Rosie Duffield and threats

[RedToothBrush]

She's pulled out of local hustings because it's not safe for her to attend.

But Don't worry.

Keir Starmer will be along to offer his support to Rosie and condemn these attacks on democracy soon...

Starmer thinks this is, at best, a peripheral issue which doesn't really bother enough people to merit serious attention. And he is, sadly, probably right which means we can look forward to a shit storm of gender woo when they get elected.

Well, it’s now entirely clear where Starmer stands, both on protecting women’s single-sex spaces, and also it seems, VAWG. Certain posters have been telling us that really he’s GC, and after the election everything will be fine.

Some people will choose to vote for labour for other reasons, and that is totally understandable. However, nobody should imagine that, on this topic, labour (lib dems / greens) will be anything but a complete shit show. We can fully expect that the legal progress we have been making will be thwarted, and any minor shifts in the nhs and education to be reversed.

Surely we deserve a better choice than this?!

I think you're spot on. So where does that leave us? If you're someone who believes in the restoration of decent public services, improving infrastructure, have a liberal and trauma informed view of the mass movement of people around the world, want action on the climate crisis and protection of the rights of women and girls....who do you vote for?!

I am trying to be optimistic about the situation. It may not be on everyone's radar, but I think more people have had their eyes opened to what the issues are and public opinion has definitely shifted.

Plus there are quite a few GC tribunals in the pipeline. I'm hopeful that these will result in wins and that the more case law there is the more HR departments and employers will have to pay attention. Someone is taking my employer to a tribunal because they want the SEEN network disbanded (amongst other things). I have my fingers crossed they will lose and then it should put an end to the harassment and bullying members of the SEEN network face on a frequent basis.

Whoever forms the next government can't ignore this and there will be push back if they do. My biggest fear would be a coalition between Labour and the Greens because the Greens have totally lost the plot and would definitely leverage their position to try to push stuff through.

I am also heartened by how many SEEN networks there are now - in education, the police, journalism, the NHS etc. A very different situation to a year ago.

This. Finally employees are able to speak the truth with some levels of protection. I'm hugely grateful to all the brave women and men who have set up these much needed networks.

@biddyboo we might work for the same employer, I heard someone was suing because they allowed SEEN to exist. Any news on that case?

There's been no update for a while, so still just waiting I think.

People were grumbling about the SEEN network again recently because there was a blog on the intranet from a member. It was for pride month and she is a lesbian (but the boring, traditional kind of lesbian 😉).

We definitely work for the same employer

I must have missed all Angela Rayner's previous public messages of support for Rosie. 🙄

Haha you know how it is then 😅 Although I noticed that the comments criticising SEEN were deleted (eventually) so I guess that's progress.

This is what really annoys me about KS. It would be so easy to make a supporting statement about the treatment of Rosie but he doesn't which leads me to assume he agrees with the threats. Hence I won't be voting for him.

It's not the support isn't enough it's that it isn't coming from KS, the actual leader of the party. He is terrible at sticking his neck out and I can't decide if it's because he's a coward or that he just doesn't care.
See also Cass, which he still hasn't made any comment on.

The silence is deafening.

Absolutely Fucking No, Bro.

Labour has vetting, like every party has vetting. Duffield passed the party vetting in order to stand again. Starmer can't protect someone standing for a seat for his party from threats of violence and (frankly, given a read of the public discourse against her) a culture that expresses itself in a fully and full-throated misogynist and pro-rape culture voice.

Go ahead and don't vote for Duffield if you dislike her. Go ahead and try to persuade others to your view. But if you're going to be a misogynist rape apologist, please don't do it here. And if you do do it here, please know that feminists will oppose you.

Are you reading this, Starmer? Are any of your advisers reading these pages?

You might think that by not commenting on these issues, they’ll go away and no one will notice. You might think these are ‘culture wars’ that are not worth your time. But by failing to stand up for Rosie Duffield, failing to condemn the threats of violence, failing to protect the women in your party, failing to publicly acknowledge the Cass report, do you know what’s happening?

You are losing votes. You lost mine.

Michael Cashman, Labour peer replying to Victoria Derbyshire

https://x.com/mcashmanCBE/status/1802098272921846005

He really is a nasty man.

Cashman - the Labour peer who sees safeguarding children as right wing and to be opposed. Tells us everything we need to know about what type of man he is:

"The right wing in the House of Lords has organised a debate for the 7th of December on safeguarding in schools! We must push back against these people".

Disgusting man.

Hear hear 👏

Cashman needs to be held account for his comments about Rosie. Accusing a woman fearful for her safety after receiving death threats of being lazy or ‘frit’ is laying his misogyny to bare. He’s supposed to be a peer FFS.

I am so fed up, I am politically homeless.

I have emailed my local Labour candidate about their pledge to half VAWG. How can they, when they are unwilling to protect their own female MPs?

I can’t see Cashman’s tweet, has he deleted it?

Yes. This is his follow up:

https://x.com/mcashmanCBE/status/1802252499052580904

Cash man has just deleted the post, and posted an apology so it looks like someone's had a word with him.

https://x.com/mcashmanCBE/status/1802252499052580904?t=dpOgfRTFfpmJkoo3pRx7cw&s=19