Where is the Labour Party

[ChristinaXYZ]

In the light of the several significant things that have happened over the last few days re women's rights where is the Labour Party. They are the official opposition. Where is the statement demanding an enquiry into how the Tavistock mess could have taken so many years to uncover and address? where is the statement on women's rights in the work place post Alliosn Bailey's success? Where is the statement about women's safety in sports such as rugby?

Zip, zilch, nothing...

On the other hand they have refused Labour Women's Declaration a stand at the Labour party conference

twitter.com/soniasodha/status/1553654729011601411

Not only are the wrong on the subject of women's rights and misogynistic in their repeated lack of support for women MPs like Rosie Duffield and Luciana Berger and but they are also completely gutless.

Either too gutless to admit they are wrong and start addressing the way women's rights have been squeezed

or

too gutless to continue with their previous line on the subject thereby throwing their version of trans rights under the bus as well.

Meanwhile we have right wingers like Michael Gove praising Kemi Badenoch for her stance on the Tavistock.

The Tories have been in power a long time* and should have done something earlier but at least they have done something and can see and name the problem. They have been slow rather than hypocrites or gutless. If you cannot see and name the problem then you can and will do nothing, just like Labour.

I am so angry with them.

And whose likely to be the next leader Nandy, Creasy or Rayner? (assuming Labour capable of electing a woman) or changes-his-mind-to-suit-the-weather Wes Streeting?

On the plus side at least a few (very few) Labour MPs have signed that letter in the Guardian.

*admitted more like a series of governments rather than one Tory government

Well Labour was originally a party founded by the Labouring classes, so I don't think it's such an unusual expectation.

Lost, OP. They are totally lost.

They have been as big a disaster for the country as the Tories have, because our political system is built on the idea that the government is challenged and held to account, every day, by the opposition. Labour haven’t been doing their job.

I really think the Labour Party should just acknowledge that they’ve been crap at their jobs ever since Blair left, and beg him to lead again or at least tell them what to do.

Labour is too frightened of its own far left for me to vote for them ATM. They need to sort it out.

I'm as well as a WC, menopausal, feminist can be after 12 years of Tory fuckwittery. Since we have 2(?) more years of them when they are drawing up a Bill of Rights I think it's important that they use this time to roll back some of the damage done by including the right to single sex spaces and abortion in the Bill.

Do you think I'm asking too much @LK1972?

@TooBigForMyBoots Yes, you're asking too much.

The Bill of Rights has nothing to do with single-sex spaces or abortion rights, and is meant to replicate the Human Rights Act 1998.

Abortion rights are encoded in legislation, and are not under threat in UK, stop fear-mongering.

Single-spaces access is governed by the Equality Act 2010, which needs to be strengthened. Rishi already mentioned that, so what else do you want done?

Specifically, what other legislation and policies need to be amended, as that is what Ministers do?

Well they aren’t allowed on the picket lines either so they don’t seem to be appealing to any one of their prior supporters.

Pale blue Tories.

I believe that privacy and personal dignity are human rights @LK1972. The inclusion of the right to single sex spaces in the BoR would hamper attempts by any future government to erode our spaces. It would also be popular right across the board as most men prefer to be on single sex wards/male changing rooms etc.

Legistlation can and does change. You say that the right to abortion is not under threat in the UK. It is! From legal challenges and the influx of evangelical, American forced birthers, as well as our home grown anti abortion folk. I believe that bodily autonomy is a human right and should be in our new BoR.

These things will grant women protection for generations and governments to come. And given that the Conservative government are responsible for the ensuing shitshow that followed their Self ID proposals, they should learn their lesson and put the genie back in the bottle.

It would be a bit pointless to draw up a Bill of Rights in 2022 only to make it a carbon copy of a 20th century Act.

labour are a horror show atm. They clearly believe in their own virtue ie anyone that doesnt believe in TWAW is a nasty bigot & I think crucially for labours thinking probably old. I think Labour are working on the premise that all the horrid old people will
die off leaving the young and righteous to inherit the earth. Ageism is the one phobia Labour are totally home with

except it really doesn’t work like that. Women across the political spectrum are furious about this. That Labour refuse to recognise this is tin eared beyond belief!

fuck me what a time to be alive. The worst government and the worst opposition in my 50 odd years life time

Sure, go ahead and campaign for that if you wish, good luck!

The Bill of Rights is a highly controversial legislation that will take years to get through the Parliament, so relying on it is probably not the strategy I would choose for a fast reform though.

A friend of ours, a commentator on current affairs (amateur not professional) but is usually on the right side after the bets are settled said:
"Watch out for Sunak to stand down. Leave the field open to Truss and the muppets who support her and her giveaways." He will come back after Truss crashes the Party in time for the next GE".

Look at the betting, no way is the membership going to vote for Rishi.

If it's fast reform you're looking for, surely getting it from this government would be the best strategy. They have a massive majority and another 2 years in power.

And they owe women. They have really fucked things up for us this past twelve years.

And they said they'll strengthen the EA, that's all they can do, fast.

Do you understand that the Bill of Rights is highly unlikely to become an Act of Parliament, that is to have any legal weight, in the next two years?

With Truss and her Right Wing views, Labour should score a few points.
But the wild card is still Boris. He might come back to rally everyone.
Then what will Rayner and chums do to support Keir?
Anything or just froth at the mouth?
Keir needs supporters not rivals.

And on the original subject of the tread - the Labour are waiting for 'cleared lines' to come from the centre in this issue, like the sheep they are, in my personal opinion.

So the Conservative party have swivelled on Self ID because they are listening to people,🙄 but if the Labour Party do the same it's because they're sheep?🤔

@TooBigForMyBoots Well they're not listening to people, are they?

This thread is a microcosm of the issue. A thread is started to talk about the problem with Labour and gets taken over with “yeah but the Tories!!!!”

i know the problem with the fucking Tories. Im not interested in discussing them. I’m interested in discussing why Labour are so leaden footed and tone deaf over this issue but yet again as soon as we try to discuss it it’s “yeah but the Tories!!”

Labour are not interested in listening to
Anything that doesn’t accord with their world view and as long as the argument is “yeah but the Tories” then they will lose women voters

There is no reason why the BoR should not be law within 2 years. Labour were elected in 1997, the Human Rights Act received royal assent in 1998.

I have noticed that @JosephineGH, that's why I focus on those awful people in power, not the irrelevant people in opposition.

I am neither a Labour nor Conservative supporter. I have never voted for them. I will probably never vote for them. I currently can't vote for them. My only horse in this race is women and women's rights.

This thread is a microcosm of the issue.
This and everything else Theeyeballs said. I know some posters have given up on Labour but I haven't yet, not quite, fool that I am. But I need something positive. I need to hear something like, 'Come on Flo, chin up, we've just had this passed in our constitutency' - that kind of thing. The news about Rosie Duffield's reselection and the letter in Sunday's Observer both helped a bit.

But if all you've got is 'Yeah but the Tories...' then quite frankly you'd be better posting nothing, because all you're doing is highlighting how hopeless my old party has become.

This. I have only ever voted Labour but not anymore. Doesn't mean I'll be voting Conservative. I wish with all my heart that I could vote for Labour but they have decided that they don't want my vote. It will be an independent or no vote for me.

@DialSquare I agree, the Labour response on this issue is 'look, a squirrel', but is there anything possible to change that, in your opinion?

Sorry, I think that should've been for Floisme.