The (literal) end of the Women's Equality Party

[WomanDaresTo]

Proposing to close themselves: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2024/oct/26/womens-equality-party-to-vote-on-closing

Shame it didn't work out - i was excited when they launched.

I don't disagree that there would be lots of women who would try to scold or drag them (back) into Labour, but that is a problem they would have to tackle.

There is more to the Left than the Labour Party.

I was careful not to specify any particular party but instead talked about Socialism and I did not have in mind that those hypothetical activists would be motivated by a desire to herd women towards Labour.

You are sounding a bit like Labour loyalists who tell us that if you are against the Tories, you only have one voting option!

What are the other options at the moment, not for Labour vs Tories but for "Labour-supporting or left-leaning women who have an epiphany about Labour and the Lib Dems."?

You could add other Left wing parties to that short-list.

However, if these women are "Labour-supporting" or "Communist Party-supporting", etc. then they would be obliged to leave those parties if they were members and wanted to set up or join another party.

If by "support" you just mean "who they would vote for" then how many more options would you like?

I am not suggesting that there should not be more options but bear in mind that the more options there then the more you are going to split the vote.

So one option would be ideal - but would that then put you in the position of "sounding a bit like Labour loyalists who tell us that if you are against the Tories, you only have one voting option!"?

If there are other women out there who want to have a go at setting up the Party that you envisage then, seriously, get together and have a shot at it. Nobody is stopping you 🤷‍♀️

However, if these women are "Labour-supporting" or "Communist Party-supporting", etc. then they would be obliged to leave those parties if they were members and wanted to set up or join another party.

Exactly. They would stop supporting Labour or the Communists or whoever and set up their own party in order to put women first.

As for splitting the vote, PoW is not going to appeal to all women in all constituencies. They could come to agreements about not standing against each other. I envisage us needing women's parties into eternity, so it's unlikely that one party would always appeal to all women. As long as they co-operated on the core issues, that would be fine by me.

I really can't see myself setting up a party - the train of thought was simply that there are a lot of politically homeless women on the left, and some of them might want to make that leap, make a home for themselves.

Just to add, I'm having a look at Liberal Voice for Women (terfy) as their materials look interesting.

From the 2 articles in today's Observer, which I skim read, I got the impression that they think fighting the hard right is now the priority, and that the hard right has made is getting more media coverage to they aren't(?).

Women’s Equality party founders urge members to call time after 10 years https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2024/oct/26/womens-equality-party-to-vote-on-closing

Why we decided to back a motion to close the Women’s Equality party https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/oct/26/why-we-decided-to-back-a-motion-to-close-the-womens-equality-party

Rather than reinventing wheels that would require using up precious resources, would there be the space for some kind of Coalition of existing political parties/splinters/ putatives that foreground women?

I got the impression that they think fighting the hard right is now the priority, and that the hard right has made is getting more media coverage to they aren't(?).

Yes that is peculiar. The article says this:

The normalisation of far-right narratives means it is harder for progressive campaigns to gain traction in traditional media or online platforms, Reid said.

I'd like to know what they mean by that. Genderists tend to smear gender critical people as 'far right'. Is that what she's alluding to?

I think so, @NotTerfNorCis.

It could be a thinly veiled swipe at the Cass Report’s changing of the landscape, edging it back to sanity.

These utter berks in WEP have bought into the ‘omg! … and that is sooooo right wing and not progressive’ slur against women who can and do actually think.

An honest we fucked up big style isn't forthcoming then?

That would require some self awareness from Ms Toksvig et al.

Fuck them.

I coundn't understand it all, but maybe this is it.

But quite honestly if this is the "political" analysis and language they come out with, not wonder they weren't really making an outreach.

Just another elite group, ingratiating themselves with those who already think like them.

😂
You'd think when they look at the behaviour of some of their men claiming to be women members, they might have had a moment of self reflection: "should our members be involved in abusing women outside meetings in this way?"

But sadly they gave these men such immense power - being able to get a woman like Heather Brunskell Evans kicked out of the party - that their misogyny appeared to escalate unchallenged.

I like that idea.

Something to connect all the existing political party women's groups, strictly non partisan and cross party.

Just listened to a pathetic Woman's Hour piece (on Sounds, from earlier today). Emailed to tell them how pathetic it was and how useless the WEP had been. Also recommended they interview KJK (I know they won't, though).

@borntobequiet It was sad - not a single journalistic question. No 'some have said you lost women's support when you agreed that trans women are women and failed to realize the consequences for women in rape crisis centres, prisons and sports to name a few."

I am looking forward to their take on women's view on the US election. I wonder if they'll mention, alongside the abortion issue, the fact the Republican stance on trans issues is tempting some liberal women to cross the great divide ... while acknowledging they are hugely torn over the outcome of overturning Roe v Wade.

I'm another founding member. I was so excited by the possibilities and prepared to get meaningfully involved, but it was obvious quite quickly that this was not a women's party but a middle class liberal party. I think Suzanne Moore has put it very well:

'You cannot fight for women when you dare not say what we are. You cannot say we need special provision in health services, for instance ,if you do not acknowledge biology. What the hell did you think would happen? Was it all just a way of furthering already cushy careers? I have no idea. This liberal feminism which does not centre women and girls is toothless. It’s actually just wishful thinking that everyone should be nicer. In fact it is NOT feminism at all, it is unqualified middle class social work.'

"You'd think when they look at the behaviour of some of their men claiming to be women members, they might have had a moment of self reflection: "should our members be involved in abusing women outside meetings in this way?"

Have I understood you right, that some WEP male members (!) were doing this?

I know we have got used to this sort of behaviour as the norm with other Political Parties but I didn't know it applied to WEP too.

😳

If so, it's even worse than I realised!

Good riddance. Their statement on Twitter about Chris Kaba was embarrassing, considering this man's history with women.

Do you remember "Women Uniting"? It was not that long ago. 2020. "Women Uniting" had a joint campaign for the 2022 Local Elections. Then they disappeared.

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womensrights/3842088-Women-across-six-political-parties-are-uniting

Something like that might stand a chance now WEP has folded.

I understand that the GC faction within WEP (the party for women who have penises) couldn't stay united with the GC factions of the other parties and it all fell apart.

At least that is what I was told by an "insider". If true, WEP are even more deserving of their demise.

EDIT to add Filia link.

https://www.filia.org.uk/latest-news/2020/6/21/women-uniting

Surely that is what Fawcett has recently set up. Cant remember what it is called.

Women's Lobby?

https://www.fawcettsociety.org.uk/news/first-womens-caucus-uk

Sadly I wouldn’t trust anything set up by Fawcett not to instantly get taken over by TRAs.

I think that was the conclusion of the thread that was started about it at the time.

Julie Bindel wrote about Steph of Steph's place who organised the sexually abusive protests outside FILIA. Steph was apparently a WEP member:

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/4376760-Julia-Bindel-on-the-FiLia-conference

I don't know which transwomen targeted heather Brunskell Evans but they were successful in getting her kicked out of the WEP so very powerful in silencing women.

Steph’s been one of the few tweeting support.