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/

I'm happy Labour are in. In five years we'll probably have Nigel Farage as PM, so I'm making the most of this interlude.

I could wish the left would spend less time reproachfully scolding people for not appreciating that it's not just total shit, this is M&S style LABOUR SHIT, and find a few socialist values, sanity and basic common sense quick. And do something.

They are busy driving the electorate right where they wail about them going.

Not just single mothers.

It will be elderly women living alone due to difference in life expectancy.

This tax rise will be effectively indirect discrimination because it will disproportionately affects women.

The men in this narrative have fucked off and left the kids or are dead so this isn't a tax that affects them.

I wonder if there is a good case for a legal challenge should they go down this route.

If a policy disproportionately affects one sex there's probably grounds for a challenge. Its indirect discrimination;

''Indirect discrimination is when a working practice, policy or rule is the same for everyone but has a worse effect on someone because of a 'protected characteristic'.''

https://www.acas.org.uk/discrimination-and-the-law/indirect-discrimination

My fear is that Labour don't seem to understand they are herding the population like sheep towards this exact outcome.

Who does Labour even serve now? No one knows. They handed the Tory press an own goal with the WFA thing and then Keir put the cherry on top with the free clothes and specs. He doesn't seem to have grasped that he needs hearts and minds to get time to bring in policy. He also doesn't seem to get that people are emotion driven. It literally doesn't matter if he improves the economy unless people FEEL better. And women are 51% of the population and we are being shafted at every turn. We're not blind - and even the wilfully blind have to wake up eventually!

Everyone i know who lives alone is female. I'm sure there must be so many more older women living alone than men, simply due to lifespan

I agree with you. I don't understand why they are being so stupid

People in positions of power and responsibility have no right to be stupid. Stop giving them a free pass; assume they know what they are doing and hold them accountable for their actions.

I'll be extremely upset if they get rid of the single person discount.

I moved from London to one of the most deprived towns in the UK. I pay more council tax here than I did when I lived 50 yards from Starmer in a boojie part of north London.

Labour is mostly led by people who hate and fear their own voters. The Conservatives aren't quite as far down that road, but they're a good way along it.

We saw in the election how Starmer's campaign events were photocalls with him delivering scripted remarks surrounded by 20 to 30 Labour activists trying to look like a crowd.

The only leader who seemed to actually enjoy getting out and meeting the punters and fielding hostile questions was Nigel Farage.

I understand the irony of disparities in Council Tax.

I'm likewise in an area at the less desirable end of the indices of multiple deprivation (IMD) and pay one of the highest rates of CT because this is an area of such overwhelming need.

I'd prefer Labour to launch a review with a view to a radical reform rather than continue with this system.

This is a range of views on proportional property tax, I know there are various other options. I'd appreciate a public discussion and consensus on what makes sense.

https://www.resolutionfoundation.org/comment/council-tax-is-a-farce-its-time-for-a-real-property-tax/

https://www.theguardian.com/money/2023/apr/18/ppt-lvt-iht-which-is-fairer-than-council-tax

https://www.theguardian.com/money/2024/mar/13/want-to-tackle-council-tax-inequity-look-back-to-george-lansbury

I'm not so sure there's a lot more women than men in single occupancy, but either way, there's no justification for removing the 25% allowance in my book.

Labour is mostly led by people who hate and fear their own voters.

Can't argue with that.

Grim. It reminds me of a post on another thread about how some mad gender thing was pushed through for a party because the only people who turned up to hear it and get involved were a group of 20 organised GI activists.

I was a sleeping member of the Labour Party for years, then resigned a few years ago, but have rejoined in order to try and take back control at grassroots level and prevent the kind of takeover you allude to. I'm bored witless by so much that goes on in constituency and local branches, but I (and a number of other women) force ourselves to go to prevent the TRAs and other extremists from seizing their chance if we're not there.

Now I'm deep into the bureaucracy and structural issues involved in trying to change the party from within, I'm increasingly aware that policy is actually decided by half a dozen men (mainly) at the top of the structure and (as they've done at this year's conference) they control everything from the top down. I can see why, but it's making me very disillusioned. I've been told by a GC Labour MP that probably I'd be more effective focussing my efforts on informing the general public and changing public attitudes because Labour likes its focus groups and surveys. If they notice focus groups and surveys are indicating strong GC attitudes they'll more likely to take notice than dozens of motions about the EA from women's branches/ CLPs. I've promised myself that I can leave the party again in 2026. Until then, I'm throwing myself into trying to change it. I admire LWD though I don't agree with them on everything. They have a thankless task but they'll be there, plugging away, this weekend. I hope all those who so glibly criticise them are spending 8 hours each week trying to do something for the cause. I'm guessing they're not.

So a single older woman living alone will have a 25% increase to council tax AND possibly have lost her heating allowance

Meanwhile KS is wearing 1k glasses!

It's just going after the low-hanging fruit.

It makes me so, so angry that they didn't have the balls to add 1p to income tax. Or tax the rich more. Now all their financial cuts look ideologically driven and nasty.

I really, really doubt that Labour will abolish the 25% discount in England whilst Scotland and Wales retain it (not sure if NI has a similar discount in its rates system). It would be a Poll Tax moment!

Would depend where she lived!

According to Statista:

In 2023, there were approximately 1.68 million women aged 75 and over living alone in the United Kingdom, compared with 786,000 men in this age group.

https://www.statista.com/statistics/531386/people-living-alone-uk-age-and-gender/

ONS data across the age and sex groups still report more women who would notionally be more affected:

Most people living alone in 2023 were women (52%). This proportion was larger among older people living alone; 59% of those aged 65 to 74 years and 68% of those aged 75 years and over living alone were women. However, these proportions have decreased compared with 2013 (62% and 72%, respectively).

https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/families/bulletins/familiesandhouseholds/2023#:~:text=Most%20people%20living%20alone%20in,and%2072%25%2C%20respectively)

I wonder if more women don't count as living alone in younger age groups because they live with children (but qualify for the CT discount?).

It’s hardly a surprise that a party which showed, via their enthusiasm for gender bollocks, both a lack of interest in how this would affect women, coupled with a high level of contempt for women who did, would then enact policies without giving one thought or shit to whether they disproportionately impacted low income women.

I am pretty sure that yes, most single parent households are headed by a woman. Even in cases of 50/50 custody I suspect the more of these women earn less than the man.

Women are more likely to end up in poverty after relationship breakup than men.

A friend who is a delegate at the Women's conference is absolutely furious. The delegates are mainly older women, yet on the stage there's been a motivational discussion in which 4 women in their 30s and 40s who've clearly been indoctrinated by the EDI (DEI) brigade are giving them a lecture on how lived experience is their superpower, their authenticity.' Apparently 70% of the room's authentic lived experience is fantasising about zapping them to shut them up.

The Me+Em donated clothing, this motivational shite, the insistence that there's no problem with inclusivity — none of it's authentic and it's not going down well with ordinary female LP members who are scared of being charged more council tax if they're single...

Good grief. If you're willing to sacrifice enough of your life to be a delegate to the Women's conference, at the very least the party should respect you enough not to subject you to this motivational Oprah "you go girl" bullshit.

That would be my reading of the data yes.

Men live with parents longer before leaving home. They are less likely to be single parents.
Men and women tend to remarry within 5 years of a divorce but a higher percentage of men remarry.
Men don't live as long.
Women are less likely to be single but more likely to be divorced or widowed.

So what men do is live at home much longer, find a wife/partner and then the pattern is to be more likely to remarry, not looking after the kids and die earlier.

Women marry/partner up earlier, end up with the kids, less likely to remarry and then are more likely to be widowed.

Every part of this ultimately favours men over women.

Upthread someone posted about how the Labour Party was all about control and not wanting anything that would upset voters, or make them think Labour was still Corbanista.

But clearly they aren't doing that. Fuel allowance cuts etc..

And, although they might not like it, the majority of the country who are not only prepared "to be kind" to trans folk, absolutely believe that biological women have the right to their own spaces, races and support services.

What I get from this current MANifestation of the Labour Party, is one that is just as ideological driven as Corbyn, but with different ideologies. And they have no qualms imposing these on voters, and whipping MPs who dare quesion them. The contradiction of promting the democratic processes on UK politics, whilst runing a Party that is anything but democractic.

It seems they feel the one group they do need to ingraite themselves with is the financial market and banking etc.. But their attempts at showing just how "fiscally responsible" they are, also shows that in the end they want to curry favours with the big earners, etc., etc..

Even though I am not a Labour Party supporter (and no I am not a Tory I am non party) I feel sort of embarrassed for them. If it wasn't so serious in terms of the country, it almost feels like it could be turned into a comedy routine.

Even allowing for everyone who is just glad the Tories still aren't in power, who is it that Labour is trying to impress.