Whistleblowers at EHRC say that Kishwer Falkner is the victim of a 'witch-hunt by trans lobby'

[IwantToRetire]

Relations are said to have soured after she backed legal reforms guarding the rights of biological women in single-sex spaces such as hospital wards and toilets.

The employees at the Equality and Human Rights Commission are said to have compiled a dossier, setting out more than 40 complaints aimed at Baroness Falkner by a dozen current and former colleagues. A source said: 'People within the organisation are deeply concerned that this is a witch-hunt.

'The timing is extremely questionable. There is no doubt in my mind that this is ideologically motivated and is a way to take a scalp in revenge. ...

Baroness Falkner is said to have been left 'heartbroken' by the allegations but those close to her said her 'conscience was clear'. They branded the move by EHRC staff a 'failed coup d'etat'.

Members of the commission's board, which is headed by Baroness Falkner, have called for an overhaul of the 2010 Equality Act, which refers to gender and sex interchangeably.

They argue it should be amended to explicitly define sex as 'biological sex' to bring legal clarity in areas including sport and ensure only 'biological women' can use single-sex spaces.

Staff from the executive team were said to having been pushing to allow for gender self-identification, allowing trans people to state their chosen gender without any medical diagnosis.

A second source said: 'The executive just refused to accept the board's decision. There were strenuous efforts to reject it and it was around this time allegations were starting to be made.

'There is a very progressive, activist-inclined staff who are influenced by organisations and groups like Stonewall.'

The source said senior executives had grown accustomed to calling the shots at the commission but this changed when Baroness Falkner took over to provide 'real leadership'.

They said the complaints felt like a move to 'get her', adding: 'This process of finding fault with Kishwer is clearly political.' The dossier is said to have made claims of discrimination, including transphobia, bullying and harassment. ...

Full story (sorry!) at DM https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12112707/Whistleblowers-human-rights-commission-say-boss-facing-witch-hunt-trans-lobby.html

They were happy as Larry when the EHRC were dancing to their tune and riding roughshod over all the other protected characteristics.

Lisa Power sounded quite immature and illogical. She didn't bother defending trans athletes who steal women's medals and records. Just fell back on ' but there's so few of them ' etc.
Then accused the BBC of transphobia. 😂 I envisaged a 20 something with green hair. Was surprised when I googled her.
Acheson was very balanced , though you could hear the frustration with it all in his voice too. Sounded like someone who's had a nosefull of all this mindrot.

Lisa Power is awful.

The problem is that as the news media has also been captured there isn't really anyone who can do a proper investigation to find out just how many influential organisations and government posts have been infiltrated by people whose primary loyalty is to the trans movement.

In fact it has been entrenched for so long there probably are now employees who think this is the natural order, how it should be.

And as ever, despite the Suffragettes, Women's Liberation and mumsnet(!) far too many people just dont notice that women's sex based rights aren't even a consideration.

In fact it has been entrenched for so long there probably are now employees who think this is the natural order, how it should be.

I think this is very true.

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/05/24/channel-4-ehrc-investigation-baroness-falkner-trans/

"insiders have turned their fire on Channel 4 News after it broadcast an alleged "polemic" about the chairman on Tuesday night which, they say, took a "guilty before proven innocent" approach.
The Telegraph understands that several campaign groups are imminently sending impartiality complaint letters to Ofcom, the broadcasting regulator, including LGB Alliance which claims that the show "assumed that LGBT groupthink represents all of us" in the gay community."

"The programme's ten-minute report included a series of anonymous jibes from what Channel 4 claimed was more than 20 current and former staff members, without saying how many still worked there and all voiced by actors, and displayed extracts from the complaints dossier, including a "lack of psychological safety"."

"Cathy Newman, the presenter, reported that there had been a "flood of resignations" including a quarter of staff leaving last year and seven senior departures, without stating the EHRC has more than 200 staff, with insiders telling The Telegraph that this was "hardly surprising" and they left for "a mix of reasons - they haven't stormed off".
Channel 4 interviewed Emma Laslett, a transgender quiz show contestant who described an alleged remark from Baroness Falkner during a board meetingg_ - that she was a "bloke in lipstick" - as "disgusting" and suggested she was "not fit for the job and honestly shouldn't be doing it anymore".
However, the show, which has previously been embroiled in Left-wing bias rows, did not mention that Baroness Falkner's allies insist this remark was taken "out of context" because she was in fact describing the abuse of trans people. Viewers were still told that she was allegedly "rebuked" by Marcial Boo, the EHRC's chief executive.
While both Ms Laslett and Caroline Noakes, a liberal Tory MP, were interviewed taking aim at Baroness Falkner, no one supportive of the crossbench peer was featured. Baroness Falkner's statement was cut by more than half, with her insistence that she is "presenting a detailed rebuttal" removed from the middle of a sentence.
Senior insiders have rounded on the programme. A senior EHRC source told The Telegraph: "After the shock and devastation among many at the EHRC at the extent and prejudice of the disclosure to Channel 4, we need to look into what's happened and who has leaked - we need a proper process and an investigation into who has breached process to pre-empt a full investigation.
"It is guilty before proven innocent - the whole thing has to be reviewed now"."

This part is interesting:

"A spokesman for Channel 4 News said: “Channel 4 News met its obligations under the Ofcom Code of Conduct by incorporating Lady Falkner’s response to the allegations, and we stand by our reporting.

“Lady Falkner was also given the opportunity to appear on last night’s programme and that invitation remains open.”
An Ofcom spokesman said: “Under our rules, broadcasters must avoid unjust or unfair treatment of individuals or organisations in programmes. We would assess any complaint we receive against these rules.”"

What were the terms of the invitation? In Falkner's shoes, I'd have been wary of a pre-record. And when was that offer made? In good time? It sounds like they're trying to get their defence in early to Ofcom

I have been wary of Channel 4 since last year after they did a peculiarly skewed report related to the pause on Trans being included in the ban on conversion therapy.

How crass. 'Gent in lipstick' would've been a more appropriate description.

Its pretty bizarre to term people coming out to bat for the wealthy, powerful government appointed chair of the EHRC ‘whistleblowers’.

The Mail has reported that a number of members of the House of Lords have signed a letter to OFCOM, criticising the hatchet job on Baroness Falkner.

The EHCR has stated that there is no unusual level of staff leaving and that they have left for usual reasons, such as career progression within the Civil Service and because internships have been completed.

Looks like the Women and Equalities Committee is relishing the moment to get the boot in, but it also looks like they were tipped off in advance about the allegations of bullying and high staff turn over as the request was first sent last month.

Can you clarify Caroline Nokes? Would be interested in your reply!

https://twitter.com/Commonswomequ/status/1661316654574235649

Yes it is. What a fucked ip topsy turvy world we live in when the zealots are trying to destroy a woman's reputation because they think women don't deserve any rights

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12121411/House-Lords-joins-backlash-criticism-EHRC-chairman-Baroness-Falkner.html

"Dozens of peers are writing to Ofcom to complain about Channel 4 News's 'one-sided' report on claims of a 'toxic culture' at the equalities watchdog, sources said.
More than 40 members of the House of Lords from across the political spectrum are believed to have signed a letter about the report aired on Tuesday night."

Thanks for linking the report I mentioned, Resister - I'm a bit rubbish on the phone.

Do you understand what the term 'whistleblower' means?

They had someone play the piano with their penis and say they were better than women.

So Nokes is in on the plan. Unsurprising.

It's starting to look like a concerted plan to retrieve a pro self-ID position. Attacks on Cass as well.

I had thought that the Tories had been quite clever. Rather than attack the ideology they had got respected people in place who used evidence and the law.

The current Government could last as long as Nov 24. There is a widespread expectation of a Labour or Labour/LibDem government after that. Having the law claimed to include biological sex, as opposed to the current assumption of 'Stonewall Law', will make it more difficult for any new Government to formalise Self ID.

So get Lady Falkner and try to ensure that her recommendations carry no weight.

The bullying accusations against various Ministers and now Baroness Falkner are getting Tory backs up. One or two might be credible, but it is increasingly seen as a form of cancellation by woke public sector employees.

Even men who would not normally engage on women's issues get that what seems like a politically motivated attack on a respected cross bench peer is not on.

This could misfire with Labour being perceived as the party of the rabble.

I had thought that the Tories had been quite clever. Rather than attack the ideology they had got respected people in place who used evidence and the law.

Lisa Power on the World at One framed that as being like Trump stacking the judiciary!

What on earth has staff turnover got to do with Nokes. That's well out of the remit of that committee.

The Civil Service need to be told that they are there to serve the public and the Government of the day, the clue is in the name, they are not elected, therefore they have no remit to push their own political or ideological agenda.

Yes, it's desperate scrabblling to try and find a reason to take out the Baroness.

Transparently so, too.

I wonder if someone can question Nokes' motives, here? She's attacking another peer, going beyond her remit, not fostering collegiate relations. I don't see how this is allowed between parliamentary committees and statutory bodies, really.

One of the worst offenders for hostile dossiers and complaints about EHRC and Kishwar Falkner is Steph Richards, who decided to hold a vile protest at a FILIA conference in Portsmouth. Their supporters chalked obscenities and abuse outside the conference building whilst survivers of violence where telling their stories.

They have no sense of decency or balance.

Their Twitter accounts are non stop complaining about anyone that doesn't agree with their worldview.

You can find them under Translucent on Twitter. They are horrible.

By Ian Acheson, with some telling parts:

www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-12121399/IAN-ACHESON-saw-hand-hyper-sensitive-Whitehall-staff-looked-offence-everything.html

"A colleague warned me that the job was 'one of the worst' in Whitehall due to its discontented workforce and the chasm between its lofty ambition to build a country free of prejudice and the mundane reality of its sclerotic, introspective bureaucracy.

Labour's Harriet Harman, the key architect of the 2010 Equality Act which helped to define the commission's purpose, had spoken grandly of 'creating a new social order' – but at times it was hard enough to get staff to carry out the most basic administrative orders, let alone change the world.

This rebellious streak is evident in the current row, with certain employees clearly of the view that they have the right to resist policies they dislike.
Despite all my misgivings, I took the job, partly because I felt I had the chance to do good. I soon found that many of the concerns were justified.
One problem lay in the commission's structure, created in 2007 by forcing together three bodies with very different interests: the Disability Rights Commission, the Equal Opportunities Commission and the Commission for Racial Equality. The amalgamation had never entirely worked.
As a result, when the Tory-led Coalition came to power in 2010, the commission's credibility was weak and there was speculation that it might be culled. The commission survived, but difficulties remained.
Too much time was taken up with frivolous complaints – Human Resources became the most important department, and the executive arm drowned in interminable disputes. More time was wasted on grand strategic visions and mission statements.
...

Today, the chaos looks worse than ever. The current ideological mutiny cannot be tolerated. Any acceptance that staff can oust their boss or enforce their own agenda would be an affront to democratic accountability.

The tail must not be allowed to wag the dog. Government should stand firm and immediately issue a clear statement of solidarity with Baroness Falkner."