Jenni Murray: What is the point of women in Parliament if they're too scared to say what a woman is?

[Abitofalark]

Good question, Jenni.

She has written a blistering piece in the Daily Mail expressing her bafflement at the Dodds, Cooper, Sturgeon trio and hands them a lesson in history of women's struggle: "Why then do female politicians, who owe their place in the corridors of power thanks to the efforts of thousands of women who campaigned for their rights, appear unable to define what and who they are?"

www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-10600455/JENNI-MURRAY-point-women-Parliament-theyre-scared-say-woman-is.html

There's also an amusing coda to the piece, in which various female writers give their definition of what a woman is.

Who shall answer Jenni's question and call to arms? Not those three, nor her old radio programme either.

There's also an amusing coda to the piece, in which various female writers give their definition of what a woman is.

And one male.

Jenni's frustration is palpable. She just wants them to stop fart arsing around and step up.

Apart from anything else, it's bloody embarrassing. The more these politicians flounder, the more ridiculous they look.

And yes, I really, really don't want to hear from bloody Thomas what a woman is. Had enough of listening to them rhapsodise about their fake breasts. Absolutely clueless.

Jenni was at the FILIA conference last year and she admitted that the reason she left Women's Hour wasn't because of her age/health but because she was so upset and angered that the BBC no longer trusted her to speak on behalf of women because of the Gender ideology issues. You could see how affected she was by this,and yes, she's bloody furious about this issue,and good for her for speaking out about it!

Agree completely. These women MPs are in a privileged position. When you think of what women went through to get the vote , all over the world and to be permitted to stand as elected reps, they make me so angry. Shameful

@OldCrone

There's also an amusing coda to the piece, in which various female writers give their definition of what a woman is.

And one male.

I don't find it remotely amusing...in fact I want to smash my phone against the wall in rage.

What defines a woman?

"What defines a woman is our interest in others. Introduce me to a new person and I’ll know quickly how old she is, her marital status and who does her hair. Men are mostly only interested in themselves"

"She is someone who talks. Non-stop. We gossip and bitch and dissect. Take a man to see the new Batman, as I’ve just done, and he’ll mumble: ‘Um, I enjoyed it.’ Whereas a woman will analyse everything from the costumes to Robert Pattinson’s eyebrows."

Oh just FOTTFSOFATFOSM

ADULT. HUMAN. FEMALE.

Came here as I daw it was the front page ! (Via tomorrows papers )

Hope it's good. Well done JM :)

I was a big fan of Yvette Cooper until she let us all down.
Jenni Murray has always been consistently on the side of women.
I think she is incredible.

Oh FFS, D Thomas! Just why? Ruined the entire piece. What experience has Thomas of any of those things listed? None. Not one.

@kinshasa

I was a big fan of Yvette Cooper until she let us all down. Jenni Murray has always been consistently on the side of women. I think she is incredible.

Agreed :)

Those writers comments are all about gender, of course. Which a lot of Mail readers think is fine, just that it's associated with bodies. About the opposite of Jenni Murray's point. Women talk a lot? OK then. What a load of bollocks.

'All we want is to be a woman. Just like you.'

Unlike D Thomas, I never published a book on how oppressed men are or spent £100k on cosmetic surgery. I think the class obtuseness of these comments is as bad as the genderism. Welcome to the Mail I guess.

Some of those definitions would be amusing if politicians aren't trying to write laws using them.

I never had that much faith that AD had the ability to stand up to the misogyny in politics and the labour party especially. But I thought Cooper had more to her. It must be humiliating to know that you can't define yourself and keep on the right side of your bosses.

'All we want is to be a woman. Just like you.'

Said no woman ever.

Not even the women who described womanhood in social terms "wanted" to be women, they know they just are women.

Very good point Jenni Murray. If you can't stand up for women who are half your constituents, MPs, then what is the bloody point of you?!

Greengoose, that quote is giving me the absolute rage. Women are bitchy gossips who are obsessed with trivial details. What a fucking arsehole

Well done, Jenni Murray.

And interesting/infuriating to read the follow on bit. Some of which gives you an idea of the type of vacuous shit you would roll your eyes at and ignore ('we women do just prattle on don't we!') if people weren't actually basing legislation, stats, and medical treatment on ideas precisely as fucking vapid as that comment.

'All we want is to be a woman. Just like you.'

But not the disempowered, oppressed, subordinated kind of woman, who does all the work and deals with all the shit.

A kind of VIP command status kind of woman that gets to make all the rules, hang on to the male privilege and enact the interesting bits while instructing and utilising the boring kind of women as service providers and resources. (But we all need to keep maintaining the illusion that there is no feature or name or action that the service class can be identified by so they could be identified as something the VIP leadership can't possess or control.)

Yes, Artichoke. Just the imaginary frilly bits, none of the bloody reality.

Dorothy Byrne doesn't seem to know what a woman is, why is she in this list?

Thomas illustrating perfectly the eighth rule of misogyny - women are whatever men say they are.

TAs and MRAs - two cheeks of the same arse.

Great article from Jenni, the frustration is palpable.

A "pronouns in work email signature" colleague was displaying one of Jenni Murray's books in her FB bio for IWD. Hoping she will read some more of what Jenni says and have a lightbulb moment.
She needs to learn that sometimes "Be kind" means saying"No thank you"

That is an excellent piece!
The definitions underneath it though
Instantly knowing who does someone's hair? Being bitchy and chatty? An interest in Robert Patterson's eyebrows? No wonder we're in such a mess.

I want to identify out of having MS. Very often I "pass" as someone who doesn't have MS. But I have it. It's my biological reality. What's the difference between that and someone who "wants to be a woman ".

JESUS FUCKING CHRIST.

Some of those definitions.

Oooh, I can simper and giggle and cook and clean and be witty and charming and interested in your shoes ... FUCK OFF!

And the cleverness of including them all so that they can be seen so very clearly.

And now I have an earworm...

Oooh oooh oooh
I wanna be like you oo oo

She is someone who talks. Non-stop. We gossip and bitch and dissect. Take a man to see the new Batman, as I’ve just done, and he’ll mumble: ‘Um, I enjoyed it.’ Whereas a woman will analyse everything from the costumes to Robert Pattinson’s eyebrows."

Fuck's sake. My dh will analyse any film til the cows come home. Guess I'm gay then.

This is all they have. And it's pathetic.

@bishophaha

She is someone who talks. Non-stop. We gossip and bitch and dissect. Take a man to see the new Batman, as I’ve just done, and he’ll mumble: ‘Um, I enjoyed it.’ Whereas a woman will analyse everything from the costumes to Robert Pattinson’s eyebrows."

Fuck's sake. My dh will analyse any film til the cows come home. Guess I'm gay then.

This is all they have. And it's pathetic.

Oh, just seen that was from Liz Jones. Lol. Feel free to "align " with Liz Jones, TRAs.