Wes Streeting’s Double Speak

[CrocsNotDocs]

Seems like he is not for biological reality and protecting children from gender medicine after all. Caught on hidden camera pandering to the TRA mob. I really dislike people who speak out of different sides of their mouths to play to different audiences.

x.com/jamesesses/status/1967660832998748534?s=46

I smell a leadership challenge in the air. Maybe the unions have tapped him up because they have lost Rayner. Maybe they have asked him to tone it down a bit. The whole 'Blokes have to use the female toilets because they were born female' is 100% TRA play book. I was confident about Streeting - now, not so much. Stinks a bit of 'after the revolution sister' to me.

He presents one face to the Darlington nurses and another to the TRAs. What does the man actually believe?

I’m surprised he hasn’t realised people hate Keir Starmer for doing exactly that.

He's doing an MN question and answer thing soon, wonder what his response would be if that question was one that was asked.

Truly appalling! 🤯 No way he'll ever be trusted by TRAs or GCs again. What was he thinking?

Julie Bindle is inclined to be sympathetic:

I was at the event, and this is not a fair interpretation of it. Streeting was hit with very aggressive pro gender ideology questions and statements, and he hedged around a little bit, admitting that he was uncomfortable with being told by “Trans kids” that they were suffering because of not having puberty blockers. It’s a very different take to the one that James is spinning. Streeting did not say that he either didn’t want to ban puberty blockers, or that he regretted it:

I can see where she's coming from. But nothing Esse said was untrue and the video is available to see. At the least I would say it's horrible politics, even if it doesn't rise to the level of treachery.

https://nitter.poast.org/bindelj/status/1967702920532516879#m

I think it can be very difficult for politicians when they are hit with this stuff. It's hard to say things people real;y are upset yo hear, even when you know it's true.

Maybe it takes someone like a Margaret Thatcher to say what she thinks without trying to sugar coat it, even if it isn't what people want to hear or makes people feel bad.

Empathy isn't always helpful, sometimes it can push us to compromise when we really shouldn't.

I'm inclined to trust Julie Bindel on this. I watched the clip and it is clearly edited so any qualification of what he's saying isn't shown. If he says I sympathise with your predicament but.... you've got to show what comes after the but.

Good point. I'd like to think I'm on guard against outrage bait, but in retrospect I was triggered.

Three is no way to be diplomatic about this without inviting threats from extremists. Like most people, he’s scared.
Unlike the vocal women in this fight, he’s not brave.
Choosing between threats now or having to make an apology later as the detransitioner lawsuits hit. You can’t serve two mistresses especially when one of the mistresses is a violent male.

"Seems like he is not for biological reality"

Duh, welcome to political reality.That politicians lie to get votes that were manufactured off the back of a moral panic isn't news …or immoral.

He was part of a group who were logging women's names on a database to get them kicked out of Labour from speaking up, back in the Madigan days. Some of the women weren't even in the labour party but they happily put actual targets on their backs, he IS a TRA and always has been. This isn't a shocker.

Although I trust Julie Bindel’s description, I don’t trust Wes Streeting. Never have.

He’s a career politician who will bend with whatever way the wind is blowing to get to the top of the pile.

As PP have said, he never used to be GC, and was in favour of gender ideology. As the public mood changed and people were peaked, as the Cass report arrived, he did a complete u-turn on his views.

He’s been great in being so clear about puberty blockers etc but I have no doubt at all that if the pendulum swung back the other way he’d swap sides again to further his career.

When he’s backing policies that protect children and/or women, then I’m grateful to have his support. But I don’t believe that he’s authentic and I don’t trust him. He’s a snake who’s always been out for himself.

It is fair to say Streeting cannot be fully trusted, but that goes both ways. I think he is misleading and lying to the TAs here.

One - gender ideology is an electoral liability for Labour there is no way anyone who wants to have a chance vs SNP, Reform and Tories wants to go into an election confused about what a women is. Every day that gets more and more true. Look at the trend in the US. Look at the stance Scottish Labour are shifting to. Also the medical evidence is stacking up. The TAs keep losing court cases. The trend is one way. An ambitious politician will see this.

Two - As the Greens and possibly Your party as well go in for TWAW it is very much to Labour's advantage to go down the realist route. However also to lie to the TAs about their commitment to it. Basically Labour will be in the centre position they will be "nicer" to "trans" people than the right, say things, but do not much which cause them electoral damage. Meanwhile they get to look more sensible than Greens etc.

Three - As the recent nominations for the Deputy Leadership shows the TWAW faction inside Labour MPs is now tiny. Shabana Mahmood who was a supporter of Labour Women's Declaration is now Home Secretary. Streeting is ambitious that means appealing to most Labour MPs.

Four - Fear. Yes Streeting has been a snake. However lets not forget which side has brought down Sturgeon. Streeting isn't dumb. He knows that basically a core of lefty women who know they exist and refused to back down brought down one of the most successful politicians in Scotland. Yes maybe Streeting might want to turn on women. Yet for anyone not a fanatic the idea of going up against the Terfs in 2025 is not an attractive plan. Because the pro-women side has been taking on the NHS, Academia, the biggest corporations, the entertainment and fashion industries inside the UK and still keeps winning. Much of the British Right only switched sides to supporting women AFTER Terfs took the establishment on and they could see it was possible. That Streeting is a coward is hardly surprising, remember still very few people on the left will openly say the truth. The Terfs were right. Yet when the cameras are off they are saying it. The old saying is true - Let them hate us as long as they fear us.

Five Streeting is gay. I think he knows the TAs are homophobic, he doesn't want to confront them about it openly. He knows though. He was in denial about it for ages, but I think it is going to be difficult for him to go back to blindly sending gay kids to wreck their lives. Yet he still wants the LGBT community to like him. There is a deep conflict here for him.

@fromorbit this is an excellent analysis ❤️

I saw WS speak last week - on most health matters he’s pretty sensible, and I like him.

the problem is that this is a wedge issue with no middle ground visibly available, and, gay or straight, men don’t understand it.

It also doesn’t give anyone any coherent actions, and leaves many of us politically homeless - which I find so bizarre when you consider the Lib Dem’s and Greens, not even thinking about smaller parties, who might appreciate that there is a mobilised, passionate group of the electorate who basically are on the more progressive side (we understand that women could only open a bank account in the UK in the 1970s and some of us knew the spice girls first hand ) but I suppose have also been conditioned to look after everyone else before themselves. I tangentially work in political strategy and I find this so confusing from a strat POV.

no answers but wanted to acknowledge the great analysis 👏

Another take from those who were there ;

TransgenderTrend
https://x.com/Transgendertrd/status/1967642256342708725

We went to the NHS LBGT+ health conference. The speakers LGBT activists in the NHS, wedded to gender ideology.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting was the keynote speaker.
It was uncomfortable at times.
He said he felt ‘unfairly traduced’ over his banning of puberty blockers. 1/3

He repeated that he will only be led by evidence on the safety of puberty blockers to an audience of rainbow lanyarded NHS workers.

Pushed by activists on the puberty blocker trial, he defended the delay saying he wanted to see robust evidence that could not be challenged. 2/3

It was an unreal event.
It was as if the Cass Review & the growing evidence base for the harms of medical and surgical gender medicine never happened.
The NHS & Dept of Health must face down the activists who are pushing gender identity beliefs in the health service. 3/3

This is the correct strategy from a savvy politician, I'm a bit impressed. Look, I know our recent wins are somewhat precarious, but the way it needs to be dealt with now is time and patience. Of course he needs to pander to the tq+ when he's in the room with them. That's how we all proceed now. Listen sympathetically to those colleagues and friends who are soooo upset by all of this. Say how terrible and difficult it all is. Hope they get some justice soon. While doing zero to actually help change any of it, because we know we are right.

This strategy placates and calms while we get on with fixing what was broken, and eventually the phenomenon will go away as kids won't find it trendy, instead embarrassing. They are such a small minority they will have to go back to how it was before - quiet observance of rules and norms. Actual transsexuals if they are lucky, and if TRAs and gen Zers who think they are special, shut up about it all, will probably eventually be able to quietly and politely use the womens loos again. I realise that might be controversial here but that's where I see this going in the end, I think. The law means they can't, but people will turn a blind eye if the spaces are used respectfully. No willy waggling in the swimming pool changing rooms etc.

Actual transsexuals if they are lucky, and if TRAs and gen Zers who think they are special, shut up about it all, will probably eventually be able to quietly and politely use the womens loos again. I realise that might be controversial here but that's where I see this going in the end, I think. The law means they can't, but people will turn a blind eye if the spaces are used respectfully. No willy waggling in the swimming pool changing rooms etc.

Think again. The abuse women have suffered over the last 10 years and the egregious land grab by the TRAs etc has completely changed the conversation around this issue. Your optimism is entirely misplaced if you think this will be acceptable to women in the future. Make plans for an alternative solution. We said no and we meant it.

I have become very wary of edited video clips.

I don’t think Julie Bindel and Wes Streeting have a friendly history ( forgotten why) so if she was actually there and she’s defending him then that holds weight for me, although I agree it’s always wise to be wary of trusting politicians.

Streeting might have leadership ambitions but his parliamentary majority is so fragile that I can’t see his fellow MPs voting for him.

Agree.

Don’t really know what to think though, can’t trust anyone.

But I’ll judge him by his actions, his support for the Darlington nurses etc, but will watch this space.

He announced a pilot of support for people on gender waiting lists in the SW. This seened to attract condemnation on X by people who did not read it.

The details are important - it is £125k (!!) for online Cbt to support the known poor mental health of people with gender issues (https://www.gov.uk/government/news/support-for-adults-facing-staggering-waits-for-gender-services). It is (a) not a substantive change in direction (b) no money at all and (c) gives me hope that the Levy review is going to recommend concentrating on supporting mental health rather than speeding people into transition.

It looks like placatory politics and I suspect Wes is trying to do the right thing whilst not annoying anyone. I'm going with Bindel's interpretation and giving him the benefit of the doubt here, given actual actions rather than reported words.

This is a relief to read. I think I'm going to be on high alert for a double-cross for a while - as a pp said, the wins feel fragile and conditional at the moment - so the context from JB and TT is valuable. Not least as a reminder not to rely on single sources in future.

Sorry, it’s not immoral for politicians to lie to get votes? Says who?

Thanks, it's good to hear another perspective from someone who was there. Much as I'd love a politician to be honest and just admit these transgender demands are wrong I can understand that up against that crowd he feels the need to show sympathy to their plight. At least he appears to be guided by the science which is a step in the right direction.

Absolutely!

Have to say I am. disappointed. He's obviously ambitious and will say and do what he needs to say and do to succeed. this double speak needs to be highlighted.

Though, ultimately, i guess, so long as the Supreme court ruling is implemented and the government goes along with the clinical evidence and legal advice then that is the most important thing.