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.

No contact from Tory candidate. Shame, but I will not vote SDP (even though I dislike voting for minority parties) as they are the only ones who I know are backing sex based rights.

Fucking autocorrect. 'NOW' not 'not'.

The SDP are backing sex-based rights? I thought they were TWAW.

You're thinking SNP

No I wasn't, but until I checked just now I thought that SDP (as well as the Greens) were as captured as Labour. In fact I am sure they used to be - didn't one of them once say that people who did not think Transwomen were women were not welcome in the party? (Or am I going completely mad?)

However on the back of this thread I googled their policies and was gratified to find this section:

• POLICY PLEDGES:
• Transgender individuals wishing to change their legal sex should be allowed to do so. However, we support the continued necessity for medical gatekeeping in any legal change of sex marker. We oppose proposals that would allow someone to change their legal sex by self-identification only.
• We support segregation by biological sex in sport. Fair competition is not secured if male-bodied transgender athletes are permitted to compete in women’s sport and, in the case of contact sports, the risk of injury can increase significantly.
• We support segregation by biological sex in prisons and women’s refuges in order to safeguard the safety and privacy of natal females. Separate prisons or prison accommodation should be provided for transgender citizens to ensure their safety and privacy.
• Healthcare spending and resources for gender dysphoric individuals, including long-term psychological intervention, should be provided at sufficient levels. Physical or drug-based medical treatments for gender dysphoria should be prohibited for anyone under 18 years of age.
• We support the retention of biological sex and gender identity as distinct categories in public sector data gathering such as crime statistics, poverty metrics or public health research.
• We support the use of plain English for discussions of biological sex in health and reproductive care.

Wow - maybe I am not politically homeless after all!

Just realised I was thinking of the LibDems when I was talking about the TWAW comment. Also, when the time comes for me to vote in any election, I bet the SDP don't field a candidate in my area. So as you were - I am (probably) still politically homeless after all. (Sigh.)

Hmm probably. It's depressing but both Labour and Tories are reduced to culture wars to placate their perceived base. Having given up on the practicalities of running a modern democracy.

So the Tories pretend they are sending thousands of people to Rwanda. And Labour pretend to believe sex is a state of mind.

I have thought the same.
And I'm still stuck with, if hes lying, how can we trust him?
If hes lying because of the pushback he will get from his own party, that makes him a coward. Dont like the idea of either option being leader of the country. Sometimes you have to make unpopular decisions. That's what being a leader is about. You will not keep all of the people happy, but in this case you should at least try to keep 50% of the population on side. And the sex fudge is not an option.

The SDP are historically and unequivocally pro sex based rights. See what John Cleese has said or Rod Liddell's columns in the Times.

Good for you OP. Yes the SDP is a minority party, but voting for them now will boost their future election hopes and sends a message to the wishy washy Tories before the next GE.

Fingers xd they put up a candidate here, Liz Truss country.