Just had the labour candidate at my door

[porridgecake]

She called me a racist Daily Mail reader because I said I didn't think a child could consent to being sterilised and I didn't think rapists should be locked up with women. I also said I was disappointed with the poor resources for women wrt domestic violence, maternity care etc and she countered with how things are much worse for transwomen. I disagreed. Then she stomped off saying "Oh fine, you aren't going to vote labour then!"
I hadn't even said that, I said I would like her to persuade me to vote for her.
I suppose they get so cross because at some level they know they are talking nonsense.
I feel quite upset tbh.

Update added by MNHQ: The OP's since discovered that the person was a canvasser, not the actual candidate. The OP's sorry for the error - please see their later updates.

To be fair, the OP may have misheard and thought a canvasser was the candidate but she didn’t say it was an MP who called her names.

I have no problem believing this. 4 of our local labour candidates have been involved in attacking GC views online. For the last general election I made similar points to OP to a Green canvasser who sent me a long letter in response explaining that I'd been brainwashed by the far right! Young blinkered politicos live in their own ideological bubble and genuinely believe that anyone expressing views about sex-based rights is a bigot. Some of them say it out loud.

I just learned of the NIP, one of the leaders got a settlement over antisemitism,. I was briefly intrigued, as an alternative to not voting or spoiling my ballot. But they're worse than the Greens. Self ID all the way. Couldn't find anything about women on their manifesto. I think co-leader is a tw.

I asked my Labour candidate (definitely the candidate) what a woman was when he came round the other day. He looked utterly bewildered so I then explained why I was asking, why this was relevant to the local elections & what Keir Starmer had said on the issue. He went off saying that he’d tell HQ what I’d said but he never actually answered the question.

I must be boring, I tell each canvassing person regardless of party "yeah you have my vote, life long supporter!" And they smile and say thanks and walk off, and I close the front door and return to a life of peace and quiet 😂

I even tell the jahova witness people, I'm a convert and I will see them in paradise 😳

I'm going to hell aren't I? 😂

Given Gordon Brown was recorded saying that bigotted woman....

I stood as a candidate once and the local party had a longstanding story about a local elderly man who did this.

Now when the local parties used to do more “getting out the vote” stuff they would often promise a lift to the polling station to voters who said they would vote for them. Come Election Day, the local party would send a car round to find…a car from every other political party also waiting. The man always had a choice of transport to the polling booth 😂 They got wise to this after a few years, but he still got sent a car every so often 🤣

I understand this is an emotive issue. But is it really something that should dictate government, given the massive issues we are facing? The current lot have been one Boris-looks-after-his-rich-mates-and-fuck-the-people scandal after another. Is there really anything AT ALL in BJs conduct that indicates he gives a flying fuck about women, assigned at birth or otherwise? Literally ANYTHING that indicates he values and respects women as people?

I think it’s a really stupid hill for labour to die on, don’t get me wrong. But I’d rather have a bit of a mess over trans issues and a functioning NHS, a fit for purpose welfare system and a government that is not siphoning public money into their own pockets at every possible opportunity. I’m not saying it isn’t an issue, just that’s it pales in comparison to actual fuckwittery from this lot. I think women are being played here.

But, did she know what a woman is? That is what I am going to ask when I get canvassers at my door.

I think the issues is not that labour is indeed stating TWAW etc but the bit about the candidate calling her a daily mail racist….would take a particularly stupid person to call a voter that because of the ramifications it could cause. Nearly destroyed Gorden Browns career didn’t it.

I think it’s anybody’s prerogative to vote on whatever grounds they wish, tbh. I used to vote (and stand as a candidate for!) Labour: not now. My experience as a woman is so fundamental to my being and to all my existence and politics that I can’t see it as a side issue; rather the reverse. It’s about fundamentally who I am, and about being able to name truths about the world. It goes to the heart of everything I believe about truth and ethics in political life. Inequalities are about truths and realities; ethics is about being able to hold consistent, truthful principles about the world.

Allowing fictions to take over our politics and distort what real social inequalities and principles should be, strikes at the heart of what an ethical, just politics is. I can’t trust any party who allows and privileges some people to indulge in harmful fictions to be principled about the truth anywhere else, whether that’s Tories partying because the rules don’t apply to favoured groups of rich middle aged men; or Labour pretending that some groups of white middle aged men are magically more oppressed than poor black women because men can magically change into women on their own say-so.

So for me this issue cuts right to the heart of things. And when do you hear men being told they shouldn’t be single issue voters. But somehow women should put their own selves and concerns aside for everyone else. No thanks! If political parties want my vote they need to have policies I want to vote for. They aren’t owed my vote no matter how much they sell women down the river.

@Flatbrokefornow I absolutely think this is something that should dictate government. Once women's rights are given away, we are never going to get them back. These are truly pivotal changes that will determine the future of our society. Yesterday there was another story about a trans-identifying man with a history of assault who was put in a women's prison and raped a female prisoner in the bathroom. He's just been convicted and sentenced to seven years. Yet we are constantly being told that this doesn't happen and that trans women are no different to biological women - despite having a much higher rate of assault and sexual offending than any other demographic. This is the most serious of issues imo - it's easy enough to dismiss the issues with women's sports as being trivial because sports isn't about life or death. But women's refuges, rape charities, prisons and hospitals are all being opened up to any man who says he feels like a woman under the new self-ID guidelines. It's becoming recognised as a hate crime to have the wrong thoughts about transpeople - one gender critical woman had BOOKS confiscated by the police and she was questioned about them. They were gender critical theory books - this was in Scotland. It's all starting to feel like a George Orwell novel with thoughts being policed and controlled. It's actually terrifying.

Sorry, posted too soon.

The problem is that I bloody despite the Tories and all they stand for. I can't believe what they've gotten away with in the last few years. The level of corruption and nepotism is mindblowing and what's even worse is that they've got the arrogance not to care who knows it.

Do the Tories genuinely care about women's rights? Of course not. They're just smart enough to spot a gap in the voting electorate.

I don't think Labour or anyone else would be able to perform a miracle turnaround in the NHS, there might be a small improvement but things are so dire now I don't see how it can be quickly fixed. For this coming election women's rights and self-ID is the issue that I'm focussing on. I hope by the time the next election arrives we'll have moved on from this stupid phase in society.

I do have genuine sympathy for trans identifying folk with dysphoria. I can't imagine how hard it must be. But there's a large and growing body of men who are using trans identity as a cover for a fetish and to gain access to vulnerable spaces for nefarious reasons.

I don't know what the hell I will do at the next election but it won't be voting for Labour. And I"m a bit gutted about that as I think Keir Starmer is a decent and honest man. It's just a shame he's screwed everything up with this issue. Not sure I can bring myself to vote Tory but I might have to. Fucking hell.

I don't believe a word you've written.
Did you complain to their local branch about the behaviour of the person?
Have a conversation with anyone in their office about the inappropriate behaviour and conversation?

I believe you ,OP and I am an ex member of many years and ex candidate. There are some silly women out there prepared to sell out their sisters for a council gig ! Will be spoiling my ballot thsi time, sadly

‘The problem with that is how do you envisage ever being able to verify that? Truth is you can’t, but what you will do, and what we all do, is allow heresay and rumour to colour our opinion and consequently real life decisions.’

Well, I suppose what we do is ask ourselves whether it sounds credible given the other things we know.

She was indeed a canvasser. Completely my mistake and I probably shouldn't have engaged at all.
I had just watched the whole of Allison Bailly's key note speech at the LGB alliance launch in 2021. I have been following her case for months and was pretty upset to hear she had collapsed and been taken to hospital. So that was all in my head when the doorbell rang.
I should have asked the lady a couple of questions and left it at that.
However, when she said my opinion we exactly the same as racism I was taken aback.
I asked her whst she thought about Allison Baily's court case and she said she didn't know anything about it.
So. Not a useful interaction at all and I wish I hadn't opened the door.
I shouldn't have posted on here either as it has only upset me more.

had Labour on the doorstep this week, they do know that Women are adult female humans

Thisis the only lie on this thread. OP I believe you it's Labour that name calls, screams abuse and shuts down free speech this thread is a microcosm of our sad political reality we have to chose between the Tories or these vile idiots

I had a number of email correspondences with my local Labour Mp who was trying to drum up support in the last election. An older white male who had totally bought into transwomen being the most vulnerable group and women having to move over. He had clearly drunk the Kool aide, towing the party line. I was very upfront about sex based rights being central to gaining my vote. it was polite mature interaction both ways.

I can imagine the odd younger person becoming frustrated about this issue and loosing their rag. It’s a very emotive subject. I personally would report them to the party. If they became an Mp I would go to the papers.

And I just remembered that she said TW get the worst health care. After everything we have heard this week about the awful shortage of HRT. Essentially she hardly let me get a word in and I feel like I didn't articulate my views in defence of women coherently.

I have reported my op because of course there is a big difference between a canvasser and a candidate and it was my error.
I would never identify a person in any case. She might go home and google Allison Baily I suppose.

You're referencing a load of national issues when this is a local election.

As it happens my local council wasn't on the list of Stonewall Champions, hasn't (to the best of my knowledge) turned toilets and changing rooms 'gender neutral', and hasn't been spending a fortune on dangerous rainbow crossings. They've also kept council tax down while still providing the services I expect of my council. So I'll be voting to keep the local independent councillors who are in coalition with the Conservatives.

So bearing in mind that a politician of Gordon Brown's stature once got caught on a hot mic calling a member of the public a "bigoted woman", is it really so hard to believe that some hot-headed young activist would call the OP a "racist Daily Mail reader"? Especially given that posters on other threads have had similar from their own children of a similar age.