Conservatives For Women launch today

[ConservativesForWomen]

“If particular care and attention is not paid to the Ladies we are determined to foment a Rebellion...”
Abigail Adams 1744

Here at Conservative Womens Pledge we told you we intended to redouble our efforts to win back single sex spaces for women and girls; well here is what we are doing!

Until today there was not a single group in the Conservative Party who centred the rights of women, so we are proud to announce the launch of 'Conservatives For Women'.

We are a group of Conservative Party members who will campaign within the public sphere, and in the heart of Westminster, to raise awareness of issues which threaten the safety and dignity of women. We will defend science, reason, free speech and the need for open, tolerant debate that underpins our society.

Come and join us! You don't have to be a party member or even a voter, you just have to care about the rights of women and girls.
conservativesforwomen.org/join-us

Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/CforWomenUK

and Facebook: www.facebook.com/Conservatives-For-Women-104300591505734

We are working cross party with all the other political women's groups to inform and influence our peers and MPs.

Thank you for the information Ginger and the clarification.

Yes, because "GingerJonesy" totally gives away your real-life ID.

Just be open and state what you are offering without all this sockpuppety sales nonsense.

Thank you for posting.

I have never voted Tory but there’s no way I can vote Labour at the moment. I’m reeling from the shock of left wing or moderate parties refusing to support female only spaces and I am pleased that you’re putting this on the Conservative agenda.

Now get rid of Philip Davies and I’ll vote.....

You've got a point, certainly. I was trying to keep my two activities separate, to protect the 'chain' of identity, but we've been so busy today that I felt I had to jump in and answer some questions. Thank you everyone so far for your wonderful messages of support and constructive feedback, we're currently working on the Census 2021 campaign and after Christmas, will be campaigning on the government's forthcoming Technical Review on Toilets Provisions.

I am happy to see this. I hope you get a lot of traction in the Tory party, raising women’s issues from the inside within the party of government is essential.
The cross party working is great and also vital, please do that.
I think it’s going to be quite challenging for some non-members and and non-Conservative voters to join a group called Conservatives for Women even if you’re working with other groups cross party. Too big an ask for me but I wish you very well.

Thank you. The way it works is that you sign-up to our newsletter, and at that point you say whether or not you're a conservative party member. This means, when we're talking to MPs, we can say 'we have x number of supporters, and of those, x number are party members'. We think we're going to have enough numbers of both kinds to be taken seriously. So I'd urge you to sign-up, it's not a contract to vote conservative or have a photo of Maggie Thatcher on your wall, it lends us your support so we can campaign on reclaiming women's spaces more effectively.

I think it’s going to be quite challenging for some non-members and and non-Conservative voters to join a group called Conservatives for Women even if you’re working with other groups cross party.

I found this confusing to read to.

Right, well, based on this thread I won't be going near this.

I'm happy that your life is such that, FOR YOU, self-ID is the most important political issue, vizt:

"terrible threat to women that self-ID poses. (Thank you JKR!) I joined the Conservative Party, and have found them very receptive and supportive about preserving safe spaces for women - changing rooms, bathrooms, hospital wards, prisons and refuges. This is the most important political issue for me, my elderly mum-in-law, and my teenage daughter"

However it's a long way from most important on my list of political issues.

My life is at actual risk from austerity. The way Universal Credit has been set up directly threatens the very existence of the women's refuges you want to support. The rolling back of employment rights has affected women. And IIRC the figures are now starting to emerge that women are bearing the brunt of lockdown job losses.

So for me, those issues are very much more important than trans issues.

I'm not planning to lend you my support while you or anyone else discusses what a woman is, because the Tories didn't wait to say what a woman was before oppressing me.

In fact, by headlining trans issues as "the most important political issue for you", in the face of all that's going on at the moment, you boost the impression the Tories are hoping trans issues will be a cheap win for recruiting women without giving away anything they actually care about.

That said, I agree with ChattyLion that it's important to have groups working for women's rights within political parties. I hope that regardless of whether the group was founded on opportunism or for more sincere reasons, it does end up working for women's rights across more areas, not merely being against trans.

I look forward to seeing what you achieve.

Good luck with this.

I’m not a conservative, never have been and never will be, so won’t be joining up, but I like how you’ve worded the declaration,. I will happily lend my support to cross party initiatives and support your campaigns where they intersect with my areas of interest.

"As we said:
"We are working cross party with all the other political women's groups to inform and influence our peers and MPs.""

That's very good to hear. I'll stick with those political women's groups, in that case.

I’m in. Self ID, the use of puberty blockers on children & young people, single sex spaces & the rise in misogyny are the most important political issues for me at the moment. This is a battle we have to win.

Lifelong floating voter here.

Am I in? You bet. The issue of women's rights is right at the top of my agenda. It's the single issue affecting the largest proportion of the population, yet somehow it's never treated with the gravitas it deserves.

Thank you, than you for this

I’m signed up to Labour Women’s declaration, despite having my membership rejected due to leaving WEP to join Labour (they claimed I was still a WEP member, I wasn’t, but there’s no right to appeal for 2 years and both central membership and CLP ignored my response). I can’t in all good conscience support the Conservative party in any way I’m afraid, this & former governments have too much blood on their hands as far as I’m concerned, and Boris is the fault of the party members, along with all of the shitshow of this year that that has entailed. That said, I wish you luck influencing your party to properly support women, and should LWD launch a similar initiative, I would join that. I’m not leaving the left to the wokerati, tempting as it might feel sometimes!!!!

All the best in cross-party solidarity!

Thank you for your support from the other side, let's wave at each other from time to time! It would be amazing if all women concerned with reclaiming our safe spaces could sign up, either to us or to Labour Women's Declaration. That way, we cover everything, and our strength is in unity.

Please do head over to Labour Women's Declaration if their party is more aligned with your views, they don't just have a declaration/petition, they have a website and very active membership.

The crucial thing is that there are women in ALL parties willing to get stuck in and influence from the inside.

labourwomensdeclaration.org.uk

The Board are Conservative Party members

Do they have names?

Until today there was not a single group in the Conservative Party who centred the rights of women

There has been a Conservative Women's Organisation for years.

Perking we need clout before anything else. A uniting issue should show the strength of women and if that happens, no party, no union, no organisation in their right mind will try and fudge.

In the past, lots of people have tried to start up women's organisations but nothing has every really taken off. It needs hard edged stuff to work and this is the best we've had for ages. If we can make our voices heard in a big way, then at least lets have a shot

@Hayeahnobut

The Board are Conservative Party members

Do they have names?

Until today there was not a single group in the Conservative Party who centred the rights of women

There has been a Conservative Women's Organisation for years.

Yes we all have names, but some prefer to remain anonymous due to fear for their jobs and/or doxxing. We are all ordinary women who are trying to do something useful.

The CWO do not agree with our definition of 'woman'.

by headlining trans issues as "the most important political issue for you", in the face of all that's going on at the moment, you boost the impression the Tories are hoping trans issues will be a cheap win for recruiting women without giving away anything they actually care about

Yup, very much this.

“Why can't you just 'be kind'?
Women and girls have sex-based rights. Wishing to take advantage of those rights, and to have them enforced via clear guidance to service providers is not 'unkind'. In order to do that we must speak in unambiguous language and be able to discuss policies which affect us free of abuse, harassment or intimidation. To discuss those policies, we must exercise the right to use the language which specifically refers to the anatomy of our biological sex. Men who 'identify' as women are not a category of women, they are a category of men.
Allowing men and boys to take advantage of the rights of women and girls is not kind to women and girls.”

:)

@unreliableursula

by headlining trans issues as "the most important political issue for you", in the face of all that's going on at the moment, you boost the impression the Tories are hoping trans issues will be a cheap win for recruiting women without giving away anything they actually care about

Yup, very much this.

We are talking about women's issues, our website is very clear.

I’ll mosey on over and take a look. Aldi politically homeless currently.

*Also 🙄

I wouldn't vote conservative in a million years due to stuff like

Austerity
Running down the NHS
Universal credit/ 2 child cap/ rape clause
Etc etc

However anyone fighting for women's rights is a good thing and I wish you luck. I hope you'll be looking at things like child poverty, rape essentially being legal etc etc as well

Also appreciate you posting the labour pledge, if we have women in all parties making noise and advocating for women that can only be a good thing.