Kemi Badenoch: Diversity obsession has led to Kafkaesque madness (KB for PM?)

[IwantToRetire]

Another really straightforwarded down to earth practical commentary of where chasing the rainbow has led us. And ideas on how Government cant, without being dictatorial help solve the mess.

The root of the problem is a fundamental misunderstanding of the Equality Act 2010, often exploited by those with a separate agenda. The Equality Act is a shield, not a sword. It is about preventing discrimination, not social engineering. There are no protected groups in the act, only protected characteristics. A white man is just as protected on the characteristics of race and sex as a black woman, yet many believe the act is there just to protect minorities, when in reality it protects us all.

Many companies’ diversity and inclusion activities are falling foul of the law; for example by confusing legal positive action and positive discrimination, which is illegal — except when selecting political candidates (a handy get-out-clause Labour devised to use all-women shortlists). Encouraging people from underrepresented backgrounds to apply for a job or go for a promotion is positive action, and legal. Restricting applications for a position to a certain group is positive discrimination and most certainly isn’t. This has led to increasing calls for the Equality Act to be scrapped. The act is 13 years old and could be improved but the issue is not the law. It’s bad actors misrepresenting it to suit their agenda.

Many of these laws were written at a time when institutions knew how to self-regulate. Someone proposing a terrible idea would be checked by colleagues in the organisation. Today, those colleagues are scared of being called bigots for disagreeing, so they say nothing. What the Farage and Sawers cases have done is show that this problem is getting worse. Long-held tenets of liberal democracy — freedom of association, freedom of conscience, the presumption of innocence — are being tossed aside in favour of dubious inclusion strategies that themselves fall foul of the law. In some cases they’re cancelling people before any wrongdoing occurs, leaving them with no way to prove their innocence.

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/kemi-badenoch-banking-scandal-natwest-niigel-farage-wdp3mmq0w
Also available via archive.ph

What are you frightened of?

In wwhat way is she "awful" Can you give some examples?

I don't think it is true that she said that TA were not needed at all.

"I'd rather lose my home, live on the breadline and rely on food banks than have my children taken into care because I won't support their transition, and then watch helplessly as foster carers put them.on cross-sex hormones."

This. Horrifying... and not implausible, unfortunately. There is a father in prison in Canada because he would not facilitate his child's transitioning.

This sort of wilful misrepresentation of the things that Tory MPs say - reminds me of the way that everybody misrepresented JK Rowling's speech, without ever having actually read it in full.

Miriam Cates says nothing of the sort; she is simply standing up for women who would like to have children, and those who wouldm like to be able to take time off work in the early years.

If you read the article in full you will understand more completely what she thinks the problem is and what steps she thinks are needed to remedy it.

Nigel Farrage is just a convenient figure - used by the media to generate some heate. However, there are many other people and groups over the last few years who have had their bank accounts closed for reasons for political crimes. This is the issue. Not Nigel Farrage.

She's straight talking and entirely correct when she referes to the professionally offended. thos that don't bother to listen to what is actually being said, but who react purely on the baisis of tribal affinity.

So many typos. I should take more time when posting. Sorry!

For many people a feminist is someone who has an interest in women's issues - regardless of their background, religion, political persuasion.

Feminism is about women; their lives; their needs; their concerns.

Well, the very best of luck with that.

She has a very large majority. Do you think the Lib Dems will take that seat?

I'm reading this as 'No I don't have any evidence but here are some carefully worded slurs and, even if they're wrong, I don't like Farage so I don't care.'
Is that fair?

I also think banks are a business and so can refuse service for whatever reasons they want.
That sounds perilously close to saying you support discrimination, as long as it's against people you don't like.

I do agree that it's a funny old world when it's left to Nigel Farage to take on the banking system. And yet here we are.

The fact people think the current conservatives are that right wing is hilarious. What pray have they conserved lately? That overton window shift has been remarkable when anyone to the right of Corbyn is considered a literal fascist. It’s ridiculous.

Like who?

You do realise that Corbyn hasn’t been Labour leader for quite a while now and that plenty of Labour voters found him too left wing?

When people on the FWR board are happy to get behind politicians who are anti all women shortlists, I think there has been a move to the right.

What is frightening to you?

and who do you want as PM?

Tories always bang on about Corbyn. Despite the fact that he’s long gone now and their extremists are very much still in control.

She is much overrated but look at her competition. Absolute rubbish.

Quite possibly the next Conservative leader if she was more clubbable but alas she seems to annoy her own colleagues, and not good with challenge.

If Labour get in she will make a fine also ran in opposition

Which politician do you rate?

You mean like Labour whose definition of an all women shortlist can contain men?

It’s frightening to see a board (feminism as a whole on here) that’s always been broadly liberal aligning with people who are openly bigoted, racist and misogynist if they happen to be gender critical. It’s frightening to see people posting links to individuals who even Fox News would regard as a bit much. It’s frightening to see a Feminism board aligning with those who are openly anti feminist. It’s frightening to see women on here calling for married lesbian couples not to be able to be put their names down as the parents on their babies’ birth certificates.

Most conservatives I respect were evicted at the last election. Get some of them back in and they won't be some lunatic fringe as they have become.

Let's not get excited about Badenoch; she talks tough but everything she has delivered has been done and set up by her predecessors (Truss and Trevelyan).

Looking forward to her guidance before the law changed.

Labour are the party who introduced all women shortlists. Labour are responsible for drastically changing the makeup of Parliament between the late 90s and now so that we have the highest % of women MPs we’ve ever had. Labour don’t really need all women short lists any more because they’ve solved the problem they were introduced to tackle.

You don’t want trans people on all women shortlists, that’s totally valid. That doesn’t invalidate all the hard work that was done by Labour to increase female representation in Parliament.

Tbh I find gender ideology frightening

It’s taking over institutions and since it’s based on a lie the left need to be increasingly authoritarian to shut down challenge

It also feeds into male violence and at times condones it.

That makes me run a mile.

Mind you her statement is such a "make me your next leader" it's transparent. Guess Rishi is on the rocks for conference season.

Watch out for similar hang tough statements from Braverman, Patel et al. They know he's finished.

Who is it that you consider "racist, misogynistic and bigoted"?

Why is frightening about critiques of positions that the 'progressive/left' take?

You do realise that most of those doing such critiquing are actually people who had previously associated/identified/aligned with the Left - therefre they know it very well. The thing is - the so called progressive left has now become something that is not at all progressive; and furthermore it is authoritarian, utterly intolerant.self righteous, and full of its own brand of bigotry.