My local councilor just laughed in my face

[sashh]

Just that.

He was canvassing the area, I had previously had email correspondence with him where I asked him 'What is a woman' and he gave me a reply about all discrimination is wrong.

So I tried to engage him on the doorstep, he laughed and told me to 'have a conversation with someone else'.

So I looked up the code of conduct for councilors, apparently they have a duty to represent the view of all in their ward. I don't think he can do that.

Then I found out that the council code of conduct doesn't include 'sex' in it's equality blurb.

Voting for the least worst choice is no choice.

The only political canvassers who have been willing to engage with me on this are Tories, I’m sad to say. My local Tory MP came round and was able to speak knowledgeably and convincing on the topic (ie he didn’t just sound like he was spouting the party line, though I appreciate he may have been doing so).

As a lifelong Labour voter, I’m finding my political choices extremely difficult - vote for the only party who seem to know what a woman is and to be prepared to defend single-sex spaces, but who are shafting the country economically (and disadvantaged especially) - or vote for a new government who might torpedo women’s rights, in the hope that they’ll make life better financially for the majority of society.

I also very much resent the fact that some people think it’s unreasonable that this is a quandary for me and other women - I’m sick of being told our rights and concerns need to take a back seat to benefit others.

I wouldn't be as polite.

I would be more like, "if you don't have the intelligence to answer basic questions, then you shouldn't be involved in politics at all".

I was one of only 2! And the other was my dh

I have had the same experience. The Tories are prepared to discuss and debate whereas Labour are embarrassingly hopeless on this and can only run away or lob insults. It really is pathetic.

Oh and those asking about Tory campaigners, we haven't had any body besides labour canvassers coming round.
At the last big election we had no campaigners at all doing door to door, the loss labour suffered was very dramatic so this time round they've been knocking on doors

OP, I'm sorry this happened to you. I spoiled my ballot last GE. And I've done so in locals - apart from for one good ward councillor who I wanted to keep. If there's no one to vote for, why vote for any of them? Spoiling is better for me than not attending.

FWIW, I've seen ballots cast being looked at. I don't think they are roundly ignored. It may depend on where you live of course.

Women did.

Do you think that women have a greater duty to vote, because women have had to fight harder and for longer, for the right to vote, than men?

Of the men, do men of the categories who got the vote the latest, that is in 1918, have a greater duty to vote than those who got the vote in 1832 or who had it before then? Is it different (less bad) for a rich landowner to spoil his vote or not vote than for a poor man or a poor woman to do the same?

I didn't even know spoiled ballets were a thing.

I don't actually understand our political system very well. Is there a beginner guide to politics people recommend? I did some research but got distracted by the social history retained no useful information.

All I know is locally people say the conservative seat it secure. No point voting. I've never had anyone knock on my door to discuss policy or anything like that only Jehovah witnesses knock on my door to talk.

I remember one lesson on politics at schoool and the teacher said the left and the right are basically the same. I didn't understand anything else he said.

I feel like I should understand more than I do. As pp saying women fought for the right to vote. I should address my ignorance but when you look it's so full of jargon. I don't even keep the left and the right straight in my head because I'm dyslexic and ADHD and muddle that sort of stuff.

I have never seen the point of spoilt ballot papers. What a waste of everybodys time. Just don't vote.

Well good for you. It is a PROTEST 'vote' FFS., What do you not get?

Silly and totally pointless. It isn't a protest.

There seems to be a theme of "no one else has mentioned it" and "local issues, not national", as well as "mumble, mumble, I don't know much about it".

I've had those responses.

🙄

Sorry - face was to Viviennemary

If this was a General Election would you all still not vote Labour and allow this shxte load of Conservatives to continue destroying the UK? Just asking.

So...women are meant to gift Labour - who don't recognise our concerns and who are responsible for the GRA and who have not visibly supported Duffield - because there's some mind of duty incumbent upon us to oust the ruling party?

How about NO

The obvious answer to that is how can we then vote Labour and allow them to pass into (further) law their commitment to destroying women's rights in the UK? To support them in their contempt of women and their destruction of spaces for women and their sexist ideas of the self-definition of sex?

More generally, especially given the constituency system, I think you overestimate the impact here.

Happily, I vote in Rosie Duffield's constituency so at least I can vote for an MP who is prepared to support women.

It is one type of protest voting. It is showing your dissatisfaction. They do count up spoilt ballots.

One could choose not to vote. But the parties wouldn't know - you could be just another one who wasn't interested/bothered to vote.

I may write "none" with a qualifier on my ballot.

I have a Labour MP who believes in biology and women's rights. Excellent. But I'm torn as Starmer and central Labour clearly don't.

No.

That's hard but it would be good to keep a sensible woman in parliament and make it clear why you voted for her.

They do, yes. By a small handful of people at the count. At the end of a long and tiring process, where the focus is on who is going to win the overall vote - not the words someone has written on their ballot paper. Then they are locked into sealed packets and never looked at, or spoken of, again.

I understand why people spoil their ballots - but please remember that doing so makes little to no difference to anything - it doesn't reduce the margin for the winning candidate and it doesn't get a message across as hardly anyone sees it, let alone pay attention to it or remember it.

This is exactly the sort of guilt-tripping and shaming I’m talking about. “Women, be kind! Think about other people’s needs, not about your own! Vote against your sex’s best interests because Labour is in other people’s best interests!”

No, I don’t think so. I’m going to vote according to my conscience. Protecting women’s rights is my number one priority.

I want to vote in the next GE, but if Labour don't drop this nonsense, then it won't be for them.

Apparently we're getting at least one independent candidate, so I may vote for them. Or, hopefully, KJK's PoW may field a candidate.

I won't be voting for any party which believes in gender-woo. As is my democratic right.