Anyone else GC and left wing in their politics?

[mids2019]

I am finding the conservative party conference difficult in some sense as I agree with some of their GC policies and attitudes yet would describe my self as a working class died in the will leftie. I really don't like this assumption that being for women's rights automatically means people associate you with right wing politics in general. For me it's simply not the case.

Why is it that poor now associate left with trans rights????

But in this case, the left-wing came up with an ideology 5 minutes ago, that it can't defend, and wants to impose on society and give some people special extra rights.

Doesn't seem like it's "persecution" to disagree with that.

Bringing up the "right wing press" and "American Christian evangelicals" looks a bit guilt by association

It can just be, that people across the political spectrum can all see the unfairness and lunacy of gender ideology.

If many left-wingers, and many right-wingers, agree on something, perhaps it's just correct.

Me!

I don't know how the Tories have managed to paint themselves as some sort of champion of women's rights, and worse, how so many people have swallowed it. The entire trans shitshow has unfolded under Tory rule and self ID was a Tory idea.

Cos Labour have made it easy for them and yes all of this shit show has unfolded under the Tories but bloody hell Labour have cheer leaded it along! Not once have Labour opposed any of it. Instead they’ve encouraged it & fallen over themselves to suggest things went even further

theyre all guilty as fuck

it really started with the coalition government though. Cameron gave the Lib Dem’s a free hand with this because he thought it would be no big deal & he could score more “we’re not the nasty party anymore” points

Anyone else GC and left wing in their politics?

Yes, of course. To me, it's the definition of feminism (I'm an old second waver - well, I was a teenager in the 2nd wave. Old now)

Me. It’s an awful place to be. None of the parties represent me now.

I suspect most GC women in this board are on the left politically. Not all I'm sure, but most. The idea that GC = right wing is very much American and doesn't apply in the UK.. I'm not sure why it is so different but it is.

The entire trans shitshow has unfolded under Tory rule and self ID was a Tory idea.
I don't think this is correct.

The Gender Recognition Act was passed in 2004 by Tony Blair's government.

I believe the proposal for self ID came from the Women and Equalities Committee in 2016. The conservatives were in government at the time and the committee was chaired by Maria Miller but the committee membership was cross party and included, if my memory is correct, around 3 or 4 Labour MPs. Jess Phillips was one of them.

So many great posts.

I'm far left, always have been.

It's hilarious to be called far right by people who are in fact miles to the right of myself.

The oppression of women is rooted in class society. How society treats the people who have the babies. That is basic Marxism.

But none of that analysis makes any sense if you then deny that women are necessarily people with female bodies.

You can call Marx and Engels right wing if you like, of course. shrug

No it hasn't and the only reason Tories are able to present themselves as the champion of women's rights is that both Labour and Lib dem have managed to fashion themselves as complete obliterates of women's rights. In the kingdom of the blind and all that.

I think it’s because we’re (slightly) less politically polarised in the UK than in the US. If you’re a Republican or Democrat, you (blindly) support everything they stand for, it’s the whole package you buy into. It’s like Protestants and Catholics, families can be torn apart by people marrying someone from the “enemy” party.

People like Billy Bragg and Owen Jones feel they HAVE to be pro-trans because it’s the left-wing position, but they are mistaken, most of us are more flexible, we pick and choose, and there is more drift between party votes.

Me. Never voted for a right wing party in my life, not about to start now. But sadly, this makes me politically homeless.

People suggesting "GC" views are fundamentally right wing a) really don't know what "GC" views actually are b) have very little understanding of basic feminism or social history in the UK c) are more neoliberal rather than socialist and d) tend to be pretty oblivious to class analysis or issues.

Is this a serious question? It is not an accident that most parties on the centre left of British politics support trans rights. The exceptions to this such as the communist party are so fringe they are like the exceptions that prove the rule. If people don’t understand that I suspect they don’t understand what left wing ideology and what the centre left is. Left wing ideology doesn’t have an end point, it won’t just stop.

What rights do trans ppl not have?

So what's their excuse for not supporting women's rights then?

Because it seems you cannot support both "trans rights" and women's rights at the same time.

Last time I checked, women's rights wasn't a right wing thing either.

Labour Party member here (for many years) and strong supporter of women's rights to female-only safe spaces eg loos, hospital wards, refuges, changing rooms etc. Also strong supporter of women's rights to fair competition in their defined sports class eg adult female.

The public don't know what Labour stands for re: women's rights and that's a huge problem. There doesn't appear to be a coherent, consistent policy and that's where the Tories are scoring wins because they appear much clearer and more 'common sense' about what a woman is.

My constituency is true blue and Labour don't stand a chance but in previous elections, I've canvassed and campaigned (eg Labour doorstep) for neighbouring Labour MPs, both of whom are vehement supporters of 'trans women are women'. I'm not doing it for them next time. My nearest Labour candidate who doesn't believe TWAW is about 80 miles away!

Yeah, I think that if that will be their approach, it's simply a no from me. I have a strong pragmatic tendency in voting choices, and I put a lot of emphasis on local candidates, but that kind of approach to American style id pol is completely socially and politically toxic IMO.

Have you considered that it's homophobic and left wing?

This.

“So what's their excuse for not supporting women's rights then?”

I thought I already answered that. Left wing ideas don’t have an end point.

I'm a left wing GC feminist.

Then I suspect you are logically inconsistent but the left wing parties aren’t.

Still can’t say what rights trans people don’t have then

What I object to here is that Sunak has put out his binary men can't be women sound bite, not because he plans genuine policy change (ie following advice to ensure schools do not keep gender issues secret from parents etc), but purely as a stick to beat Starmer and Labour, and force a schism simply to get votes.

Pure hard cold electoral calculations, no principle or plan of action.

And Starmer? He will obfuscate and triangulate and suffer self harm as he handles Occam's Razor, trying to slice the onion ever thinner.

A party in power that has the PR right, but happy to do the basic minimum (Barclay announcement re women's wards) and often not even that (no progress in schools).

A party that wants power, but has traded principle for herd activism to the point where a whole sex group are voluntarily sacrificed for a "greater good".

And me. I spoilt my ballot paper in despair at the last (local) election here in Scotland. I am a second wave feminist, long ago Labour Party member and trade union member and would never, ever vote Tory.

Alba have attracted a number of gender critical people though I don’t think they have much hope of winning a Westminster constituency.

Meanwhile I write letters to the candidates I hope can be challenged and made to think a bit more.

Yes, absolutely.

But they are only able to do this because Labour are letting them.