Saturday 15 February 2020

Correct Identification

Those of you who are blaming gender self-identification on "The Left", I don't know who you think has been in government for the last 10 years. There was none of this 10 years ago. None.

And all the organised, serious opposition to it today is coming from the Left. Good luck finding a quotation against it from any Conservative member of either the present or the last House of Commons, whereas doubts have been expressed with some force by serving and recent Labour MPs as diverse as Jess Phillips and Laura Pidcock, as well as by Joanna Cherry, who is very much on the left of the SNP. 

Expect a high abstention rate on the Labour benches, and some votes against, when the Conservative Government seeks to legislate for gender self-identification. But legislate it will, since the Conservative opposition, if any, will come from the tiny handful that is as God-bothering as I am, and often in the same vein, which has never been mainstream in the Conservative Party.

Selina Todd is the President of the Socialist Educational Association. Woman's Place was founded by Judith Green, Ruth Serwotka and Kiri Tunks, all of whom are trade unionists of several decades' standing, and all of whom, it is fair to say, will have voted for Jeremy Corbyn for Leader of the Labour Party. WPUK marched at last year's Durham Miners' Gala. Julie Bindel, Beatrix Campbell, Linda Bellos, Lucy Masoud: dyed-in-the wool left-wingers all. Years ago, I heard Simon Fanshawe give an after-dinner speech at one of Hilary Armstrong's Constituency Labour Party events.

Of course the Labour Party itself is lost. But there is a world elsewhere. Watch this space. I will be standing for Parliament again here at North West Durham next time, so please give generously. In any event, please email davidaslindsay@hotmail.com. Very many thanks.

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