Labour canvasser today

[SirSamVimesCityWatch]

I'm in one the constituencies with a by-election coming up.

Just had a labour canvasser (woman, mid/late fifties) knock to ask if I was voting. I said yes I would be.

She asked if I knew who I was voting for. I asked if she knew what a woman was. I told her I was a single issue voter and that was the only issue that was going to decide how I voted.

Her response: "I believe a woman is anyone who believes themself to be a woman".

I told her in that case I have nothing else to say to her, and closed the door.

I would have loved to have actually put some of the issues to her (rapists in prisons, assaults in mixed sex spaces, including schools, destruction of women's sports etc) but my heart was already racing and I knew it would be like talking to a brick wall anyway.

But anyway - at least that's a clear pile in the eye for the whole 'it doesn't come up on the doorstep' nonsense.

So, I'm either voting Tory or SDP.

I spoilt my vote last time because I really couldn't face voting for any of the options, but I didn't want to just not go. It wasn't because I thought anyone would really pay attention - though perhaps one of the vote counters may have had their curiosity tickled, who knows.

In this by-election I will vote, because I am not willing to spoil another vote. Ditto the upcoming GE.

Unfortunately I expect I will be holding my nose to do so, whichever party I end up voting for.

Possibly centring the penis is why Labour won't drop the 2 child limit:

twitter.com/rosieduffield1/status/1680583197615091713?s=46&t=WHoOZ_3Kv5G6-FyQuvE0LQ

I just don't understand what they propose at all that would be radically different. In education, I could understand a long-term plan to phase out private school. But I can't understand detonating a bomb that ruins all school for all children (influx of private kids to state, where they absolutely do not have room), for example.

It really is like they're trying to avoid winning.

What you do in a constituency in which the Labour MP is full on TWAW and refuses to meet her constituents to discuss the issues of importance to them; the Lib Dem candidate is also full on TWAW, and so is the Green candidate?.

Genuine question.

I personally cannot vote for a candidate who is fundamentally in favour of something I am fundamentally against.

@RebelliousCow you keep taking and don't wheesht. Tell them how you oppose the TRA and MRA policies pushed by the The Tories for the last 10 or so years.

The push for men to define themselves into women's spaces. The push to monetise children's way out of the natural process of puberty with lifelong effects and subsequent economic and social costs.

Tell them what you want.

What about the one you didn’t mention?

You can also contact the SDP and British Communist Party to offer your support. Or run alongside KJK. Im sure she'd be haapy with the support of some running mates. The GE is still supposedly more than a year away.

Could be 2.5 years, Jan 2025 the very last month possible. That's a lot of time for this issue to fester.

I know it’s frustrating. But if you write to your Labour candidate telling them why you are spoiling the vote you would otherwise have cast for them, they can’t pretend they don’t know.

The tories are awful, but why should I vote against my sex based interests? Women are so conditioned to put their own interests last - see Intersectionality in “feminism”. Try telling disabled people they should worry about racism first before tackling disability rights. Try telling black people they should worry about homophobia before addressing racism. Not reasonable? Why do women’s needs have to come at the back if the queue for women then?

Yes it is. The Tories could fix it now, before they are elected out, but they're not going to.

Anyone who believes that the Tories have done, or will do, anything to support the rights of women are seriously deluded.

I’ll take the people who maintain the deficient but not disastrous status quo over those who actively want to make it worse, thanks all the same

Ah, now you're asking. As a long term Tory voter, actually very open to voting Labour this time, but rating belief in material reality, very anti magical thinking, generally pro women's rights, and strictly GC, it is an absolute bin fire out there for someone like me who feels compelled for the first time not to vote Tory (especially with my MP being Liz Truss).

Do I put aside the alarm bells clanging in my head to put in a party who I vaguely trust to try and run things better, but zero confidence their acquiescence to ID politics won't betray women and girls rights?

So how do you see it with Labour? Like NZ and Canada?

Starmer seemingly cannot tell bromentum to fuck off. He is lying about some women having a penis and thinks self id doesnt go far enough.

We all know hes lying about women with a penis, what else is he lying about.
He is being either cowardly or stupid, I dont care which. But hell no we do not need someone like him running the country.

The Tories have been in power for over 13 years. If they are so good at supporting women then why do we still have to fight so hard for women's rights? I for one am not happy with accpeting the staus quo thank you very much.

If you vote Tory you are Tory. Don't pretend that you are doing so with any reluctance because 'they know what a woman is'. I have seen the way that senior Tories have behaved - and I really don't like their interpretation of what the role of women is.

Sunak has a sound grasp of the economic realities and a very solid background in economics, as well as being clearly a highly intelligent man. Starmer has accepted the economic position Sunak has set without seemingly understanding much about it. Starmer’s professional background was extremely narrow; as a human rights lawyer he wasn’t a great choice for DPP but could at least be supported in that role by people who did have the right expertise. He makes extremely foolish public statements (no new North Sea oil a great example) and struggles when challenged. His pronouncements on education are either stupid or dishonest (altering the fact that education is not a chargeable supply is not going to bring in anything like the sums he claims and will harm a much broader range of providers than the public schools). He is no good. He will be dreadful for this country.

Fortunately it is not one or the other in the UK because we have the, soon to be elected out, Sunak who doesn't know what a woman is, then defined "woman" as whatever Boris Johnson said. While I'm glad he now "claims" to know that a woman is an adult human female, he's not going to safeguard our rights while he is the PM leading the government. And I have no doubt he'd change his mind again.

Don’t be silly. You don’t get to determine why women don’t agree with you on voting away women’s rights.

If you are for gender ideology that’s up to you. But at least make a solid argument beyond ‘you’re pretending’

Raise the bar on the debate a bit.

personally, I shall wait to see where all parties are on this issue by the election and that will inform my vote. I’d rather vote Labour generally, but this Turkey is not voting for Christmas. Old 80s style feminist here. No daughters (thank goodness) but I’m not selling my sisters down the river.

Agree with both these posts.

You will need to dig deeper than "what is the party line" on this. The oft repeated "at least the Tories know what a woman is" was a lie dreamt up by a spin doctor at Conservative Party HQ.

I am gutted for any GC voters in Brigend who held their noses, voted Tory and elected Jamie Wallis.

I was just about to say the same, Agatha. It’s pretty obvious really.

I'm silly? Gosh I thought women were a little more supportive of other women that that. Patting me on the head and calling me silly is very patronising don't you think? Please do enlighten me. What exactly have the Tories done in the 13 years they have held power to improve the lot of women?

I can tell you that the women I work with, who come in for their food parcels because their children are going hungry, the same women who have to swallow their pride and go to clothes banks for shoes for their children, they like me are struggling to see how handing back power to the Tories is going to improve their lives.

If the Tories cared about women they would do something to support all of those women who face the realities of poverty, insecure housing and diminishing social services every day.

I have no issue with those who openly admit they vote Tory because they support the Conservative party and all that they stand for. Just be brave enough to come out and admit it. Don't hide behind the 'at least they know what a woman in' as a pretense that they are somehow more 'noble'.

Yes if people think others are pretending to care about this issue it’s a losing starting position.

What’s at stake is hugely concerning.

Look around at other countries and see what’s going on.

I’ll try to stop that for my dd but it’s likely a lost cause, which is depressing as hell.