Women's rights general conversations - Thread 8

[Kucinghitam]

Continuation of Thread 7.

There is so much excellent information and so many active discussions on FWR that I wondered if it would be useful to have a thread to sort of "cross-fertilise" between them - airing little thoughts or vignettes that wouldn't themselves merit their own thread, to highlight other posts/threads of particular interest or to point to notable developments on fast-moving threads so that casual observers know where to look.

(For example, "the X thread has meandered onto a fascinating discussion of Y" or "Poster P's amazing analysis on thread Z might have relevance to the scenario in thread W" or "Has anybody noticed this recurring theme that keeps coming up??" or even "Random bloke asked me to smile while I was choosing onions in the supermarket, grr"- that sort of thing).

If you’re going to spoil your vote, do write why. My friend who works as a polling clerk says all spoiled ballots are double checked to ensure no clear voting intention, and the candidates or their representatives are often involved in that process. She tells a tale (not sure if her count or another) of how during Covid the spoiled papers were projected onto a big screen to allow social distancing and one of the spoiled papers was a massive cock & balls!

I think the story this election is going to be the landslide.

But the other story is going to be low turnout and I do think spoiled ballots may be noticed.

I think you're right there
(and have appreciated your posts on this and similar threads, cheers)

Just seen the hard copy of today's Times, and the JKR article is the front page.

The thread about David Tennant went poof really fast, didn't it? I only saw one deletion on it and a second later it was gone

I got deleted for quoting a previous t-shirt back at him. While I'm sorry for causing offence I'm glad to have confirmation that it is offensive.

JKR utterly brilliant today

I have been thinking about how much she’s helping

And with the success and funding to give most men a run for their money

Politicians would love her support and the ones who are not with it don’t get it

I missed the Tennant thread. Was it about anything particular?

He's got a new tee shirt! Which was met with a bit of derision.

Denmark’s men's national football squad have refused a pay rise to ensure equal pay for the women’s team. Under a 4-year agreement with the Danish Football Association players for both national teams will now receive the same fee for representing their country.

Good on the Danskis.

I'm really torn, as we are now in a marginal constituency because the libdems and greens are running candidates... the Labour candidate is a TERF so he tells me, but I am so angry with Starmer for what he said, ie ignoring Rosie D and lauding A Man's opinion that I am thinking of not voting Labour as a protest. But, is it better to have a TERF Labour MP? I suspect it may be. I probably won't make any difference to the final result, but I might.

Going to the hustings next week to help me decide.

One of those things that never happens has happened again. But it's fine because a predatory male would behave like this even if they weren't allowed to. Somehow. Also it's in the Mail so can be dismissed as bigotry.

'You need to be re-educated': That's how a group of NHS nurses say hospital chiefs reacted when they complained that a transgender colleague - who shared their women's changing room - stared as they got undressed

https://archive.ph/YyZoF

Please do vote for the TERF. Labour will be in power, so the more terfy backbenchers they have, the better.

Someone tweeted that voting is like choosing which bus to get on. One going in the right direction is more helpful that one going the other way, even if you have to walk from the stop to the place you really want to be at.

Interesting, sad and inspiring article on abortion care in Wyoming. The map showing the availability across the US is sobering

https://www.thetimes.com/world/us-world/article/arson-and-murder-over-abortion-and-the-clinic-that-fights-on-rg55b78bj

https://archive.ph/zYqXi what a choice, which side of the wall?

This quote from the article

“We are in for a very long haul … I am asking for everything you have to give,” it reads. “In return, I have nothing to offer you but your pride in being a woman and all your dreams you’ve ever had for your daughters and nieces and granddaughters, your future and the certain knowledge that, at the end of your days, you will be able to look back and say that … for once in your life you gave everything you had for justice.”

American women, I feel, are in a worse place than us.

American women, I feel, are in a worse place than us.

Yes, we have the choice of 2 parties that (in different ways) don't care about women; they have the choice of 2 parties that (in different ways) actively hate us.

Have just sent off my postal vote. Although there was an SDP candidate, I could find nothing about him or his views, and as the Labour man thinks it is ok for men to be in women’s prisons, in the end I spoiled my vote with “ None of these reflect my views. If you want my x respect my sex.” No idea if it will arrive in time of if it will be seen. Sad and angry it has come to this.

Fair play to you!

I'm trying to compose something to write on my ballot so this is good inspiration!

What's the appeal of postal votes? Don't think I've ever had one. I like the ceremony of voting in person. Not so much this time, though.

I saw someone on here (or Twitter) who said that their father used to write 'no suitable candidate' on the ballot paper when spoiling it, which has rather taken my fancy.

Though I think I will amend it to 'no adequate candidate' for my own use.

The last election I actually voted at I felt so self-conscious at all the scribbling I was doing. It seemed really loud! So, if you're thinking you might have to spoil your vote, that alone would make postal voting attractive to me. I actually tore up my ballot and took it home with me at the recent local elections, partly because of that, and i genuinely couldn't stomach voting for any of the parties. I'm trying to work myself up to voting <shudder> for the Tories. I have a letter from the incumbent that ticks all the GC boxes. I think she's toast regardless, we'll probably flip LD. Still waiting to hear back from the Labour candidate.

DH started doing it, many many years ago, after he missed a couple of elections due to being away for work.

I carried on voting in person for a long time because I liked that ceremonial feeling (as you say). Then there came an occasion when I realised I would be missing an election due to being away, so then I signed up for postal voting too.

So we've both just stuck with it ever since.

Voting here is in the nearby primary school, so every time I vote, I can see how rainbowed up it is. So there's that.