactly what is happening in labour

Housing is a feminist issue. Having enough to eat is a feminist issue, the NHS is a feminist issue. Children are a feminist issue. Being a carer is a feminist issue. Being a refugee is a feminist issue.

Allowing males into all of those areas that wee supposed to be safe areas for women is a feminist issue and unless we can safely say there is a difference between males and females, no woman will be safe in those areas.

I’m proud of being a feminist that centres women and can see further than four years. We need to protect females and we can’t do that if Labour or lib dens get in. I feel no shame.

I feel thrown under the bus by the selfish, selfish, selfish women who voted Tory over trans issues, frankly. I don't for one minute actually believe most of them care about trans issues. I think it was an excuse to vote Tory without feeling bad about it

I am a Conservative. I don’t feel bad about it. Many of the women here are not Conservative, but they have been alienated from the Labour Party by its misogynistic policies and its pandering to a lobby group which poses an existential threat to freedom of speech and thought. Constituencies that voted Labour for a hundred years have gone Tory. I suggest instead of berating women on this forum, you try to figure out why Labour have been decimated in the North.

I do not agree with blaming other women for the choices they made

Well, that is fine. But I do believe in it. I am not about to infantalise women by pretending that any choice a woman makes is a feminist choice, and therefore we can all do whatever we like.

Labour lost Redcar and Darlington and Bolsover because of feminists? Uh huh.

and therefore we can all do whatever we like

We can certainly all vote how we like. You don’t get to dictate that. Labour has been obliterated at the polls. Labour needs to figure out why.

I know we can all vote how we like. I didn't dictate that.

What is your problem?

This thread asked posters how they were feeling. I replied. I'm terribly sorry the reply wasn't more toe-lickingly nice to Tories. It must be awful for you.

But do you mind just leaving me alone to feel shite, rather than pretending I am 'dictating' to you?

Yeah I saw Nandy on the tv. She knew exactly what is happening in labour

She's been warning of the town/city gulf for the best part of a decade, Dog. Roundly ignored, of course, and now vindicated. I doubt it'll do any good, as Red says above, sadly.

Bit like all the facile twits on here who don't seem to understand that it isn't left wing economics that the electorate have rejected. It's being called names by pomo-addled fools who have no idea what they're talking about. If they went and had a go at Owen Jones and Ash Sarkar, they might do some good. But no, they're here telling us off instead.

I am a Conservative. I don’t feel bad about it. Many of the women here are not Conservative, but they have been alienated from the Labour Party by its misogynistic policies and its pandering to a lobby group which poses an existential threat to freedom of speech and thought.

And it isn't amazing that you're able to have productive conversations with a load of actually leftist women who are regulars on here? Compare that to the faux-left Twatterati Wokeists and the johnny-come-latelies moaning on here about the result.

The former is successful politics. The latter? Well, I think we're seeing where hectoring gets us.

Hmm. Your attitude is part of the reason Labour lost. You entered this thread to harangue women for how they voted. Your post was accusatory and inflammatory. Hence you’re getting challenged