Alistair Campbell on Channel 4 with Rory Stewart

[Screamingabdabz]

On ‘The Rest is Politics’ show…

Doesn’t ‘need to read JKR’ because he ‘knows what her position is’. She may thinks she speaks for women ‘but not the women in my life’ etc. trans are ‘the most marginalised and disadvantaged group’ etc etc Voters don’t actually give a shit.

Rory Stewart more nuanced answer and told him to listen to the Witchtrials podcast (AC’s face said ‘hell will freeze over first’) BUT then says as men it’s not really their issue so they should just ‘step back’.

Fucking infuriating.

I have a similar problem with Last Week Tonight, once I saw how little his team were willing to learn about the damage transing a child can cause, I started to wonder what else in his show was lightly researched bullshit.

They are extremely privileged white middle aged (or older) white males, women’s issues don’t come up - you aren’t going to get balanced views but AC imv is carried by RS- I would never listen if it was AC only. Maybe RS will move on to greater things.

They get it - no doubt about that. It’s not possible to be very switched on and articulate on all political issues - as these people are - and then play dumb / trot out cliches about vulnerable minorities on this ONE point. They’re clinging on to their woke credentials but lose credibility when they do so.

Having done the job in a particular area does not make you an expert on all the things they profess to be, though. Or someone that has taken the time to understand all the viewpoints and give them fair consideration.

That's the problem when you espouse obvious bullshit in an area. Raises doubts that it's a one-off.

I think there's a psychological reflex around this for some straight men, especially older ones who were terrified of being accused of gayness or effeminacy (which was viewed as practically the same thing) when they were young.

Over the past 30 years they have learned to examine their kneejerk horror and put it aside, and now they don't mind being in close proximity with men they know to be gay. They are also in the process of relaxing around effeminacy, and because they are still completely thinking from their own position they are lumping crossdressing of all types in with effeminacy. And they are broadly right - it doesn't matter, let people wear what they want, etc.

And their kids - who are teens/twenties - are SO super chill about it all, and telling they're dinosaurs if they don't see that TWAW etc, that they have just switched their brains off and filed the whole thing under "things I was wrong about before and am ashamed of my previous behaviour, but now have changed my mind about."

The refusal to engaged with JKR is projection. She is not coming at this from the position of a reformed homophobe, like most straight men of a certain age are.

@RoyalCorgi It's come as a shock to find that other people, especially people whose very job involves debating political issues, arrive at their views without apparently putting any thought into them whatsoever.

I have met various politicians at various levels. The thing you have to remember, is that they have to be able to have an informed-sounding opinion on a vast number of things at a moment's notice - graffiti in the shopping precinct, Israel, potholes, prison sentencing, llama farming...etc etc

So a lot of times they don't actually think about the evidence and just regurgitate whatever they've been told by their aides, or their party line, or whatever sounds soothing and non-confrontational ("Everyone deserves respect!""We support everyone to live their best life!") without actually thinking about the deeper effects.

And do people genuinely want more than a meaningless soundbite from politicians anyway? Reform are doing very well in the polls off policies that are clearly deeply flawed of you put any level of thought into it.
Cynic? Me?!

Yes. No doubt about it. They are both highly intelligent men. Of course they must understand the implications for everyone. Which is what makes their position on this even harder to tolerate.

No, I do not believe they do understand

Being intelligent doesn’t of itself bestow knowledge or thought about a particular subject.

I think men like AC see this issue as fringe so not worth their time or attention. They don't care about women's sports or refuges or prisons. None of this will ever affect their lives or the lives of their wife / daughters so they shrug their shoulders and conclude people are making a fuss over nothing.

I think there's also misogyny and ageism at play, eye rolling at the po faced "dinosaurs" getting upset about toilet facilities and changing rooms.

I would be do disappointed if my daughter turned out as Grace has been described. I would find it enraging.

Rory is on LBC radio tonight from 8pm with Iain Dale if anyone wants to ask him about this?