Front Page Morning Star 20/02 by Mark Serwotka ‘ The drive to expel feminists from Labour is creating a hostile environment for women’

[StarintheMorning]

Interesting Article discussing the recent calls to expel women from The Labour Party for wrong think.
Thank you Mark

morningstaronline.co.uk/article/f/drive-expel-feminists-labour-creating-hostile-environment-women

I should say I’ve changed names, and it’s taken ages, so I’m going to have to plop this here and literally run to work!

Well worth reading and I think he represents the view of a growing number of men in the LP who until now dismissed this as the actions of a few extremists.

A good read. Will the people who need to hear it, read it and take note?

one can hope....

Mark Serwotka is General Secretary of the PCS (civil service union). Having the leader of one of the major unions supporting us is a hugely significant step IMO.

Guardian article reporting Tony Blair's speech,

(extract)
"Tony Blair has warned the next Labour leader against becoming trapped in a “cul-de-sac of identity politics” over issues such as transgender rights, as he used an event in London to reiterate his belief that the party must focus on making itself electable again.

The former prime minister, who also raised the idea of a possible alliance with the Liberal Democrats as a way to regain power, said the Conservatives would emerge victorious from any battles over contentious cultural issues.

“You’ve got to distinguish between the advocacy of certain things that are right, whether it’s about gay rights, transgender rights, whatever it is,” he said in a Q&A session after a speech to mark the 120th anniversary of the founding of the party.

“You’ve got to distinguish between that and launching yourself politically into a kind of culture war with the right. If you go, ‘Transgender rights is our big thing’, and the right goes, ‘Immigration control is our big thing’, you’re going to lose that war.” (continues)

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3828124-Tony-Blair-warns-Labour-to-avoid-identity-politics

Just to clarify - what is the relationship between Mark and Ruth Serwotka?

Wonder if Mark will find conflict within his own union
www.pcs.org.uk/equality/equality-groups/proud-lgbt-members/campaigns/trans-equality

As far as I know they are married - put maybe I am misidentifying someone because they have the same name!

See this tweet: twitter.com/ruthserwotka/status/1018055924823527424?lang=en

www.theguardian.com/society/2016/dec/08/mark-serwotka-heart-transplant-papworth

Mark is Ruth Serwotka's husband. I've been wondering what took him so long to be honest

Ooh, is Mark on Mumsnet?

The sub-headline reads: “ Leaders, and prospective leaders, must take a firm stand in support of open and respectful discussion regarding sex and gender, writes MARK SERWOTKA”

Discussion regarding sex and gender, not regarding’ trans rights’.
That, in and off itself, is progress.

People are really starting to speak up. I'm so grateful.

I want my Party back. And only those willing to raise their voices, no matter the response from the brats, can achieve that.

This is an excellent article and I’m delighted to see a union speaking up for women.

Discussion regarding sex and gender, not regarding’ trans rights
Hear, hear. Every opportunity, this needs reframing. Or at least asking - what rights, exactly? Because I would bet my annual salary that any of us standing up agains TRAs threatening single sex spaces etc, would also go on protests, sign petitions, donate etc to causes/campaigns that were fighting for equal rights for trans people - against genuine violence, for equal access to housing, work, mental health services etc. I 100% support human rights for trans people. But that never seems to be what TRAs actually ask of us.
Reframe the debate - that’s what politicians do after all - refute the basis the question is asked on, answer the question you actually want to answer, get your position out there.

There's a comment on this thread www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3827509-WPUK-are-right-to-stand-up-for-womens-rights-but-wrong-because-they-offer-a-Tory-solution-not-a-Socialist-one where someone has posted that at a local Labour Party meeting their MP (male) said "he not only supported upholding the sex based rights in the equality act, including the right to exclude male people with the protective characteristic of gender reassignment from women’s spaces, but his support of women’s rights got the loudest applause of the night."

February 2019 relevent thread:

OP wrote:
"Following an awful "workplace inclusion" meeting today I was prompted to check out my work policy for Trans (link below).

I work for the Civil Service ( name changed, as I was previously doxed and can't risk it here).

Page 31 is particularly bad, I feel like it implies that any woman who objects to sharing single sex facilities will be disciplined for being discriminatory.

This policy is clearly being put into practice as during my meeting today it was discussed that a Trans Woman was left hurt and embarrassed recently after a woman did an immediate u-turn out of the toilets when she saw them. It was stated as a gentle warning to others to consider trans feelings.

The woman's feelings were not considered at all, though I expect she has probably since been vilified in her local office!

Does anyone have any real life examples of policies like this being successfully challenged by using EHRC/Equalities act??

assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachmentdata/file/503663/Workplacee_GuideCSEPP_revisedFinall_V1_.pdf

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3520371-civil-service-trans-policy-what-can-i-do

That is a fantastic article in the Morning Star!

I hope PCS members and officers rally to his defence when the flag-wavers for "tolerance" scream "Transphobic bigot!", grab their pitchforks and start trying to chase him out of office, the union and Labour Party.

MoleSmokes Yes, exactly. If I recall correctly, PCS has a particularly strong LGBT section, I am sure they won’t be happy with this article. Although I think it is a well balanced one, plenty of pitchfork owners won’t.

It is a good article.

But am I alone in being surprised that the two newspapers that now represent my views are the Morning Star and the Times?

A few years ago, I would not have bought either of those publications but now......

No I’m with you on that befuddlement! I even have a Times subscription now, to support their work on this and so I can post share tokens here for others not able to subscribe.

I (very) briefly dated a Guardian journo - not any big name - but he’d started out at the Morning Star and I met a load of MS & ex-MS journos through him. I’d shamefully never heard of the paper before then - it doesn’t seem to get featured in the headline briefings on TV etc. They were a thoroughly good group of blokes, but they were all blokes. I remember (good-naturedly) calling some of them out on some casual everyday sexism and they immediately went ‘oop, you’re completely right, my bad’ - even when several pints down - it was a very refreshing response.

We are a left leaning family, my DS had the Saturday MS on order at the village newsagents between the ages of 9 and 16. We were, of course, Guardian readers.
Nowadays, my DS won’t touch the MS as TWAW, ditto us and The Guardian because TWATW.
We are struggling to come to terms with our paper of choice being The Times, but actually, TBH it is a far superior paper. I don’t think my DS bothers with a newspaper at all.

I'd never read the MS before all this blew up and I've been impressed by their coverage of the whole thing.