Local elections and sex/gender/trans issues

[DameHelena]

I am REALLY struggling to see who I can vote for tomorrow, due to their position on this issue.
Labour: no
Lib Dems: no
Green: no
Very much would like not to vote Tory (am historically Labour and/or Green and tend to go Green in local elections).
We have a Womens Equality Party candidate, but I can't find their official stance on women's sex-based rights. Does anyone have any knowledge? And how are you voting if you're in the same position as me?

I agree. I think local councils should be run by un-partisan, boring civil servants.

I agree. I think local councils should be run by un-partisan, boring civil servants

No body is unpartisan though. All that would happen without elections is that the council would be run according to the beliefs of the government officials who held the most power, with no way to hold them to account or get them out of office.

One thing I’m hoping from this is Starmer gets some confidence to beat back the left of his party

I’m not sure what next GE will be like but it’s not definite Labour could do it, plus Lib Dems more than happy to take their seats

if I heard correctly in Angela Rayner’s constituency Labour lost?

I’m ok with that. Out of all of Labour Starmer is better for me, but he has to get his fiscal policies right and change on women’s rights

I guess we’ll see more of what he wants to go for emboldened by the key London councils

Cons could still do GE but really need to dump party gate, which had a big impact

Mine won't be out until later this afternoon - only just started counting.

I spoiled my ballot with "Respect my sex" and "woman=adult human female" across it. I then wrote an essay on the back about how I wouldn't vote Tory as the are corrupt, self serving and an embarrassment to the country and the left needed to pull its finger out and recognise a woman isn't a feeling in a man's head. It was very therapeutic.

Our ward typically swings between tory and labour, with labour running the council overall. In a bit of an upset we appear to have gone green locally as have another couple of wards. The fella from the greens follows Shahar Ali on twitter so I'm hoping that's a good sign.

First time ever, I didn't bother to vote. This is a secure Labour area, and I was ill. I couldn't face walking to the booth only to spoil my ballot.

I've totally lost faith in the UK as a democracy, anyway. I'm dreading the GE.

One thing I’m hoping from this is Starmer gets some confidence to beat back the left of his party

I've heard the commentators who talk to Labour people talking about "long corbyn" effect they are recovering from still but I've heard little about women's issues being mentioned or them trying for the center left ground.

It has been picked up it's odd results in place possibly indicating neither major party is liked but they mention party gate for Tories and think Labour harp on to much about how Tory have done wrong and not enough about what they'd do instead - which I don't diagree with but it's not the main issue on these boards.

It's possibly way to early and perhaps some analysis of voting in next few days/weeks may being womens' issuess to the fore but I'm not confident of any directional changes happening.

Absolutely it was Maria Miller MP (Con) who started a shit-tonne of damage on this.

The then W&E Ministers Amber Rudd and Nicky Morgan could have put a stop to it (as Truss has done, with support from junior Minister Kemi Badenoch), as could the then PM Theresa May. But Rudd, Morgan and May didn't stop this bloody dangerous crap in its tracks, and that's on them.

Theresa May has no excuse. She has an Oxford degree in Geography ffs. She damn well knows about the impacts of western-style policies on the lives on women and girls in the Developing World and poorer communities, and she knows plenty about human geography, biology and politics in the round. She's fastidious. There's no excuse except fear of the likes of Crispin Blunt and Penny Mordaunt banging on at her about it being 'just like gay rights' (when it patently isn't).

Talking of Mordaunt, I see she was of the kiss of death last night for the Portsmouth North Tories in the local elections.

It wasnt just Maria Miller, it was Justine Greening as well. And thats not all; Greening was threatened with legal action over her inaction over sexual violence towards girls in schools. There was a consultation, the outcome of which was PHSE, originally designed to tackle VAWG. It was co-opted to push gender ideology, and sexual violence is still an escalating problem in schools, while girls are also being subjected to mixed sex toilets.

And yy ^^ Justine Greening to add to the list.

And Caroline Nokes who is carrying on Maria Miller's 'work' as the W&E Select Committee Chair.

Hearing ‘Long Corbyn’ made me laugh this morning, although not sure how much it is that

I had hoped Starmer being closer to centre than some of his party would increasingly drag it in that direction but I agree women’s rights might not push through to Labour which is very sad and depressing.

One thing I’m hoping from this is Starmer gets some confidence to beat back the left of his party

Starmer has gone to war on the left. Loads of them have gone as a result, increasing Labour's financial difficulties. And if he’d had less focus on getting rid of popular left wing economic policies like energy nationalisation (probably even more popular now, with sky high charges) he would have had more time and political capital to take on the genderists.

Though actually I’m not sure he wants to. He’s a London lawyer, and as Amnesty, Liberty etc show, being a “human rights” lawyer these days is all about pushing gender ideology. And the only prominent Labour politician I’ve noticed lately saying TWAW is … Starmer.

This didn't work out, back to the drawing board Boris.

Attitudes like yours are a big part of why I will never vote Labour again. Throwing the word fascist around willy-nilly and trying to shame and belittle people. You do it on every thread like this that comes up as well, along with blossomtoes and a couple of other regulars. I've seen it a lot from online Labour activists on social media too and it's incredibly off-putting.

"Vote for us or you're a nazi" isn't the vote-winning strategy you all seem to think it is.

Agreed: purity spirals are what the Left specialises in, but all they do is divide and cause conflict.

Considering the Tories over the past year, the scandals, the sleeze, the leader, this should have been an absolute bloody landslide.

And it's not.

The left in all its various shades need to start thinking about this, because this was the biggest open goal in decades.

”No vote for liars or reality deniers”

Pretty much covers them all.

What a shit show our parliamentary system is.

Well said Screaming

I would vote Labour again - all they have to do is promise to leave my legal rights alone. It's astonishing to me that I even have to ask but here we are. What I can't imagine ever doing again is lifting a finger to help them any further.

I didn't know about Charlotte Carson, thanks for flagging that up @NitroNine - it's pathetic to be so grateful for someone saying something deeply uncontroversial (and obvious) five minutes ago. I agree with you on SFWNI: I felt pretty emotional seeing those billboards up. There are few friends who know what's going on and those that know are wary of speaking out. NI has a complicated relationship with democracy, to say the least, but I'm shocked to see the centre taken over by luxury beliefs. Not to derail the thread but did you happen to hear the latest Heterodorx podcast? I tend to share Corinna's view on the toilets/changing room issue (before I would also be of Charlotte's opinion). I think its worth a listen Heterodorx

Totally agree - but they won't. Too high on their own purity supply.

Me too. First time ever I’ve not voted but anyone whose politics I agree with are saying TWAW and I couldn’t in good conscious vote for the tories. So depressing.

Agree. You would have thought that everyone would have learned from Brexit that this negative approach doesn’t work! Politicians need to understand the concerns of people who don’t agree with them on all issues and seek to appeal to them or address their concerns. Vs calling everyone nazis. Which is just not helpful and not true. Not in the gender debates and not in brexit. There are some real neo nazis out there who seek to make the most out of these divides and name calling distracts from those.

Mhairi Hunter if the SNP lost her seat. Wonder if she'll reflect on her behaviour on Twitter? 👀

Starmer has gone to war on the left. Loads of them have gone as a result, increasing Labour's financial difficulties. And if he’d had less focus on getting rid of popular left wing economic policies like energy nationalisation (probably even more popular now, with sky high charges) he would have had more time and political capital to take on the genderists.

Really, you couldn't make this stuff up. People are literally unable to afford to heat their homes. Elsewhere on this forum you can read heartbreaking laments by people who's energy bills have tripled, and are wondering what more they can delete from the grocery shop that feeds their children or how they will survive next winter.

And all people can think about is how great it is that the one prime ministerial candidate who figured neo-liberalism was failing people, and suggested policies to deal with it, has been destroyed along with his entire power base, and that Her Majesty's oppositon are now an opposition in name only, so the government can carry on merrily freezing and starving people because There Is No Alternative.

Sigh