Tory MP Caroline Nokes gunning for Liz Truss over Equalities role.

[GreenUp]

Seems like the TRA Tory MP Caroline Nokes who chairs the Women and Equalities Committee is going after Liz Truss on any grounds she can find. This is being framed as "Liz Truss treats this like a side hustle" when in reality, Caroline Nokes and Crispin Blunt are desperate to get rid of Liz Truss as she is not unsympathetic to GC arguments.

"The chair of a group of MPs has accused the foreign secretary, Liz Truss, of treating her second role as minister of women and equalities as a “side hustle”.

A damning report from the women and equalities committee accused the government of sidelining the push for equality, and said it risked “regression on equal rights after decades of progress”."

www.theguardian.com/politics/2021/sep/24/liz-truss-accused-of-treating-equalities-role-as-side-hustle

Fuck off Caroline.

Caroline’s inbox must be a binfire of “I’m not angry, I’m disappointed that you are failing us” emails from TRA.

But yeah, fuck off caroline. You know damn well what a woman is

Well unless Boris sees fit to make it a portfolio in it's own right then it is a 'side hustle'. I think it's important but it's always going to be secondary to Foreign Secretary.

If it was really about the post being taken more seriously they would be lobbying for it to be made a full time ministerial post. I suspect they don't care about that though, they just want to oust Truss and replace her with a TRA.

I know Boris does not have many any great qualities but over the gender stuff he is the best we could get imv. I suspect many MPs just want it to go away and would cave.

That YouGov survey is a bit ridiculous. How many people are likely to know who any Equalities Minister is?

Oh just fuck off Caroline. I listened to the Free Speech Nation podcast with Anne Widdicome. I don’t often agree with her but something she said about the current cohort of politicians struck very true. Can’t quite remember how she worded it but she basically said that they are not up to the grade, very mediocre and many do not have actual life experience. Made me think that many are in it for themselves. Caroline strikes me as one of those.

Ah yes Caroline Nokes, champion of disadvantaged groups:

• Opposed gay marriage.
• Supported Fathers for Justice (before they turned on her).
• Opposed anti-discrimination in work laws.
• Opposed the human rights act and voted to repeal existing obligations to promote equality.

I'm sure all the cuts in benefits and services she voted for really helped women, the disabled, trans people etc.

I think it's important but it's always going to be secondary to Foreign Secretary.

I think it's a huge advantage having the FS in this role. She can influence departments to act far more than if the role floated on its own.

Actually it would be fantastic to have a dedicated Minister in this role, with a seat at Cabinet, as Noakes suggests. However it would have to be someone like who knows what a woman is.

Anne Widdicombe who had women chained to hospital beds giving birth?

No Thank You.

....But Foreign and Commonwealth Sec. is one dead cushy job full of freebie travel, drinks parties and very likely no legislation whatsoever.

Plenty of free-time to worry about FGM, infant femicide, sex trafficking and other things.

Sorry - you think being Foreign Secretary is a doss? Based on what exactly?

...because there is no legislation to pass.

Defence, by contrast, is a constant struggle over procurement. FCO has a tiny budget and a small staff. The permanent staff are typically specialists who are career-FCO civil servants, and left to their own devices they will get on with it while the FS munches on hazelnut chocolates.

I suspect many MPs just want it to go away and would cave.

I actually think few MPs of any party would be happy to endorse the real consequences of self ID, (e.g. male prison population given right to transfer to female prisons).

Unfortunately, however, very few are willing to come up with coherent policies including Starmer), so they still spout TWAW and throw Rosie Duffield to the wolves.

@Jaysmith71

Anne Widdicombe who had women chained to hospital beds giving birth?

No Thank You.

....But Foreign and Commonwealth Sec. is one dead cushy job full of freebie travel, drinks parties and very likely no legislation whatsoever.

Plenty of free-time to worry about FGM, infant femicide, sex trafficking and other things.

As I said I don’t often agree with Anne Widdicome but with her assessment of the current batch of politicians I think she was spot on.

@BaronessWrongCrowd

Oh just fuck off Caroline. I listened to the Free Speech Nation podcast with Anne Widdicome. I don’t often agree with her but something she said about the current cohort of politicians struck very true. Can’t quite remember how she worded it but she basically said that they are not up to the grade, very mediocre and many do not have actual life experience. Made me think that many are in it for themselves. Caroline strikes me as one of those.

Marina Warner (I think) wrote an amazing column a few years ago on this. She was comparing about people like Denis Healy, who commanded the beach head at the Allied invasion at Anzio, with the likes of Jeremy Hunt, who believes in homeopathy.

I have to say that Jeremy looks like an intellectual giant compared to some of the current offering.

Here's a link to the actual report, haven't read it yet.
committees.parliament.uk/work/947/the-role-of-the-geo-embedding-equalities-across-government/publications/

Apparently WEC are taking on the scrutiny of the levelling up agenda which they're very happy to do.
I don't agree the Minister's job should be full time equalities, for one thing it inevitably becomes a silo, relieving everyone else of bothering. What's needed is some good strong junior ministers who are across the brief in different areas and a collegiate approach rather than the 'magic minister' who transforms everything.

You know what's a bit odd to me, and which I've only just grasped? Liz Truss is minister for women and equalities, and Kemi Badenoch is minister for equalities. Is there a separate minister for women? I don't understand how it works. (With cabinet roles you get someone with a top level brief and then junior ministers with more detailed briefs, but a "minister for women and equalities" doesn't sound like a cabinet level role.)

It was Baroness Berridge but I'm not sure if there have been any recent change.

@Spiindoctor

I know Boris does not have many any great qualities but over the gender stuff he is the best we could get imv. I suspect many MPs just want it to go away and would cave.

I think there are many similarities between BJ’s magical thinking about the NI border and the magical thinking required to state that TWAW.

The Equalities Office was created by Tony Blair. It is an office and not a ministry or Department of State, and has never had its own dedicated minister. All Womens and Equalities office-holders have had other day-jobs that took up mst of their time.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minister_for_Women_and_Equalities#Minister_for_Women

Just checked B Berridge's twitter - she's been replaced but I can't find out who by. Anyone know?

@Imnobody4

Just checked B Berridge's twitter - she's been replaced but I can't find out who by. Anyone know?

Baroness Stedman-Scott

see my link above

I don't agree the Minister's job should be full time equalities, for one thing it inevitably becomes a silo, relieving everyone else of bothering. What's needed is some good strong junior ministers who are across the brief in different areas and a collegiate approach rather than the 'magic minister' who transforms everything.

This.

I’d love to see a dedicated minister with time and resources and backed up by a raft of junior ministers tackling important equalities legislation, making long-term plans, and seeing them through, rather than being tossed around from department to department depending on whoever gets shuffled into role. So many women and equalities issues are overlooked or ignored - just look at how women have been impacted over Covid. To have a minister watching out and fighting for such things would be excellent.