Time to dust off your Labour Party membership and support LWD

[Forwarder]

The only mainstream party that currently acknowledges biological reality took a bit of a pounding yesterday (results so far). Spoiled ballot papers ain't going to cut it. From these results we might get a Labour Libdem coalition next time, if not outright Labour majority.

Either way, that means full steam ahead for Self ID.

If you are still a member of the Labour Party, Labour Women's Declaration is trying to get GC candidates on the National Women's Committee and push back at the MRAs who run the party. The nominations go in this month and next. LWD running an advice session soon.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-65475817

Christ.

Absolutely. All parties need more sensible women to get involved. Voters need a proper choice.

I have talked to various friends about this issue. It seems women are bothered and none of the men are that bothered. One male friend accused me of being as bad as a racist because it was marginalising an entire group.

My closest friendship is with a woman and we met in the trade union movement. We were talking about this just yesterday. Left wing men have always been overall deeply misogynistic in our experience.

Depressing

Womans Hour report on sexism in Plaid Cymru right now. Except the presenter is calling it 'gender based discrimination'.

What does Posie Parker have in her manifesto? I admire her but trying to set up a party from scratch takes many many years. Better to take the manifesto to existing parties.

The MRAs have worked from the inside, not just in political parties. Women need to do the same and challenge them on their own insitutional turf. It won't happen immediately either as they have a 20 year head start.

Yes, Plaid prop up Labour in Wales and women are the ones who suffer.

I agree.

Apparently 60% of people do not know how they will vote in the next election. My impression is that local Labour parties have, led by activists, have drifted to the left. At the same time local Conservative parties, dominated by older and affluent men, have drifted to the right. Both have lost touch.

I agree that founding a new party is not the solution. Women's rights may be one issue we here may agree on, but there will be many others on which we don't.

I would love to see a form of entryism from the centre, from that 60%. Women's rights might be the motivation, but once in, sensible moderate people can effect change.

The aim would be to see the two major parties compete for votes based on real and appealing policies and the promise of forming a government of good, honest and competent people.

@Needmoresleep 'entryism from the centre' - I like it. Were you a candidate yesterday?

Yes few men care about this at all. Perhaps they are secretly pleased to see arguments about sex/gender equality come round to be used against us women.

I agree, OP.

My observation is that women in the Labour Party have to be publicly supportive of Men's Rights agenda if they want to get ahead. I can't see that they would get selected otherwise.

Forwarder, I agree.

I chose to stand for the Tories. It wasn't quite toss a coin, but faced with the choice between a local party dominated by young militants, or joining a sort of third rate golf club, the choice was easy. Both are boys clubs, but at least the latter know what a woman is and will buy you a drink. (I am also being a bit unfair. Even though the culture is a bit alien and some views to the right of Atilla the Hun, there are some very good people, including a couple of long serving, hard working and sensible female Councillors.)

I think some local Labour parties would be quite tough and would not be welcoming to older women.

I agree with men not being interested in women's rights. My colleagues have been fine on gender stuff, though I suspect they took their lead from an openly gay man. If he had disagreed with me I don't think I would have got a hearing.

IME, ie my old dad, older men are now ashamed of the way they used to talk about gay men. They think the next step is to reform their views on 'trnnis'.

Good that your gay comrade is GC. (I know Tories don't have comrades)

I don't think they'll try to introduce gender self-id after seeing what happened when the SNP tried. Starmer seems to know fine well that this is an issue that could tear Labour apart if he starts focusing on it.

Older women are welcome in my CLP but terrified to speak out.

I have loads of time for LWD. Their resilience is extraordinary and I believe / hope they might yet persuade Starmer against a full endorsement of self ID. And they do it without (as far as I can tell) having a pop at other women who do things differently.

But

I'm sorry but I no longer believe Labour can be changed from the inside. I think their problems start from the inside.

I think it’s too late, we’ve been trying to persuade for years, there’s what 18 months left? In the last year it’s all blown up - thousands of Labour women voted with their feet, a woman raped in a hospital bed, paedos in refuges, rapists in women’s prisons, the downfall of Mermaids, the downfall of Sturgeon…if that didn’t make them realise the consequences, persuasion from inside with such a short time to go isn’t going to work. I admire them so much and it certainly can’t hurt, but we can’t fool ourselves.

I don’t know what the answer is, action on a national scale? I’m feeling quite down about it all today.

Older women are welcome in my CLP but terrified to speak out.

How do you change any party from the inside when you are too scared to speak out?

I think it’s too late too

They don’t need to change if they think they will win the GE anyway.

It is very depressing and I’ll join you in feeling down about it

I'm sorry but I no longer believe Labour can be changed from the inside. I think their problems start from the inside.

I think we have to try. What's the alternative? There's every chance the Tories will lose the next election, so we have to make sure that the next government supports sex-based rights. Otherwise we'll be back to where we were six years ago.

Does anyone else think that Starmer has quietly peaked in recent months? Unlike the rabid transactivists such as Russell-Moid, he seems very reluctant to be drawn on the issue any more. I suspect he looked at the evidence in his usual forensic manner and concluded the same as anyone else who does so.

I'm afraid this seems true.

No. I think he's a cowardly mealy mouthed fucker who can't even pretend to care about women convincingly.

I was literally just thinking this @Forwarder as I was looking at the local election results. I know lots of women have given up on Labour and I absolutely don't blame them. However, I think we need to be realistic about what might happen next and helping Labour to sort its shit out on this issue is vital. Not just because they might be in power but also because I think Labour speaking out on this would help many who have mistakenly fallen for the bullshit thinking they were being progressive and kind to come to their senses. Starmer clearly understands the issues and is desperately trying to find a viable way forward (viable meaning whatever maximises his vote 😂). I hope that recent developments in Scotland will help him in his thought process.

"Left wing men have always been overall deeply misogynistic in our experience."

Absolutely. Nothing new here.