why would they give a shit about her "concerns"?I can't figure it out. She wrote some popular books ages ago. Wow. We should all give a shit what she thinks forever I guess.
...shadow chancellor? What's that?
Fuck sake!
What do they gain from this?!
why would they give a shit about her "concerns"?For one thing, she has been a major supporter and donor to the party.
For one thing, she has been a major supporter and donor to the party.
For another, millions of voters are largely ignorant of Rowling's transphobic views and their dangers, just thinking of her as 'that nice Harry Potter lady who is just trying to stand up for women'. Labour does not want to piss off that demographic.
no one is unaware JK is a TERF. She has made it her entire identity.
no one is unaware JK is a TERF. She has made it her entire identity.A lot of the electorate don't even know what a TERF is, because they don't visit the spaces where the word is used. They overwhelmingly know her as the Harry Potter woman.
they just dont care that she is.
why would they give a shit about her "concerns"?Because she has insane popularity and pull. And refusing to meet her will give every single bit of media in the country to eviscerate Starmer.
Unless the intention is immediately to call her an idiot and then end the conversation, I don't see the point.This. Who the fuck cares about her concerns. She's a fucking author not a doctor or scientist.
Because she has insane popularity and pull. And refusing to meet her will give every single bit of media in the country to eviscerate Starmer.If you engage with politics and trans issues, this is 'Labour Party listen to transphobic bigot'.
Oh FFS!There is nothing more likely to turn off the British public than saying you are going to win easily, or acting like it.
They're already going to win easily which means they don't have to do this BS, they WANT to do this BS.
Unless the intention is immediately to call her an idiot and then end the conversation, I don't see the point.
If you engage with politics and trans issues, this is 'Labour Party listen to transphobic bigot'.Unfortunately, yeah.
If you don't this is 'Labour Party try to reassure beloved children's author that they care about women'.
There are a lot of votes in the second category.
Labour under Keir Starmer stands for nothing. It literally has no ideology or vision.
Labour is on pace to not just win, but win in quite possibly the biggest landslide in British history. What on Earth do they gain from pandering to a bigot whose claim to fame is writing popular books 20 years ago?When you put it like that, nothing.
Still better than the Tories.
There is nothing more likely to turn off the British public than saying you are going to win easily, or acting like it.Yes, the bigotry is everywhere. That's the problem. And there is no excuse for it or for engaging with her. They don't need to even comment on it. They certainly don't need to suck up to HER.
This had been the basis of Labour strategy since Starmer assumed leadership.
Fact is that Labour (and to some extent all the parties) are utterly divided on trans issues. The bigotry cuts across party lines.
Yes, the bigotry is everywhere. Stop making excuses for it. They don't need to even comment on it. They certainly don't need to suck up the TERF witch Rowling.It's nothing to do with excuses.
It's nothing to do with excuses.
The unpleasant truth is that there is more electoral benefit for Labour to engage with Rowling than there is to telling her to fuck off.
And no party is going to leave any advantage on the table, no matter what the polls say.
we cant win an election without appealing to bigots sure sounds like an excuse to me.You seem to be confusing me with the Labour Party. I am explaining why they chose to engage with Rowling.
Won't this ironically give Rowling more reason to double-down on her beliefs? Like, if I was a crazy person in a sandwich board screaming THE END IS NIGH, and just got ignored, I'm just another ranting kook. But if I get an audience with the President who wants to discuss my concerns about the upcoming Armageddon with me...wouldn't that just reinforce my belief that I was right all along?Wait, are you saying we SHOULN'T keep giving these hate-spewing lunatics an audience? That we should just, what, ignore them and let them sulk in their venom and misery alone?
!RemindMe 5 years.
Truth is Labour tried the left route and got absolutely destroyed at the elections. Doubling down wasnt an option.
Personally I do agree with you. Its depressing. But just by the fact the Overton window has shifted to the right. Labour still unironically get called socialist by ardent Tory supporters even to this day. I think in 10 years time well see a big push to a far right party. More of the same isnt an option long term. In the electorates mind going left is dead and gone. So the only viable option will be the right. And I fucking hate saying that.
This is probably right and it seems liberal democracies all around the world are falling into the same trap. The left gets discredited by corporate media, right wing elements of government, enemies within their allegedly left parties, and real unforced errors by leaders/rank and file. The conservatives inevitably fuck up, leading to a large victory for the formerly left party, who proceeds to squander all the energy and discredit themselves further, leaving only the far right as the option for sorely needed change.
The only solution is left that's functional from the ground up that runs the Starmer types out on a rail through an undeniable grassroots movement. But there's no proof that anyone knows how to do that or that it could be done before the next election if it could be done.
So from what I gathered on Last Week Tonight, this Labour Party isn't what they used to be. They're anti worker, anti tax, and so on.It's quite similar to Tony Blair's Labour Party.
It's quite similar to Tony Blair's Labour Party.
Won't this ironically give Rowling more reason to double-down on her beliefs?Yes.
So from what I gathered on Last Week Tonight, this Labour Party isn't what they used to be. They're anti worker, anti tax, and so on.The UK just seems fucked. But that's also the fault of the majority of voters so I guess they get what they deserve. Brexit did win. Tories + Reform is still a considerable %. And Labour is moving right. Seems to be a pretty conservative country.