Why doesn't the Labour Party care about women.en?

[Eveniamcautious]

I made a mistake the first time I tried to post this, and used an offensive term, so im asking again, without that term. Apologies for that.

Why doesn't the Labour Party support women? The pro-women reports i see in the media come from sources like GB News, the Mail and even the Spectator. The left-wing media seems to be largely silent and almost anti-feminist.

Labour oversaw that atrocity that was the Managed Zone in Leeds, a Labour Councillor called a woman a terf with no repercussions, Labour just don't seem bothered that women are being thrown under the bus, and I genuinely don't understand why.

many years ago a socialist man told me that it was no good talking about gays on the shop floor because 'you've got to get the lads interested in socialism'

1. it didn't occur to him that the lads might be gay
2. women didn't factor, even when talking to an actual woman
3. things haven't really changed much

It's not only Labour who don't care about women

The left don't care about women in their current incarnation and IMO were never that interested. This has just made it obvious.

The right don't care about women either.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news!

They changed from championing the oppressed working white man to the oppressed. Certain factions have portrayed themselves the most oppressed so they're the new cause. Women never quite got the limelight.

I think we need to be a bit careful and not think that because right wing media (sometimes) support on women's sex based rights. For many of them it isn't that the care about women, but that they can use this issue to make fun of left wing politics, and "woke" young warriors.

And that is because Labour, Liberal, Greens, SNP, ie just about everyone else has opted for the position that women dont have their own rights, they should only accept that their issues go on the back burner because there is always someone whose rights are more important than them. Particularly if it is men demanding the right to be accepted as a woman.

So we have ended up with the bizzare situation that all parties are misogynist, but even on that they have to abide by party lines so just display their misogyny as competitive dick waving.

True stumbled. I am a former LP activist. I didn't vote in our local election this year. It's the first time ever that I haven't been the polling station.

@PastMyBestBeforeDate

They changed from championing the oppressed working white man to the oppressed. Certain factions have portrayed themselves the most oppressed so they're the new cause. Women never quite got the limelight.

Never at all.

I remember watching Bob crowe speaking at a convention on the telly a few years ago.

He talked about standing up for tube workers.

It was obvious to me that he meant men.

I don't know why or how but that was my overriding impression. Subjective obviously but it was a very strong feeling.

Someone said the thing about labour currently is that they seem to despise large groups of their traditional supporters.

Women
Jewish people
More?

No one should make the mistake of thinking that the right care about women or girls in general.

I mean that's silly.

Absolutely Nice. If push came to shove it was the man who was the focus.

Not even push came to shove.

It's just always been that way. This has just made it obvious.

Trade Unions

Trade unions.

Interesting.

DH works for an org that automatically meant he was a labour party member, and had money to them taken from his salary every month.

This was not made clear.

It was automatic- you can opt out if you even notice.

@NiceGerbil

Someone said the thing about labour currently is that they seem to despise large groups of their traditional supporters.

Women
Jewish people
More?

The working classes.

No, you're right and I am, now, feeling a bit silly that it took the issue of TW to realise it. I could rationalise the lack of a female leader away as voter misogyny. Look at Theresa May's squeak home v Boris Johnson's landslide. Yes the whole political roadshow is patriarchal but I thought I'd picked a challenger. I was wrong. There isn't one.

My guess is there is a kind of systemic effect going on in terms of the larger historical issue.

My observation is that there are plenty of people, across the political spectrum, who care about women. There are MPs who are concerned about it, work on it, try to help women who come to them, etc. In both major parties. But what doesn't always happen is that concern being translated into an emphasis on effective policy for the benefit of women, compared to other issues.

Part of it might be that some other issues have broader appeal for men and women, so tend to win out when they decide which initiatives to put their weight behind. I'd also say that there are some areas where there is so little agreement about the best way to do things, that they end up doing nothing - childcare policy might be an example of that.

But what's going on now with the identity politics focus seems different to me. There are some very strange currents there with some small groups, and even small groups within groups, wielding a lot of power around who gets to set the agenda.

'women's issues' - most of which should be considered societal issues. Niche. Less important. Hidden often on areas for women in the media.

Also often stuff to do with children.

Half the population.
Plus the most vulnerable (children).

I heard a theory that the political spectrum doesn't flow in a linear way from extreme left to extreme right but more forms a circle, like a colour wheel. So the more extreme you go to the left the closer you get to meeting those on the right.

Yes. Stalinism Vs Naziism. That sort of idea.

Not sure what that's got to do with women in the context of this thread though.

I think someone said (it might have been Bea Campbell) that in terms of mainstream politics it was only during "good times" that those in control would then find the space and time to think about women. But otherwise women's issues were never on the agenda.

Yes. Our opportunities, social support etc is only for good times.

They can be removed at any time.

Also our rights as seen around the wotld around various issues.

Labour have stopped thinking for themselves and are just importing ideas from the USA.
Many ideas on queer theory etc were born in American academia via Judith Butler etc and spread on U.S. campuses.
The USA has never been as socialist as the UK & Europe and identity politics here are not a good fit for Labour, they’ve been a vote looser.

I agree with PP, no political party, left or right cares about women. The right are doing nothing to advance women's rights and the left are currently hell bent on destroying the ones we have.

I think the left pay lip service to a belief in women as equals but their misogyny means they don't follow through and the right don't believe patriarchy exists.

At the moment I think the conservatives have realised their error in proposing self ID and are standing back watching the left support it knowing it's electoral poison. No change to the law is, for the time being, buying time for women to highlight the problems with a self ID policy, time we wouldn't have if Labour were in power.

But what's going on now with the identity politics focus seems different to me. There are some very strange currents there with some small groups, and even small groups within groups, wielding a lot of power around who gets to set the agenda.

I agree with this and it's very sinister. I think these small powerful groups have infiltrated all parties but have had more success in capturing the left wing.

I have written to Kier Starmer twice, and yesterday to my 2 local Labour councillors. I didn't vote this time either and I won't vote for the LP while they support self ID.

But I do not think the tories care about women. The upper house does, but the tories are in this for their own means. Only a couiple of years ago they were full on TWAW

@Xoxoxoxoxoxox

Labour have stopped thinking for themselves and are just importing ideas from the USA. Many ideas on queer theory etc were born in American academia via Judith Butler etc and spread on U.S. campuses. The USA has never been as socialist as the UK & Europe and identity politics here are not a good fit for Labour, they’ve been a vote looser.

I'm watching the new Fargo at the moment and because of identity politics I'm now thinking of the USA more in terms of its history of segregation and racism than the 20th century idea of it as the Statue of Liberty and the progressive 'shining city on the hill'. Right now it feels far more like its 17th century, Puritan sect version coupled with the Wild West in its gold rush to medicalise children.