Wes Streeting says Tories weaponising trans issues to win votes and score cheap headlines

[IwantToRetire]

Wes Streeting, the shadow health secretary, said the prime minister was using equality “as a ‘wedge issue’ in an ugly culture war”.

Mr Streeting said: “We have a government, and a prime minister, who see an opportunity to use LGBT+ equality as a ‘wedge issue’ in an ugly culture war. Meanwhile, hate crimes against LGBT+ people are on the rise once again.

“The issues affecting young LGBT+ people today, and trans people in particular, are more complicated than when I was coming out.

“They demand leadership that handles them with care and sensitivity, rather than as a punchline or a way to score cheap headlines.”

Mr Streeting also warned that a hard-won consensus on LGBT+ equality “looks fragile at best”.

A spokesperson for the campaign group Conservatives for Women accused Mr Streeting of being “disingenuous”.

They said: “Women’s rights and child safeguarding are not part of an ‘ugly culture war’ and it is disingenuous to frame this issue that way. The prime minister has been very clear that he is fully supportive of maintaining women’s rights to single-sex services, spaces and sports, and we are grateful he can define the word ‘woman’ – something many of his opponents struggle with.”

Independent article reprinted in full by yahoo https://uk.news.yahoo.com/furious-row-rishi-sunak-accused-182202105.html Paragraphs above are ones I selected.

Interesting that someone in Labour is admitting that the Tories challenging the trans narrative is a vote winner. Does that mean Labour recognises that supporting women's rights is a vote winner?! And they would rather lose than support women's rights ... ?

Shame that labour can’t see that women’s rights are a vote winner. It’s all about the menz at LabourHQ

And also a shame labour can’t see the difference between LGB and the rest of the alphabet soup.

It's annoying to see the political left talk about a "culture war" when it's a culture war that they started.

You don't like the Tory Party using the issue? Well they couldn't do so if you hadn't started the culture war in the first place!

Well, he’s quite right. That’s exactly what the Tories are doing. It’s called ‘politics’, Wes. You target an issue on which your opponent’s coalition of supporters is divided, even though they may agree on other stuff, and try to drive a wedge between parts of that coalition by exploiting the divisive issue. That’s why they are called ‘wedge issues’.

Labour’s support base comprises large numbers of white working class people, ethnic & religious minorities and younger middle-class metropolitan graduates. While most of them might agree that the NHS is underfunded, that housing is too expensive and the cost of living too high, they probably don’t agree about Trans issues. Or immigration. Or Brexit. Or Israel / Palestine.

Historically, the Tories have been very good at this sort of divisive politics, which is one of the reasons they have won so many elections.

A Labour frontbencher has triggered a furious row after he accused Rishi Sunak of weaponising trans issues in a cynical attempt to win votes.

Oh noes, a political party trying to appeal to the electorate.

Whatever next!

Also a shame that no one in Labour seems to care about child safeguarding. Tories long asleep at the wheel and Labour just nod along and seemingly support transing kids. What have they said about Cass? Still nothing because they are all about the TQ+

You target an issue on which your opponent’s coalition of supporters is divided

Sometimes, but sometimes it is because you do actually think women's rights should be preserved, and that children need to kept safe. And it is part of the responsibility of government to ensure that women's rights and child safety are enabled and preserved.

Its only a "wedge" issues because Labour doesn't think either of these issues are important.

So Streeting is indulging in whataboutery. He is trying to divert attention away from the failure of the Labour Party to stand up for women and children.

Its called smear tactics usually employed by failed politicians who dont have any intergrity or actual beliefs.

So Wes is furious that women and children are being safeguarded, that Labour are losing votes as a result. Wes is upset that the public isn't keen on Queer theory.

Why should I, any parent or female care that Wes is upset that his ability to harm us is slipping away?

Wes along with Angela was in a Labour Facebook group collating information about women trying to safeguard. I recall Lloyd had published figures at one stage and they had the names of Women that amounted to half a Terf per CLP.

I understand that the unions - including Angela's staff were hammering on Windows at Labour conference when women spoke.

I understand unions helped Debbie Hayton set up teachers and won't defend GC women.

interesting rewrite of history by the unions and on the same day - Wes is telling people that he is furious.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12232799/Teachers-fear-disciplinary-action-self-identity-pupil-tells-school-Im-fox.html

Durrr everyone knows the correct thing to do in politics is to cling rigidly to your original course come what may, treat those who may disagree with disdain and then destroy each other through infighting/purity spirals. Then when you lose on election day you can at least gaze nobly into the middle distance and sigh "but we won the moral argument" before retiring to one's allotment a true martyr.

Its almost as if the Tories set out win elections. Ridiculous.

https://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/1782339/labour-nhs-private-health-hedge-fund-manager

Egerton Capital holds shares worth £34million in UnitedHealth Group Inc, the largest healthcare insurance company in the US

I wonder if they are involved with puberty blockers?

Then when you lose on election day you can at least gaze nobly into the middle distance and sigh "but we won the moral argument" before retiring to one's allotment with lots of £££ from litery and healthcare deals, whilst parents tear up knowing their children can't enjoy a sunset or music because of people like Wes.

Given that no one in Labour seems to be able to answer what a woman is without resorting to circular definitions which many women find insulting, I would reckon thats the issue they should be focusing on rather than whinging about the Tories.

If it was a culture war that Labour was winning, they would be only too delighted to participate.

Well he’s not wrong, that’s exactly what the Tories are doing. If anyone thinks they’re taking this line out of a genuine concern for women and girls, more fool them.

It was mentioned on The Rest Is Politics recently that some senior Tory had remarked that trans and woke culture war stuff was all they have left to fight on for the next election. If they hadn’t so thoroughly fucked up everything to the point of complete non-credibility, they wouldn’t give two shits about “woke”.

It’s a Hail Mary, and likely to fail now that Sturgeon has shown Labour what logically lies at the end of the trans rights path. Starmer won’t touch it with a barge pole.

Kemi Badenoch and Miriam Cates - among others - certainly take the issue seriously and are working hard to bring parliamentary light to the issue. All parties have members with a wide rage of views on the matter but as No Debate - the stonewall approach - is being dismantled, the Tories are pulling behind the issue more than the others. Many are genuine , some see an opportunity- I don’t really care as long as it gets womens rights back in the political table

Perhaps Wes doesn't want the Facebook group to surface but to a much wider audience?

Would be good if Tish checked out Edgerton. Here's some of her recent work:

gendercriticalwoman.blog/2023/06/22/angela-eagle-mp/

Agree the whinging is ridiculous. They could just answer

As for pp claims no one cares on Tories side they should listen to the WH debate and check out what Badenoch and Cates are saying

Labour are so shit on this and interestingly they know it.

But there are other things going on so they’re hoping they won’t have to cough up with any actual honesty.

Well he’s not wrong, that’s exactly what the Tories are doing. If anyone thinks they’re taking this line out of a genuine concern for women and girls, more fool them.

But conversely, if anyone thinks Labour are taking this line out of a genuine concern for "young LGBT+ people" and "trans people", more fool them.

Regardless, the Conservatives are right, and labour are wrong, regardless of motivation.

Just asserting that everyone is arguing their positions in bad faith is not productive.

Interesting that some unions finally seem to have spotted there may be a problem.

I must say though, that the child who identifies as a fox is doing a remarkably good job. If I didn’t know better, I’d say they actually were a fox. Just goes to show, you can’t always tell when someone has transitioned.

Yep.

As for pp claims no one cares on Tories side they should listen to the WH debate and check out what Badenoch and Cates are saying

Great. What are they actually doing though?

Kemi has been useful on the Ofsted interjection

And I reckon she’s caused the delay on the guidelines for schools.

Whether she can get her way we’ll see. But I don’t see many doing the same so I’ll pay attention to those who are.

Plus Labour we’re far more TWAW at debate

I’m for letting MPs know they are going in right direction, what else can be done

All this they don’t care is silly, Labour TWAW care similarly on their opposite stance.

Labour are so shit deep in poor us they keep picking on us they are lost.

What the fuck are labour up to, they should be able to walk the next election with their eyes closed given how awful the tories have been, but they keep digging in to stuff they know is divisive. They also don't back the strikes which I found surprising for Labour. I'd never vote tory but who is there to vote for?!

I see that Labour's candidates in the upcoming by-elections are all white males.

Wes "Witchfinder" Streeting can fuck right off!!

And take Angela Rayner, Emily Thornberry, Lisa Nandy, Angela Eagle, Lloyd Russell-Moyle, David Lammy and all the other smarmy, careerist, champagne sell-out socialists, too many to mention, with him.

None of them give a toss about the women and children who will suffer as a result of their ludicrous, misogynistic, reality-denying fantasies.

Well if they are then he has taken the bait