Help - who can we vote for this week?

[thinkingaboutLangCleg]

I have no idea who to vote for in the council, mayoral and police commissioner elections this week. The only parties I know that support women’s rights are the SDP and the Communist Party, and they have no candidates standing locally.

I thought I’d seen a thread about women gathering local information around the UK but I can’t find it. There’s nothing about eg keeping public facilities single-sex in any local candidate’s publicity.

Any ideas, anyone? Today I’ll try and grab time to email every local candidate asking what they would do to protect single-sex facilities and child safeguarding.

[thinkingaboutLangCleg]

I’ve just heard that the GRARG recommendation for Cambridgeshire PCC, Nicky Massey (Labour) is also a city councillor and voted for a council motion last year that “Trans women are women and trans men are men”.

So, not someone I would vote for.

[SquishySquirmy]

I'm in Scotland. Completely stuck with who to vote for! For the candidates, I was going to vote for either the Lib Dem or Conservative candidate. LD candidate seems a good egg in general, and both her and the Conservative candidate at least mention the local area.
However ALL the local candidates (including conservative) have signed that Scottish LGBTI equality pledge. The sentiment of LGBTI equality is great, but I disagree with the details of the pledge. (It is very clear that T are the most marginalised of all LGBTI and calls for reform of gender recognition laws and NHS gender identity services.)

I can see why it is hard for candidates NOT to sign though... like if there was a "don't kick puppies pledge". You'd look like a monster for not signing. But the actual content matters more!

The Labour candidate seems like a nice person, but has very little to say about the local area, and her twitter feed is mainly trans rights, with a smattering of "Tories are terrible". I mean, the Tories (especially current Westminster gov) are pretty terrible but endlessly pointing that out doesn't persuade me to vote Labour.

If it wasn't for women's issues, either Labour or Lib Dem would get my vote.
As it is, I'm considering spoiling my vote. Or holding my nose and voting Conservative.

[newnortherner111]

I have the SDP option for London Mayor and the Assembly list, no idea about who to vote for the Assembly constituency.

[WeeDonkey]

I have a postal vote and I spoilt it with '#LabourLosingWomen'. We only had Cons / Labour / LDs / Greens. Shame there was no independent to vote for.

[thirdfiddle]

Thank you GRARG on the police one - that confirms what I thought from their personal statements, hooray I have a candidate to vote for and I like their general policies too!

[GrumpyMiddleAgedWoman]

@transsloth, that link has made up my mind re PCC - thank you.

[thinkingaboutLangCleg]

Terranean, I can't help because I'm in two minds myself. But I hope you'll either vote or spoil your paper. Not voting at all is usually taken to mean apathy, whereas we want to send the opposite message. And I always think of the suffragettes who dedicated their lives to getting us the right to vote.

[Terranean]

There is a recommendation for my area. It is Labour, I’m still undecided.

I like Floisme -- If you don’t respect my Sex, don’t expect my X!

Trouble is it might be misunderstood or appropriate it, imho.

I have three options now:
Vote as recommended (lesser of 2 evils)
Vote spoil with the Sex X
Don’t vote.

Thanks OP for this thread it has help with the reflection.

[Floisme]

[quote thinkingaboutLangCleg]Floisme -- If you don’t respect my Sex, don’t expect my X!

I've just seen it on the GRARG site showing the letter they wrote to all PCC candidates, at
gcritical.org/2021/04/07/police-and-crime-commissioners/[/quote]
That's it - thank you thinking! I really don't want to do this - I was hoping for a half sensible independent candidate but there isn't one.

[IloveJKRowling]

Well this is incredibly helpful, thanks for the link transsloth I now know who to vote for. Brilliant stuff.

[thinkingaboutLangCleg]

Thanks for the link, transsloth.

[thinkingaboutLangCleg]

Floisme -- If you don’t respect my Sex, don’t expect my X!

I've just seen it on the GRARG site showing the letter they wrote to all PCC candidates, at
gcritical.org/2021/04/07/police-and-crime-commissioners/

[GrumpyMiddleAgedWoman]

@Boiledeggandtoast, thanks for that link. I did emailing them, and realised before I sent it that I just cannot being myself to vote for a party that doesn't give a shiny shit about the welfare of women in prison, about the risks to women in sport. Just can't do it.

The Tory will win anyway. Spoilt ballot time.

[bitheby]

I am holding my nose and voting Lib Dem. Otherwise the Tories get in a s that's worse.

[MissBarbary]

It makes me think that it is pure political opportunism

Of course it is.

[SolitaryBee]

ItsAllGoing to Be Fine

I understand the theory. SNP constituency votes are what Alba needs to get their people elected. I think however Alba’s support for the SNP is in direct conflict with Alba’s stated support for women. How can they put out this video //www.youtube.com/watch?v=WK-OW6-6a9Q saying they want to maintain sex-based protections but at the same time tell us to vote for the SNP who are pursuing policies that are deeply damaging to women? It makes me think that it is pure political opportunism. Alba see a chance to pick up voters disenfranchised by the anti-women policies of other parties. If the SNP form the next Scottish government how are Alba going to prevent GRA reform and revoke the HCB?

[ProfessorInkling]

@transsloth

Here's the results from the grarg pcc questions.

gcritical.org/2021/05/03/ask-your-pcc-here-are-the-answers/

Thanks for this, my recommended candidate wants to ‘remove Stonewall’s influence’ - I could not find this elsewhere in relation to them, so this is great.

[Strikemepink]

Thanks for the link to the pcc responses, unsurprisingly none of the candidates answered for my area.

I think for the local elections I will vote focussing on local issues, I don’t like to spoil my ballot paper has having worked in the count many times they are simply glanced at by the candidates or their agents to verify that it’s not possible to determine who is being voted for. It is fast paced and I doubt in such a high pressure environment the candidates or agents will care / take note of any message, if indeed they are given a chance to read it.

[transsloth]

I think the recommendations are based entirely on their responses to sex/gender questions.

My area came out as no recommendations, the responses were relatively complex but ultimately they didn't specifically state that crimes should be recorded by sex.

[StillFemale]

@transsloth

Here's the results from the grarg pcc questions.

gcritical.org/2021/05/03/ask-your-pcc-here-are-the-answers/

Thanks transsloth I’m a bit taken aback by the recommended PCC candidate for my PCC area. It was one I’d outright rejected as a possibility for other reasons. I’m in a quandary now

[transsloth]

Here's the results from the grarg pcc questions.

gcritical.org/2021/05/03/ask-your-pcc-here-are-the-answers/

[Boiledeggandtoast]

Grumpy Someone on a previous thread (I'm sorry I can't remember who it was) gave a link to Liberal Voice for Women, which gave me some hope:

liberalvoiceforwomen.org/policy

[Floisme]

There was a statement doing the rounds a few weeks ago that I was planning on borrowing for the ballot box but now I can't remember it or who used it
I think it was along the lines of, 'No X if you don't recognise my sex' but more succinct.

[Zeugma]

We're voting in local council elections this week. The Tories will win in my area anyway; a donkey in a blue rosette would win, sadly. As a lifelong Labour voter who could never vote Tory, I'm seriously contemplating spoiling my ballot paper for the first time ever. Like PP I was thinking of going with 'Woman = Adult Human Female' written across it.

[StillFemale]

I’m struggling.

PCC best candidate is Labour and they have a good chance but it will be close so I was thinking of spoiling my ballot with #LabourLosingWomen and #SexIsBiological or would #WomanAdultFemale be better for second?