Labour is betraying women

[IwantToRetire]

. . . If Starmer’s government has achieved so much depressing stuff in 71 days, roughly 4 per cent of the way into a possible 5-year term, what they might achieve by the end of it fills me with dread. I believe that Labour showed us, and in some instances told us, what they would do, or not do, to ensure the continued erosion of women’s rights, and they are doing exactly what they said. Why some feminist women, seemingly in a blind bond to Labour, didn’t believe them escapes me. It also infuriates me that they think Labour deserve a bit more rope to hang us with.

Some prominent left-wing women, before the election, pleaded with us to trust Labour and allow them space to make the right decisions. They suggested that it was wrong to focus on the single issue of gender ideology, because women would benefit in so many other ways under a Labour government.

I wonder, did they envisage this Labour government? The one maintaining unequal benefits, placing violent men amongst their female victims and keeping the blurred line between gender and sex embedded in law? I can understand if those women were now as dismayed as the rest of us at what they are seeing, but instead they appear to be spinning for Labour, suggesting the violent men aren’t really being released or excusing it by blaming the Tories. They suggest we should wait and see what happens, keep the faith, trust the process. After many years of being told that women are influencing Labour “behind the scenes” my faith in that has gone.

If you are a feminist woman openly critical of Labour you may now be accused of “right wing drift”. This is nonsense. Instead, should scrutiny not be focused on how far Labour have drifted from the left? This is where condemnation should be aimed. . . .

NB - these are only some paragraphs from the article - you can read the whole article here - https://thecritic.co.uk/labour-is-betraying-women/

What did Marx think of visual arts like painting / engraving or performance arts like drama / opera / ballet / music hall? Or writings that people paid for like books and magazines?

You don't have to agree with any of these parties to think it might be counterproductive to have politicians and pundits constantly going on talk shows to explain that east Germans are unsophisticated rubes who don't understand democracy.
Hm, that reminds me of something here in the UK... Can't quite put my finger on it... Some referendum we had.... And then a whole swathe of politicians act surprised when the despised rubes vote for Reform

I will curiously await their solutions to maternity pay gaps that don't involve fewer children or more children in paid care.

Wes now. Plus guests

www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2024/09/26/wes-streeting-minister-lord-alli-flat/

"Wes Streeting, the Health Secretary, hosted a fundraising event at Lord Alli’s London home where the guests included Sir Ian McKellen. Mr Streeting declared the value of the event as £4,600, which included the cost of drinks and catering paid for by Lord Alli.
The event, which was co-hosted by fellow Labour MP Kim Leadbeater, raised £20,000 in donations for the two MPs.
...

Mr Streeting hosted a high-powered reception at the property in March 2022, prompting speculation in Labour circles at the time that he was preparing for a leadership bid in case Sir Keir stood down for any reason. The 20 to 30 guests included Lord Cashman, the former EastEnders actor, and Linda Riley, the LGBT rights activist."

This whole thing of making donations to individual MPs rather than the party. It seems to have taken off in recent years. It was never quite so popular.

I'm not sure I like it in principle - somehow it feels like more directly buying influence than making a donation to the party - but at least they have to declare it and it can't just be buried in party accounts.

Donations to the party

www.opendemocracy.net/en/labour-given-4m-from-tax-haven-based-hedge-fund-with-shares-in-oil-and-arms/

Labour used to be hostile to the British Empire, but I suppose Changed Labour now sees the utility of us still owning these little pirate republics like the Cayman Islands.

Meet the new boss...

To be fair, it's still not clear Reform is anything more than a protest vote for cynics who think hard problems should always have easy, three-word solutions ("Get Brexit Done!" "Contain The Virus!") and there will never be complexity, trade-offs, or unexpected consequences.

Although Labour also use three word slogans and they’re not really selling in much over too much gloom

This is true. However, given the overlap between votes for Reform and votes for Brexit, my suspicion is that the same people who felt disengaged, disenfranchised and ignored, and who voted for Brexit, took their disillusionment to Reform. If you treat people with scorn and contempt, you will get it back, and leave them open to the appeal of demagogues like Farage.

That. ^^

Anyone with a personality, a plan, a bit of oomph and someone who will annoy the other parties for being PITA useless and out of touch twits?

They stand a good chance. Germany in 1922 voted similarly for much the same reasons.

I think a lot of those kinds of votes come down to, what can we lose, given what the others do when we vote for them?

It's a bit of a fuck you vote.

If Reform got in and delivered though, even partially, it could go a little nuts.

All it would take is someone to stand up and say "You have nothing to lose but your Washington Generals jerseys."

My own level of disillusionment with all political parties is off the scale. Major changes happen with no explanation or discussion or public mandate. Politicians sell their souls to trendy ideas without examining the reality of what is being claimed, or the consequences of their actions. The try to convince that we can have our cake and eat it.

I can 100% see why people vote for Reform. I would never do so, I don't like demagogues for al sorts of reasons, but I totally understand the urge to stick one to the established parties.

Reform are wankers.

A lot of the very real issues people are dealing with go back to Austerity - just the scrapping of so many things that might not seem much in themselves but had a cumulative effect, or that were the difference between life being difficult but manageable and everything falling apart. Or just made life better. So you saw an increase in homelessness, overwhelming of MH services, free activities for children closing, libraries less accessible etc. Austerity was justified by the fact there was "no money left". There was no money left because so much had been spent bailing out the banks who had been recklessly overspending.

The Nigel Farage, the complete banker, used the (justified) dissatisfaction and alienation people felt to channel support for Brexit. Brexit happened, things did not improve. Also, we then had "small boats" crossing over the channel due to the fact we no longer had any joint agreement with France etc - because of Brexit.

Nigel Farage used this to build support for reform. Reform MPs got elected including one who was a former banker for the Lehman Brothers of all things back before the crash.

Him and his friends are experts at helping to cause problems, using those problems to promote themselves, and then using this to cause more problems. All the while pocketing the cash and acting like victims.

I suspect a lot of this goes with the job having become a 'professional politician' career rather than someone with a passion for reform or representation. The main focus is a nice career, nice income, nice perks, nice bit of tinkering and playing about with your hobby horses, and bugger off to a nice retirement all insulated from the absolute disasters you've inflicted on the plebs.

The whole sense since Labour became the Government that we are now all Alice through the looking glass only gets stronger.

They seem to be going all out to out Tory the Tories.

Whilst saying pensioners should have to accept change, they have apparenlty accepted the formula for calculating benefit increases (which is different to the Triple Lock formula) with the expectation the benefit increases next year will be around £1 a week. https://inews.co.uk/inews-lifestyle/money/benefits-rise-how-much-pip-pension-credit-3326656

And at the same time are now talking about turning PIP payments into vouchers. WtF?! do none of them remember how really inappropriate and demeaning a voucher system is 'Growing confusion' over plans to replace PIP payments with vouchers (yahoo.com)

As said earlier in this thread it is like Labour it so scared of the bogey man image that the media concocted about Corbyn that they are going out of their way not to be Corbyn and will play "by the rules".

Most depressing of all is know that even if for some unlikely reason there was a snap election, there isn't anyone to vote for.

No "we" didn't.

Speak for yourself.

And also, @IwantToRetire , it's good to remember that whatever is suggested these days, Labour under Corbyn hardly had a 'hard-left' policy at all. Mostly just nationalisation of utilities, which had public support anyway. They failed because the GBP didn't see Corbyn as PM. Starmer had plenty of time in opposition to grow a pair. No sign so far.

lndeed we did not. I voted for no-one as it happens, but I would not vote Reform and only voted Tory over Brexit (holding my nose).

I can't imagine a majority of MNers voted Tory, and even less so, the regular posters in this folder.

Most threads where this comes up (and in the run up to the election0 seemed to show most were or would be Labour, but now felt homeless. If anyone remembers lots of talk of spoiling ballot papers.

And if fact the election results sort of echoed that. ie Labour won on a lower vote than Corbyn got.

I'm actually one of those loons who joined the Labour party when JC was elected leader. Not because I thought he'd make a good PM (and I disagreed with him about plenty), but because the other candidates were all so rubbish, and he hopefully beckoned a welcome start in the right general direction. But of course it didn't turn out like that, and Starmer shafted him. "Well, Sir Keir, when did first discover that Jeremy Corbyn was a terrible antisemite? Was it the day before yesterday, or years ago?"

New campaign ad - November 2024