Islington North - who to vote for?

[Election2024]

I live in Islington North constituency and I’ve no idea who to vote for in this election.
My politics are left wing and I’m gender critical.
Our current MP is Corbyn, who is standing as an independent in this election. I don’t want to vote for him (and even more so after seeing him out on the campaign trail with Owen Jones 🙄).

I’m pissed off with Labour re self ID/Rosie Duffield treatment etc etc and don’t really want to vote for them either. Don’t want to vote for Greens and Lib Dems because of their batshit gender policies. Other candidates are Tory, Reform (no thanks), and an independent who I can’t find any information about. Sadly no other parties or even novelty candidates to choose from this election.

Normally I might consider spoiling my ballot paper… BUT, wondering if that’s risky this time? Whilst I’m angry with Labour, I would be pissed off if Corbyn got back in… Is it a risk? Should I hold my nose and vote for Labour?

interested to hear from other mumsnetters who are in a similar predicament. Who the hell do you vote for if you're left wing and gender critical?

(regular mumsnetter, have name changed because I’ve given my location).

I'm really concerned about Labour's plans for women. I'd usually vote Labour - not again anytime soon though.

It’s depressing, isn’t it Toseland? No left wing parties who seem to care about women’s rights any more. I was very involved in student politics/NUS when I was younger - I’d never have believed it if you’d told me then how things would turn out!

Tory I'm afraid, you've got to vote to defend your rights.

I genuinely don't know. If it was purely about self ID, I guess you'd be voting Tory or Reform. But if you're left wing you're stuck between a rock and a hard place. I feel Labour are moving in the right direction and rowing back from previous lunacy. But I'd be reluctant to vote for the candidate that was imposed on the CLP. Isn't he a private health entrepreneur who's called for privatisation of the NHS?
Sorry, that probably doesn't help. Everyone I know seems to be struggling with similar questions.

My sympathies to all you wonderful women. I'm based in Germany, a card-carrying social Democrat of several decades' standing, and I ended up sitting out the recent European elections for this very reason. Same shit everywhere.

Cracking logic, here...

Never mind about Johnson, never mind about partygate, never mind about his defence of sex pests, never mind about all the fucking rest of it.

Never mind about Truss

Never mind about the ERG, never mind about Patel, never mind about Williamson and all the rest of those people who should have never been anywhere near the levers of power in this country.

Never mind about the chancellor who makes his own tax payments up, never mind about the non-dom PM's wife, never mind about the billions given to Tory mates of the VIP lane.

Never mind about any of that kind of stuff, eh...?

Ive been trying to find out more about the privatisation story, but some of the sources have been a bit dubious so I’m not sure. I think his family run IVF clinics, his mum is/was a gynaecologist - so in theory he should know exactly what a woman is! But I can’t find anything about his views on gender.
I might have to vote for him to keep Corbyn out. Just had a look at the polls - YouGov are saying it’s close. Don’t think I could bear the smug face of Owen Jones if Corbyn gets back in.
What a shit choice!

This. The Tories are no friends to women.

Add in the lack of action in tackling male violence against women during their time in goverment, and the fact that a not insignificant number of their MPs would like to make abortion laws more restrictive.

Labour is the logical choice in this instance.

I mind about those of course. But the loss of women's rights to dignity safety and privacy. And the poor women in prison with rapists come first.

Yeah, I’m not voting Tory!
All your reasons, plus a million others. And I’m certainly not convinced by them re gender - they’ve had years to sort it out.

I can't believe I'm saying this, but if your concern is about Corbyn winning then Labour it would be. In terms of any legislation regarding GRCs etc, every indication is that Corbyn would support the Labour line anyway, but with added Corbyn lunacy. And also smugness.

I'd vote Labour.

I have had the same dilemma, but decided eventually that I had to vote to GTTO.

I'll continue to campaign on gender issues though. As a TERF I find this has been the most difficult election as far as choosing who to vote for. Really difficult.

Corbyn usually has a giant majority, presumably that’s going to split into two with
Corbyn mopping up some Green-inclined voters and Labour mopping up some Lib Dems?
Corbyn might do well with Labour voters who are pissed off with Sadiq Khan and the Labour candidate/Starmer’s Labour might gain some left leaning Jewish voters who had abandoned the party in the Corbyn era.

The not-very-big Tory vote is going to split smaller, losing some votes to Reform.

If I lived in Islington North I’d probably spoil my ballot (although a win for Corbyn might have the unintended effect of making the PLP more terfy, in order to better distance themselves from the fringier left).

What’s the Labour candidate like?

At least your election is exciting!
I live in a vote-for-an-inanimate-object-wearing-a-red-rosette area of the NW, where the only sign of Labour’s dwindling support is lower and lower turn out. Not many people here like or trust Labour these but they can’t quite bring themselves to vote for anyone else.

I have the same dilemma OP. I didn't know Corbyn was a fervent TWAW type. But then again I don't know what the labour candidate believes either, and I'd never vote Tory.

I think you need to stop Corbyn. I used to live in Islington North and he was my MP - I can’t believe I used to vote for him. He’s a disaster.

Anywhere else I'd vote for a rightwing candidate - I used to be a lifelong leftie until the last few years but no more: the left is seriously unhinged and there is no course correction on the horizon yet. But in Islington, Corbyn is such a bastard that I'd hold my nose and vote Labour.

the young people I know here are all voting for Corbyn due to his views on Palestine (and in protest of Starmer's approach to Palestine). But they aren't GC

I’ve spent most of my life living in safe seats (Tory or Labour) and have always been envious of those living in marginals. But now that my vote does actually count, I don’t like it because all the choices are shit! 😂
I was considering spoiling my ballot, but if it’s as close as the polls say, I’m not sure I have that luxury?

The Labour candidate seems a bit ‘corporate’? But honestly don’t know much about him - anything I’ve read doesn’t give me much knowledge of who he really is.

I am also in Islington North. I am still undecided as to whether to vote Reform (as a protest vote) or whether to deliberately spoil my ballot. None of the other parties deserves my vote at the moment (although also no idea about the Independent bloke who isn't Corbyn). I am doing a bit to help Lesley Woodburn of Party of Women who is standing in Islington South.

I used to vote for him too. I was never a big fan (have a long memory), but he was a decent constituency MP who seemed to care. But I didn’t realise that he was a vain man - anyone with less ego would have realised the damage he was doing to the Labour Party as leader and stepped aside… and maybe the Tories wouldn’t have won in 2019?

Re your Independent candidate, Paul Josling - found this on Twitter: https://x.com/SGrahamg5/status/1804462246984131038

Yes, who IS independent candidate Paul Jopling, what does he stand for and why is he hiding away? I can’t find anything about him…

Edit: Cross posted with PP above! Will have a look…

I'm afraid it doesn't look too promising ...

Agree. He seems to typify a certain type of left-wing man: ideological purity and optics above all else. These men seem especially to hate women. They exist on Twitter, mainly.

To me, Corbyn epitomises the self satisfied left. Quite how he thinks a vote for him will bring about peace in Gaza, I have no idea.