This was the year women fought back and won

[Igneococcus]

Janice Turner in the Times
"This year has been one of remarkable victories for women. Or let’s be clear-eyed: feminists managed to stop decades-old rights and safeguards from being stolen without their consent. So much frantic paddling just to keep still. "
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/4df3b3eb-27c5-4f22-95f0-36f1d505c877?shareToken=a9fdeb3c0e2acf0489960da8cf596c32

100% this

@DawnButlersGayGiraffe your username 😂

There are backbench idiots all over the HOC and, having dithered for so long, I'm not going to decide my vote on the basis of some comedy tweet (unless it's from my own MP). I'm still far more concerned about robotic statements from Anneliese Dodds, who could well end up as Secretary of State for Women. Bridget Phillipson's comments this week were slightly more reassuring but, as was pointed out on another thread, she was welcoming of the consultation, not the guidelines themselves.

There's still a long way to go and I don't trust any of them.

I wonder why Janice didn't mention Rosie Duffield. Is she so far outside Starmer's inner circle that he doesn't even talk to her?

I thought leaving out Rosie Duffield looked a bit odd too but I also thought it was a good sign that Janice named other Labour MPs - one of them a shadow cabinet minister. They presumably agreed to be named.

Presumably Duffield hasn't been able to say anything to Starmer as he's still not spoken to her (right?). It's a good spot though and shows the amount of gloss going on in this article

I’m a bit dubious when writers try to sell in Labour particularly after the ‘take them with you’ line.

Mostly Starmer doesn’t want challenge hence weasel lines and words. There’s no change bar easier GRCs though

Kemi is on it. One of the few who really is pushing on this for women. It’ll be a big shame if we don’t have that, imo we’ll feel the difference.

Funny - I'm sceptical of the tone of the article but for me, the fact that she singled out three Labour MPs other than Rosie Duffield was one of the positives.

What an emotional read. Back in 2017 it was Mumsnet who educated me on the danger of selfID as I stumbled across an article in the Guardian about Helen Steele being duffed up & thrown out of the Anarchist book fair for distributing a selfID leaflet. Nowhere was reporting on that apart from these boards.
Since then I’ve met so many outraged and fearless women from this place at events and rallies, it’s so wonderful also that this issue has brought women together across party lines.
Bravo to everyone and onward in 2024.

Sorry no time to read thread, and expect I am repeating what others have said.

This is either a totally niave understanding of what has been happening, or an attempt to say Labour will look after women's sex based rights - or she just took her "facts" from Sex Matters briefing which is equally uninformed.

Labour could change UK wide law so that the Scottish GRR and proposals in Wales and NI will no longer be incompatible with UK wide law.

The schools guidance is being consulted on, and whatever responses are made, if Labour is the one to choose which parts of the responses to act on you can be sure it will be in line with Stonewall's well oiled networking that will see thousands of TRAs respond.

I despair that so many still dont seem to understand what is going on, or their primary loyalties are to one party or the other, and women's issues are coloured by that.

I dont think the New Year will be very happy. Sorry.

Labour could change UK wide law so that the Scottish GRR and proposals in Wales and NI will no longer be incompatible with UK wide law.

I agree with this. That Bill has been stayed, so far as I understand it, so possible yes.

Time was, a Janice column would generate a lot of discussion but this doesn't seem to be happening with this article. That might point to FWR shrugging shoulders. I'm also mindful of that Glinner "review" she did. That was bad.

Mumsnet stop deleting my posts that state biological facts. Shame on you for enabling TRAs.

Agree that this is a tad optimistic and rose tinted. This was the year we made some real inroads and started winning some key battles. The war is very much not won as yet.

Can't afford to be complacent.

Also agree with whoever said that Janice wants to make amends with her natural home of Labour ahead of the election. I'm far more distrustful of them.

Yeah we did!!! Still got a bit to go, but it’s a massive step in the right direction

The Times has indeed gone soft and it coincided with the arrival of Aubrey Allegretti from The Guardian. Much as I admire Janice she is wedded to the Labour Party and is clutching at straws here.

Yes. I noticed that, too.

This bit is interesting:

'the Scottish government won’t appeal and will pay London’s £350,000 legal costs.'

Ouch.

I have never voted Conservative in my life; but for me there is just 1 issue in the next election and the Conservatives are the only party that can be trusted to uphold women’s rights. A Labour government would be a disaster for women

Sorry Janice, you are gaslighting us.

I really went off Janice over the summer when she wrote that column which really downplayed social transition in schools. She’s very selective in who she chooses to speak to, I don’t know whether she has shifted her stance over the past few years or whether I read her earlier columns with a bit to much enthusiasm just because she was one of the few voices out there.

I believe it's a big mistake to trust any of the mainstream parties to uphold women's rights.

My own view / hunch is that progress this year is largely down to 3 factors:

1. Women from all parties putting political differences aside, talking to each other and working together.
2. Kemi Badenoch is a powerhouse.
3. A year ago when we were at our lowest ebb, we had a huge stroke of luck in the form of Isla Bryson. And because our opponents thought they had just won a big victory, they had taken their eye off the game. It was perfect timing and we can't bank on it happening again.

We also can't count on KB being a minister for much longer so we're left with 1) - cross party co-operation. I very much hope that will continue after the election, that we can accept that we've all voted in good faith and avoid falling into finger pointing and recriminations. The thing is, I'm already beginning to see signs of that and it bothers me.

We can't tell their political normal differences

Ooher apologies for forgetting to delete random words at the end I hadn't spotted them and now it's too late to edit!

It is a mistake to trust any of them. That's why feminist groups never sided with any party. However, lots of them signalled their allegiance on this issue either through silence or "all women" sound bites and policies. That kind of positioning might not specify a party political loyalty but they still sold us out in doing so.

Look at it this way, if we had been counting on Fawcett and co, we'd never even have heard of Isla Bryson because we'd be stuck with self-ID, it would've been our normal. And Labour never objected to it (a gift for the opposition which Janice fails to recognise) so it was down to ordinary women to organise and defend us.

Floisme why do you keep saying KB is on her way out? Given her recent performances, and Sunak’s stated position in this area, I would have assumed her star is ascending?

Presumably because there’s a reasonable chance she will have to do all her work from the opposition bench soon.

I think sport is heading in the right direction and it’s been encouraging that those sports listed have made changes but there are still problems. For example World Rugby has had its say than men and women should not be playing together, but some individual unions haven’t followed and have doubled down.

And it terms of puberty blockers, many countries are massively behind.

Overall it’s two steps forward, one step back.