17.30 on Radio 4: Political Thinking with Nick Robinson

[nauticant]

Nick Robinson talks to the influential lobbyist and new chair of Stonewall, Iain Anderson, about how the case of Isla Bryson has brought gender politics to the top of the news agenda and how he thinks the heat can be taken out of the debate. Anderson, a lifelong Conservative who founded the lobbying firm Cicero and ran Ken Clarke's leadership campaigns, talks candidly about why he's now moving away from his political roots.

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001j3cx

It'll be interesting to hear whether Stonewall engage in a meaningful way over Isla Bryson, especially since Nick Robinson will not be there to ask them easy and PR-friendly questions.

So Sturgeon and Stonewall think that rapist is a gender.

And the BBC says there is a thing called 'birth gender'.

OK yeah makes so much sense ...

These people need actual help.

Nick kept calling "Isla Bryson" "he" which was very satisfying. I mean, it shouldn't be, but after the last few years it felt like real progress.

I also thought NR pressed him quite a lot, didn’t get any straight answers but that’s political types for you.

Definitely seeing a change in how this issue is discussed on the BBC, small steps but in the right direction at least!

Just got to ‘this person is a rapist' It’s so hard to have a conversation with a person whose definitions of words are completely different from the majority of society.
It is comparable to someone thinking a banana is an apple and calling a banana an apple. But I wouldnt get and apple if I asked for one.

Me thinks I detect the slippery piglet chromosome.
Heard the interview twice now.
Smoother, fixer, slippery 🐖 piglet.

It was a very interesting interview. You can actually hear Anderson's mind slipping around questions which his beliefs tell him can't exist, are impossible to even put into words. Robinson did very well. None so blind, none so blind....

Kudos to NR for saying "he"!
Can you imagine this happening a month ago?

Nick Robinson is a good interviewer and I think the response to his tweet about it might give him food for thought. Worth reading some of the replies.
twitter.com/bbcnickrobinson/status/1624313627078451200

Is this what it's going to look like on forms from now on?

Sex:
Male
Female
Rapist
Individual

I only shouted at the radio twice.

I’ve just got round to listening.

Nick seems to get it and pushed a little bit with some good questions.

Iain thinks it’s all about him.

I wish Nick had asked him what the + stands for. He has clearly been coached to remember to have that on the end every time.

I thought Stonewalls motto was "acceptance without exception". Is Isla Bryson the exception?

lifeissweet · Yesterday 23:52

Is this what it's going to look like on forms from now on?
Sex:
Male
Female
Rapist
Individual

And "Butcher."

But, as the old saying goes "It's the exception which proves the rule" so it's all fine and dandy, so long as there aren't any more exceptions. But that will never happen.

What a weasel. Apparently rapist and individual are sexes now.

It is massive progress that he wouldn't say Bryson was a woman now though. And NR using he is also massive progress.

I can't wait to see what transpires to gift us the additional sexes of "baker" and "candlestick maker".

... Secretary, Bricklayer, Seamstress, Corporal, Project Manager...

I'm interested to know if being a rapist only overrides sex. What about religion? If asked is he a catholic, Protestant, atheist... would an answer be given?