London mayoral elections

[LoveCauliflowerCheese]

Is there ANYONE who is even slightly aligned with the radfem /GC perspective? 🤔

Laurence Fox - animated discussion on that here:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/4196688-Laurence-Fox-answers-Women-s-Place-UK-questions

Does anyone know anything about Farah London's position? I quite like the sound of her other policies.

I mean, I'd rather vote for Farah London than for Laurence Fox based on the little I know about her. But I don't know very much.

but here is one of the candidates trying to ask Sadiq Kahn a question about trans issues and being roundly shut down by everyone. I am not in London so I haven't looked into the candidate and I'm not sure about other policies.

Slight hijack but just to raise awareness. West Yorkshire is also electing it's first devolved Mayor in the May elections.

Only candidate I've heard of in the running for WY is Tracy Brabin MP (Labour)

Back to London and the OP - As far as I know Laurence Fox is only one who has talked to WPUK but that doesn't make him a good candidate in of itself.

It's a bit depressing really.

Nope There aren't even any decent candidates.

www.womensequality.org.uk/gla_2021_candidates I'll probably be voting for Mandu Reid.

@witheringrowan

www.womensequality.org.uk/gla_2021_candidates I'll probably be voting for Mandu Reid.

Not GC though, so not good for the OP.

WEP are still having their consultation on what a woman is.

@ThePankhurstConnection

but here is one of the candidates trying to ask Sadiq Kahn a question about trans issues and being roundly shut down by everyone. I am not in London so I haven't looked into the candidate and I'm not sure about other policies.

Interesting video. Hadn't seen it before.

Sadiq Khan is just rubbish. I'm embarrassed to have voted for him last time (in my defence it was a vote against Zac Goldsmith's unquestionably racist campaign). I can't believe how easily he's expected to win again.

It seems that Kurton is ex-UKIP and currently a member of the Heritage Party. Not overly keen.

I'm not sure Farah London has said anything at all about the issue. I'm trying to find something. She's ex-Conservative (though wants to do things like abolish council tax for under-25s) so could be GC, but who knows.

@ThePankhurstConnection

but here is one of the candidates trying to ask Sadiq Kahn a question about trans issues and being roundly shut down by everyone. I am not in London so I haven't looked into the candidate and I'm not sure about other policies.

Oh my goodness.

I have no idea who he is either. Im guessing somewhere on the right of the political spectrum and I'd not agree with him on most things.

But for the record, Chairman, I am offended that these questions cannot be asked. I am offended that the mayor can tweet that TWAW and TMAM, then the claim no knowledge of well-reported language policing..when he's involved in doing exactly that with those tweets.

And I'm offended that the mayor is using unverifiable statistics. If 1/4 trans teens attempt suicide, how many trans teens are there?! Where is he getting this data from? The ONS doesn't have it. The NHS doesn't have it either, from what I'm aware. Neither do the police. So what is he quoting?

And I would also like to point out that many religious minorities, Muslims in particular, have been told for the past 20 years that there is no right not to be offended. So as an aside really, I'm wondering whether that's a further discrimination those groups have faced...

Kahn is very ‘right on’ and pretty offensive to women. I really hope we get rid of him he has done nothing that I can see to make life in London better.

It’s just such BS, Khan knows what a woman is, he’s just trotting out what he’s been told

Still on the plus side I’m grateful for this photo of him with Hunt & Bergdorf showing how easy it is in reality (despite stonewalls attempts to say it isn’t) to tell the difference between a butch lesbian, a TW, a man and a woman

Sorry that should say between a butch lesbian and a man, and a TW and a woman

@toffeebutterpopcorn

Kahn is very ‘right on’ and pretty offensive to women. I really hope we get rid of him he has done nothing that I can see to make life in London better.

He introduced the hopper fare.

That's pretty much the only thing I can think of. Otherwise he's got himself into pointless spats with Donald Trump and increased the congestion charge hours and rates, even during COVID when using public transport puts people at risk. He's also messed up Tube fares. That's before we even get onto the crime rate (for which he blames central govt cuts to policing, which may be a fair charge).

I spent the first couple of years giving him the benefit of the doubt, given that I voted for him, and the last 3 years wishing him gone from office.

Quite how he's so popular, I've no idea.

I think people votes because of who he is - the opposite of the conservative post white man. All I ever see if him on twitter posting things that make me question his basic understanding of biology...

@EdgeOfACoin Ahh, that's frustrating. I had ready their policy pages and thought it all sounded sensible, and no mention of anything non-GC that got my hackles up. Guess I'm politically homeless again.

I think people votes because of who he is - the opposite of the conservative post white man.

The Conservative candidate (Shaun Bailey; black, "normal" in terms of education and background) is actually quite interesting. His campaign leaflet was the usual tedious slagging off of Labour without anything concrete to offer as an alternative though.

This is the type of job that would be great for an independent candidate with no party links.

It seems that Kurton is ex-UKIP and currently a member of the Heritage Party. Not overly keen.

Yes, I can see why you wouldn't be. I found the clip interesting but I wasn't aware of their leanings.

I agree with your post. Someone asking reasonable questions should not just be shut down like that (regardless of other beliefs).

Kurten is a really unpleasant man. He ran in the Lewisham by-election for UKIP (as did Mandu Reid for WEP btw, I canvassed for her in 2018) and his campaign was nasty, he’s quite overtly racist as well.

As mentioned, very sadly, WEP don’t know what a woman is. Memorably dubbed the “Whatever Equality Party” and as an ex-member I cannot support them until they at least recognise the conflict between self-ID and WSBR and the plurality of beliefs and non-beliefs around gender. Seriously. They have one job.

None of the candidates are people that I actually want to vote for. So I find myself considering who do I most want to vote against? Realistically it will either be Sadiq Kahn or Shaun Bailey (whose only leaflet I’ve seen so far was a very negative campaign). So which of those two men are the least awful?

I wish Rory Stewart was still running. I’d probably have campaigned for him if he was.

It's not a great field, is it. www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-55748037

My thoughts reading through this list.

Shaun Bailey, Conservative - I can't vote Tory. Next.

Kam Balayev, Renew - need more info. The huge picture makes him look someone trying to sell a hypnosis course.

Sian Berry, Green Party - I'd rather take out my own teeth one at a time with pliers than vote for her or her party, given their recent form.

Count Binface, Independent - I may have to vote for him (or her - who knows what may be under the bin?).

Valerie Brown, Burning Pink - ooh, she's a Black woman, not in her first youth, what does she say about herself? 'Burning Pink's candidate describes herself as a mother, grandmother and vigilante.' OK, moving swiftly on ....

Piers Corbyn, Independent. FFS.

Drillminister, Independent. ???? SE London born. Real name, age etc unknown. Hmmm.

Laurence Fox, Reclaim Party. No, no, no. We don't need another blond attention-seeker as Mayor.

Peter Gammons, UKIP. Nominative determinism.

Sadiq Khan, Labour. Predicted to win by a landslide, so he won't miss my vote.

David Kurten, Heritage Party. 'sits with the Brexit Alliance Group on the London Assembly.' No.

Farah London, Independent. Will look into this one further.

Winston McKenzie, Unity in Action. 'The 2016 Celebrity Big Brother contestant is founder and leader of the Unity In Action party.' Wikipedia says he has been a member of every single political party at some point, and having failed to get elected anywhere he's now set up his own party. No.

Nims Obunge, Independent. Sounds well-meaning enough.

Luisa Porritt, Liberal Democrats. LibDems don't want my vote, so that's easy.

Rosalind Readhead, Independent. Deep Green, supports Extinction Rebellion. I'm sympathetic to much of what she says but I don't like ER.

Mandu Reid, WEP. Sorry, Mandu, until your party works out what a woman is, you don't get my vote.

Brian Rose, Independent. YouTuber, conspiracy theorist, anti-vaxxer, serial interviewer of David Icke. Another FFS here.

It is a choice only in name it seems. If none of the above was on the ballot paper it would probably win.

As you have two votes, a first and second choice, I am tempted to put Count Binface as first choice, but no idea for second.

Rory is such a loss isn’t he? DH has heard him speak (not on politics) and met him a couple of times and was very impressed with him.

If Sadiq Kahn is so far ahead anyway then I honestly may not vote for Mayor. Or put a sticker over the ballot or something. I’ve never not voted before when I’ve been able to. What does voting for a minority candidate for mayor achieve? Highlight to the winner that you supported those policies?

Another dilemma is the assembly votes. I think you vote for a region candidate and also a party for the list candidates as well?

Not that I know who my AM is now nor have really noticed anything the London Assembly does that has any actual impact.

I guess Count Binface is the “fuck you all” candidate. Maybe they could use that on their leaflets

I can’t stand all his nonsense and woke-mongering. It boils my blood that he is more than happy to redefine the words ‘woman’ and ‘sister’
when the rates of attacks on women - even with recent murders - is scarily high.