Kemi Badenoch appointed new Minister for Women and Equalities

[Manteiga]

And International Trade Secretary. I'd have preferred to see her as Secretary of State for Education in addition to Minister for Women and Equalities, but this is good news.

twitter.com/Conservatives/status/1584957913059454976

@nilsmousehammer please don't tell me to get a grip.

You have no idea about me, what I do and what I believe. You don't know if I'm GC or not.

I personally find her voting record (or failure to vote at all) appalling and I don't think her agreeing with some on a single issue is reason to celebrate her getting an equalities role.

She has not proved she can adequately represent the needs and rights of women or minority groups. I don't believe she's fit for the job.

There are many other examples of baffling support for really problematic people simply because they have expressed a GC view.

I think that's dangerous and misguided.

We've had 'women's rights are transphobic'
Last week we had 'child safeguarding is transphobic'

and now we have 'women having rights is right wing'

There is a point at which it becomes so obviously and utterly batshit that there will be no one left who hasn't seen through it.

And this is why many of us find the Libdems' slide into obscurity so disheartening ...

Pro-fracking, are people talking about the vote last week that hastened Truss’ downfall?

And anti abortion / gay rights - all I can find are abstentions on the votes about NI.

I linked the buffer zones bill vote, Facebook: www.theyworkforyou.com/debates/?id=2022-10-18c.617.0

That was not what you said in your post, or what I addressed.

TQ+ people have nothing to fear from a more balanced political approach other worse than having to tolerate women having their needs met too.

Women have suffered BADLY and so have children under this TQ+ politics. Suffered. Not 'literal violence' type suffering, read that list I wrote. This has happened because of TQ+ extremist politics. At this point someone like Kemi is needed to re balance the scale because the goal is a fairer society, isn't it? I'm sorry but that means women too. It was not women who flung the pendulum as far as they could in one direction without the faintest conscience.

'Under the bus...' yes, you do need a grip.

Thanks, arabella. That is concerning. I do support buffer zones.

I reject this, personally.

The Tory party has a range from centre right to far right.

I consider Therese Coffey's views to be monstrous too - libertarianism to the extent her policies would result in much more hardship for the poorest. Also Rees-Mogg. Lee Anderson (although he is rather confused). There are quite a lot of them.

The reason I called Badenoch's views monstrous on this thread is the thread is about Badenoch.

Fracking ban, Badenoch voted against:

www.publicwhip.org.uk/division.php?date=2022-10-19&house=commons&number=66

She voted against in the the public order buffer zone vote.

That's enough for me to know that she's not fit for an equalities portfolio.

Fracking bill here:

www.theyworkforyou.com/debates/?id=2022-10-19b.748.0

@Justjoinedforthis

Agree.

What's her other policies, there are other considerations. Feminism has other issues!

But you still can't say what makes hrt monstrous other than she's a tory?

I also think abstaining says a lot - you run the risk of losing the whip if you vote against the party line, and don’t receive half backlash from the general public if you were to vote in a certain manner. Obviously we can’t know which way she would vote though or what her views are based on abstentions. I think the buffer zone vote says a lot though - and choosing to abstain on crucial votes such as gay marriage in NI.

I've explained I consider her political views to be monstrous - it is pretty obvious waht they are - she is at the right end of the Tory party

What more do you need? I oppose her views on tax, welfare, gay marriage, abortion, environment, education, health care. Cuts to rape support centres, for example, are not something I like.

Can you show us where Badenoch has voted for cuts to rape support centres? Or are you just generally saying you find Tories 'monstrous' and more so the further they are to the right of the Tory party?

Yeah, I watched the fracking vote last week. I was wondering whether there was another one. Last week’s was to give the Opposition control of the order paper, which pretty much any governing party in history would vote against. Labour were (cleverly) using a issue which they knew to be unpopular with both voters and Tory MPs (as well as contrary to the 2019 manifesto) to try to bring down the government. And it worked.

Sunak has committed to the 2019 manifesto, which does not support fracking. As Badenoch has accepted a position in his cabinet, I don’t think we need to worry about her position on fracking.

And JFC, I repeated 'rape support centres' without playing it back in my head.

You mean support services for victims of rape, I presume.

But her having different views to you doesn't make her monstrous. It just means you disagree. She's not a demon setting out to destroy. You just don't like some of her views.

Is there any need for the hyperbole and vitriol?

Sunak has committed to the 2019 manifesto, which does not support fracking. As Badenoch has accepted a position in his cabinet, I don’t think we need to worry about her position on fracking.

Good to hear. I really hope they roll back on that.

I did see Kemi working with an organisation that tackles FGM a while back, although I can't seem to find the link, now. Looked like she was doing good work.

No, I don't personally consider all Tories to be monstrous. I have an opinion of the right hand end of the party and Badenoch is at that end.

Okay. That's more reasonable. So, could you specify what it is that Kemi has said/done about services for rape survivors that you object to?

Ha, well, most parties these days are gobalists and the degree of differernce s debatable.

But typically Labour seems to favour using things like social programs to reduce inequality, so more taxes, more social programs. Whereas the more right wing view tends to think that it is better to have somewhat lower taxes, and increase productivity, so more people have jobs.

That's a pretty general statement, there is a large overlap, and of course the devil is in the details.

Committing to the 2019 manifesto is the best way Sunak can hold off calls for a general election. He was a senior member of the party at the time, he’s been chosen by elected representatives (rather than Tory members who don’t have to even have the right to vote in the UK). By committing early to the manifesto the party were elected on, I suspect he is hoping to silence those who say changing PM without a GE is undemocratic. And hoping that the recent embarrassing turmoil in the Tory party will be forgotten in two years time. Or maybe I’m just cynical.

Either way, the only serious concern I have regarding Badenoch in this role is the buffer zone vote.