The News Agents Podcast?

[JoyceMeadowcroft1]

Has anyone listened to last night's episode yet?

It is an extended interview with Wes Streeting. I really like what he has to say about managing policy around trans related legislation.

Lewis Goodall is, in my view, a closet TRA, who goes as far as he can as a news journalist trying to pitch himself as a balanced reporter. I think his line of questioning and what he chooses to follow up on, seeks to guide listeners to think any contend about trans issues are either ridiculous or coming from a dark place. I think Streeting in very smart and us on to this. He shared genuine concerns about the challenges trans people face, acknowledged that addressing these is not straight forward due to how they intersect with women's rights and when Goodall tried to bring it back to the Tories ridiculing trans people, he deftly moved on to listing many issues women face that the Tories are doing nothing about.

I think many GC will not like the podcast as Streeting was championing people with trans identities as well as women. Many TRAs won't like it as he was championing women, and regarding us as a class of our own - butI loved it.

Anyone else?

"they are all competing for guests, so they dare not give the guests a proper grilling".... I think this hits the nail on the head when considering how and why journalism has become so insipid or sycophantic.

I also think there has been a trend for blank and white thinking and lack of tolerance for the grey and complexity.

I have been on the FWR board for many years and even on here I have noticed a move from nuanced arguments that consider multiple and competing ideas to a move to dismiss challenge or question as pandering to the 'be kind' movement.

Streeting seems to be one of the few Labour politicians (apart from Rosie and Tonia) to publicly go on record recognising that women have a stake in sex and gender issues. It was good that he said legislation should be able to handle worst case scenarios giving Isla Bryson as an example.

However I get the impression from both this and other interviews, that he frames women's point of view as "anxieties" and that if we only met more trans people or got to know them, then we would be persuaded around. Which I find quite a patronising take.

I listened to this one

https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hdWRpb2Jvb20uY29tL2NoYW5uZWxzLzUwMjEwMDcucnNz/episode/dGFnOmF1ZGlvYm9vbS5jb20sMjAyMy0wNy0xNDovcG9zdHMvODMzNTA2Nw?ep=14

Just before the News Agents!

A contrast in clarity on the issue I felt.

Micheal howard "I did not overrule him"
Jeremy paxman "but did you threaten to overrule him?"
Repeat