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.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[GrumpyMiddleAgedWoman]

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

[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!

[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.

[newnortherner111]

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

[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.

[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.