Starmer Radio 5 "A woman is an Adult female"

[fromorbit]

Starmer says "a woman is an adult female, let's clear that one up."

Here the words of reality - 1.27:40 Radio 5
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001p101

Not so difficult was it now was it. So where is apology to Rosie, Tonia and everyone in Labour Women's Declaration?

Let them attend conference.

Also lets hear what Scottish and Welsh Labour think. Explain if they differ and why.

Yes, these are my requirements too!

Honestly like we’re being gaslit!
This feels so disingenuous when there’s no acknowledgment that they have reflected and rightly changed course (because they’ve realised women will win or lose this election for them)

What about apologising for allowing Wes Streeting to keep spreadsheets on which women to kick out of the party for knowing that a woman is an adult human female?

Yes that would be on my list too Alison

I think this is as good as it gets re declared policy, what is a woman? answers. Tightened up vagueness to my mind still means vague.

I'm not sure if Starmer will set out in any great detail what his GRA enhancements will amount to etc. Voting for him and his vague policy will demand a lot of faith.

I'll place a lot of emphasis in how he re-engages, if he does at all, with Rosie and the LWD banned from previous conferences, and whether Rosie feels it's safe for her to attend.

For me it's quite straightforward. Can Starmer equalise relations with the GC side of the party, or is this all PR guff to deflect via smoke and mirrors?

Critically for me, it's gone past the point of no return. Labours inability to engage with material reality, a basic premise of putting any adults in charge of stuff (that's why we don't let kids who believe in the Tooth Fairy be in charge of anything except jelly eating duties), means that my pen can never go near the Labour box at elections anymore.

If Starmer is serious about this he could announce right now that transwomen can stand on all women short lists.

Sorru

Should have said cannot stand on all women short lists

What is extraordinary is that it was not so long ago that everyone was saying that there was no issue to discuss, it was not being talked about on the doorsteps, that any other matter was more important than women’s safety and rights. Seems it is important after all if votes are needed.

Did anyone ask him if a man with a GRC to say they are the opposite sex is also legally an adult female?

Which specific article today? Can u link to it? I honestly feel so unsafe in the world nowadays. It really helps to read comments where people are not throwing women under the bus.

Of course the thing that loads of people talk about isn't talked about on the doorstep.

And now the thing that Starmer is gracious enough to have cleared up despite there being no talk about it on the doorstep will be so clear to people to cease discussion at the doorstep.

For me it's quite straightforward. Can Starmer equalise relations with the GC side of the party, or is this all PR guff to deflect via smoke and mirrors?

Exactly

Deeds not words

What I'd quite like KS to say about the cervix comment is

'Can I be completely honest? I didn't know exactly what a cervix was and I was put on the spot and didn't want to look like an idiot so I sort of improvised. Sorry about that.'

I wouldn't be at all surprised if that's what happened with quite a lot of the cervix conversation. I've noticed a lot of men (and a surprising number of women) have no idea what they are except being a vaguely genital thing.

(Anyone who listened to 'my dad wrote a porno' will know this is quite widespread )

I couldn't listen to the whole interview as he sounded really creepy and sycophantic when each new caller came on.

A woman is an adult female

I know "authenticity" is what we all want from our leaders after the cult of personality that was Johnson, and the flame out that was Truss, and the Cali tech bro act that is Sunak.

But the authenticity I want, and I suspect most here, is the ability to engage with facts and concepts. For me, a politician like Badenoch or Cates is more in tune with facts than Starmer.

Starmer may have the more authentic backstory and interesting CV. But he's sadly not in command of being authentic on gender, itself a hugely inauthentic set of delusions.

Labour’s Equality Act is not being used to protect women but to terrorise them
Maya Forstater (in the Daily Express!)

It was never the intention of those who drafted the Equality Act that it should become a weapon to threaten women’s livelihoods for simply stating obvious truths.

That it is sexual harassment to allow male colleagues to barge into the ladies’ toilets, showers or changing rooms. That is is totally inappropriate for a man whose womanly “gender identity” is based on enjoying crossdressing to be admitted to a women’s rape counselling group.

What is needed to bring the Equality Act back into line with what was intended – and with common sense – is a small, simple amendment. That would make clear that protections against sex discrimination and provisions for single-sex services relate to biological reality, not to whether a person has got a “Gender Recognition Certificate” to change the sex on their paperwork.

These certificates were introduced to make life easier for a tiny number of people, and are primarily bureaucratic. They would allow a man who identifies as a woman to get married as a woman, for example. But they cannot be interpreted as an “access all areas” pass to spaces provided for everyone else’s privacy.

If Labour is serious about supporting women’s rights, it should say it supports this straightforward clarification, whether done by the Conservatives during this Parliament or by whichever party is in government after the next election.

If it can’t make this commitment, then left-leaning women should understand that whatever their party says, it doesn’t really have women’s interests at heart.

https://www.express.co.uk/comment/expresscomment/1795514/Anneliese-Dodds-Gender-identity-trans-transwoman-transman-womens-rights

It's a step in the right direction and I'm prepared to wait and see how they clarify their new position between now an election. Though I understand why trust is low and there is definitely more I'd want to hear before voting.

Unfortunately I'm in Scotland so even if UK Labour genuinely move to protect women's sex based rights there's always the chance that Scottish Labour will choose to differentiate themselves and double down on the self ID stuff.

We've got a long way to go. Perhaps the TRA backlash will let them see what GC feminists have been going through and that there's no point attempting to fence sit.

I would like David Lammy to apologise for saying men can grow a cervix and biological women are rights hoarding dinosaurs. I doubt it will happen though.

Too much gaslighting

They scoffed and called us rights hoarding dinosaurs, no one is talking about it, and I’ll take the public with me - still think the latter is happening.

Then Drakeford used shrill and bigoted to shut down questions, and Labour in Scotland whipped for GRR

Misogyny runs deep in the Labour party so I’d go for Starmer goes, takes his cronies and Rosie Duffield takes over.

She was the only one who stood up against her misogynistic colleagues

@literalviolence re guardian comments. There were some GC comments allowed yesterday in the daily politics blog page. As they had reported the Starmer interview they couldn't moderate GC comments for being off-topic like they usually would. I have to say we were getting less upvotes than the "be kind" lot though. The idea that any concern about gender is hatred whipped up by Tories as a distraction is very well embedded into the average guardian reader.

Well done Maya, talking absolute sense as usual.

I find myself in the uncomfortable position of having more and more respect for Jacob Rees-Fucking-Mogg. I disagree with pretty much everything he says, but what he says is clear and consistent. He actually answers questions. He's picked a side and doesn't waste time fudge-pandering to the other side.

Come on Keir, choose your side and then let the electorate choose.

If Labour is serious about supporting women’s rights, it should say it supports this straightforward clarification, whether done by the Conservatives during this Parliament or by whichever party is in government after the next election.

Yes, thank you Maya. In fact both Labour and Conservatives could clear up our doubts right now: the government by announcing that they are looking to clarify the Equality Act during the current parliament and Labour by declaring that they will support this move.

Sorry about the Twitter link, but at least one TRA says they think the new KS approach will only last until the election:

twitter.com/hespechristina/status/1684260416241664007?s=61&t=kGVJW3nqB0HwN7e30O6LKw

Obviously a lot of us reckon that too, but it's, umm, nice to have our cynicism supported.