Sheffield Central Labour Candidate - Abtisam Mohamed vs Eddie Izzard

[fromorbit]

If you are based in Sheffield please lend your support to Abtisam Mohamed a strong local woman candidate, a solicitor of Yemeni descent and longstanding Labour Councillor who has done valuable local work for the community including on nurseries. Sheffield Central is a safe Labour seat so whoever is selected is going to Parliament. Eddie Izzard has also launched a campaign but besides being a celebrity, has more glitz than steel, hasn't lived in Sheffield since being a student, plus as we all know is unclear about who they are.

Mohamed has an inspiring story, worked her way up to get a great career going and is focused on getting practical stuff done. She will make a great MP.

Abtisam Mohamed interview
www.thestar.co.uk/news/politics/sheffield-councillor-launches-her-bid-to-become-a-city-mp-3871921

Abtisam Mohamed Campaign page including a great video lots on her local concerns for the city:
abtisammohamed.com/

In contrast Izzard's campaign, getting loads of press coverage, is thin on detail:
www.eddieizzard.uk/

The local paper talked to people who questioned Izzard's chance of winning a few months back:

"In contrast, Jane Armstrong questioned her claim to run in the city.

She wrote: “I had heard this for a while and if she is fancying Central I know a lot of Labour members in that area who are really hostile to having her as a candidate. Not because she isn't nice person, but because people do not like celebrities being parachuted into wards above local candidates."
www.thestar.co.uk/news/politics/eddie-izzard-sheffield-readers-share-their-thoughts-on-comedians-bid-to-be-city-centrals-next-mp-3821984?itm_source=parsely-api

Apparently several other councillors may be standing as well so it should be an interesting contest.

I am not sure when the cut off point if you join Labour locally you will get to vote on who the candidate is. The actual contest has not yet begun yet but if I were local I would be signing up.

And can I please say something about the language I am using?

I feel just as strongly against what Keir Starmer is doing to women as you do.

I just think that women won't benefit from other women being blamed for anti women national policies.

If we become aggressive towards women who stand in local councils on this issue then we potentially harm women in communities and also risk women who, for whatever reason, don't understand the complexities of this becoming ostracised. I am angry at women within the PLP such as Nandy, Phillips and Dodds who are in a good position to actually stand up against this and who SHOULD understand the issues because they are politicians at the national level.

I feel really angry that attention has been diverted to Abtisam by Izzard and suddenly now SHE must be the one to solve this. No. That's just wrong.

I'm going to bow out too now because I see that this argument helps no one.

And some more reasons why I am disengaging:

'You are trashing Abtisam by making assumptions about her position on women's rights on this basis. You are blaming her for the Labour party woes rather than addressing the broader point of the national policies of the Parliamentary Labour Party.'

If the Labour Party has reached a stage where defending people's right to ask questions of a parliamentary candidate is regarded as 'blaming' 'making assumptions' and 'trashing' then it's in even deeper shit than I thought.
I will say good night again and this time I mean it.

``If the Labour Party has reached a stage where defending people's right to ask questions of a parliamentary candidate is regarded as 'blaming' 'making assumptions' and 'trashing' then it's in even deeper shit than I thought.
I will say good night again and this time I mean it.

You are asking and blaming the wrong people.

Don't make Abtisam the figurehead for the transgender agenda.

This!

Just as well I'm not doing that then.
My original post was not even directed at you. As I have said, it was defending the right to ask questions.

What you actually said was this:

But as, far as I'm concerned, if you (general you) won't or don't feel you can 'stand up for women's rights openly', then don't stand for public office.

It wasn't directed as me , you are right about that.

Yes and I stand by that. If you can't deal with difficult questions from potential constituents then don't stand for public office.
How you have got from that to accusing me of blaming and trashing Abtisam I have no idea. Maybe we can continue the conversation another time but right now I'm no longer interested. Final good night.

Yes and I stand by that. If you can't deal with difficult questions from potential constituents then don't stand for public office.

Which difficult questions?

Are you putting her to a higher standard on women's rights than you are putting Izzard, if so why?

Because you've got a local woman against Izzard in a local parliamentary candidacy race.

I know which one of the two I would back to put women first.

It is very difficult to take a stand against genderism in public - which is why we need to support those who do and push others to change - but recognise for most it will be a slow gradual realisation.

She could possibly also be at risk of de-selection if she too openly speaks out against the official Labour Party line which is that TW=W. She seems to be walking a bit of a tightrope.

Despite the largest percentage increase being in hate crimes against trans people, the actual numbers are very small - and are completely dwarfed by hate crimes motivated by racism at 109,000, and even disability at 14,000.

Indeed - when numbers are so tiny, even a very small increase, expressed in percentages, appears huge eg*. If 1 TW was assaulted in 2021, and 2 in 2022, then that is a staggering 100% INCREASE! The number of assaults against Transppl has DOUBLED in just a year.

Statistics can be very deceptive.

Sorry - meant to add

*made up number for simplicity's sake

Thanks

And the "hate crimes against trans people" referred to - what exactly are they? Are they actual crimes, or things like stickers and ribbons and asking male people why they are in female spaces?

And mentioning that female people exist too, and have inclusion and access needs, and will not stop being homosexual on command.