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Misogyny in Parliament and UK politics

Obnoxious as he is Lance Forman isn't even the worst of the Boris Lads who seem to be out in force today

misogynist attacks on Angela Rayner trending on twitter


Anyhow a couple of articles in today's Sunday Times (archived)

Sex, booze and politics: inside the corridors of power in the week that reignited Westminster’s #MeToo - The Sunday Times

And by one of their political reporters, Charlotte Ivers
Take it from me, harassment in Westminster isn’t about sex — it’s about power
 
God, this is so fucking depressing. A week of tedious media speculation about an MP watching porn on his phone and Johnson's inability to take his eyes off Rayner's thighs, but virtually nothing about the way they've just passed three bills into law to fuck what little democracy we had.
 
weepiper said:
Why should we be surprised? Men get away with this stuff all the time. A boy in my daughter's class at school used to bully her by watching porn on his phone under the desk next to her. He got suspended for a week once and that was all that was done about it. I regularly see men watching porn on their phones on the bus. A man who I now have to deal with as a sales rep who visits my place of work was sacked from a previous employer we both worked for because he was wanking to porn at his desk. I know, he knows I know. It's not misogyny in the Tory party particularly. It's just misogyny.
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That reminds me, a few years ago, a few days after I started a new job, someone came to the office where I was working to get keys to a meeting room in our building, because it turned out his voluntary sector organisation used the meeting room as a venue.

I heard one of my colleagues dealing with him. I ended up having to tell my manager that I'd met this man previously, in a personal capacity for me, but in his 'professional' capacity, ie his role as one of the founders of an autistic-led support organisation. I'd been signposted to his group to ask for help with advocacy and support relating to some housing/antisocial behaviour problems.

He'd arranged to meet me, but had asked for my address, and so I assumed he'd be parking nearby and we'd go for a coffee in a café nearby. Nope. He expected me to get in his car because he wanted to go for coffee in one of the university venues about 10-15-minute drive away. On arrival, we got drinks and sat down and he introduced himself, telling me how important he was, how he attended meetings with the council etc in his role. So far, so puffed up. But then he told me that at one meeting, he'd got into a dispute where a woman had said something about him, and he said she'd lied about something he'd said or done...

...and this is where it started to get even more alarming, because he said something like he felt like slapping her, and if it hadn't been for the fact that she was so far across a big table, he would've done so.

As a survivor of both childhood physical abuse that resulted in me being taken into care, and domestic violence at the hands of a boyfriend as an adult. My inner thoughts at this point are Aaaaaaargh! RED FLAGS! ⛳⛳⛳⛳⛳⛳⛳⛳⛳⛳

But I was stuck with him in the bar at this conference venue. Not wanting to kick off, in case he turned nasty. He went on to tell me he was an ex-cop and gave off those 'Respect mah authoritah!' abuse of power vibes.

When driving me home, he drove down Princess Road, through Princess Road, Moss Side, in Manchester, an area with a high proportion of Afro-Caribbean, Black British and African residents and said something about "n******" and said that he often mocked one of his colleagues who was a retired social worker and very politically correct by referring to "n*n**" when talking to her.

I didn't see him again, subsequently sent him an email saying that although I needed help, I couldn't work with such an appalling racist bigot who also frightened me with respect to his comment about wanting to slap a woman, in the context of me being a survivor of male violence.

I had to relay the information about that incident pre-dating my employment and tell my manager what happened and that I didn't want anything to do with him and that other colleagues would have to deal with him, because I wouldn't. His voluntary sector organisation used the meeting room as a venue for their group, I think it was fortnightly. So I spent a year panicking whenever his voice was on the other end of the intercom and then getting a colleague to deal with him in reception.

The organisation I worked for carried out no safeguarding review or risk assessment. I mean, maybe they couldn't in relation to what he'd said to me, his behaviour that made me feel vulnerable and threatened? But they now knew that he was a racist bigot and also that he had threatened to hit a woman he'd disagreed with in a meeting... and the organisation I worked for were sort of custodians of the keys for the meeting room used as a venue by community groups for their meetings, and the group users would've been classed as vulnerable adults.

No qualms about continuing to let him into the building and continuing to use the facilities. There was a co-founder of the group, presumably the former social worker who he was subjecting to what seems, in hindsight, to be the voluntary group equivalent of a hostile work environment, with his racist bigotry, (albeit she was white).

There seems to be a 'don't rock the boat' attitude and sweeping things under the carpet and not addressing them.
 
Wilf said:
This is his explanation,

Labour councillor calls on Parish to "do the right thing"

Tiverton & Honiton MP's huge error'
www.radioexe.co.uk www.radioexe.co.uk

It's the sort of not guilty plea that contains a back up admission of guilt i.e. why would he need to 'support his wife' and end up 'considering his position' if he was an innocent abroad on his phone, clicking away at random links.
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The Wikipedia page said he employed his wife as a junior secretary, so she's going to lose her job too, because of him. Irrespective of his, or her, political affiliations, it's awful that women often have to pay a price for their menfolk's crimes.
 
Poot said:
I hope his phone is taken from him, thoroughly searched, his privacy destroyed, his reputation questioned and his phone finally returned to him at some unspecified future date. Oh, my mistake, he's not someone reporting a sexual assault.
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Excellent point, well made.
 
Sasaferrato said:
What would happen if you were viewing porn in working hours, and two women colleagues observed it?

I should imagine, instant suspension, without pay, and gone for gross misconduct as fast as HR could process it.
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Depending on the company's cyber security policy, probably a couple of strikes then a disciplinary for gross misconduct.

Some places it will be a single strike.
 
equationgirl said:
Depending on the company's cyber security policy, probably a couple of strikes then a disciplinary for gross misconduct.

Some places it will be a single strike.
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At Evil American Megacorp (not the most socially aware of organisations) it would have definitely have been this. Once would get you in serious trouble, twice would get you awarded the Grand Order of The Boot.
 
AnnO'Neemus said:
The Wikipedia page said he employed his wife as a junior secretary, so she's going to lose her job too, because of him. Irrespective of his, or her, political affiliations, it's awful that women often have to pay a price for their menfolk's crimes.
Click to expand...


Don’t shed too many tears for her, I publicly voiced my sympathy for Natalie Elphicke when she had to walk out of court without her husband of donkey’s years as he stayed behind to start his sexual assault prison sentence. I actually felt sorry for her. Have you seen how she’s repaid me? Gone and taken his job and is looking to out-cunt the Home Secretary.
 
SpookyFrank said:
You should never work with your spouse. Particularly if your spouse is both a grisly little pervert and a fucking idiot.
Click to expand...

I think falling into the second trap means you haven’t followed a more important rule.

Lots of people work with their spouses without issue. Though for me it would be rather too much of one person to deal with.
 
AnnO'Neemus said:
The Wikipedia page said he employed his wife as a junior secretary, so she's going to lose her job too, because of him. Irrespective of his, or her, political affiliations, it's awful that women often have to pay a price for their menfolk's crimes.
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Her Job? ffs that whole wife as a personal secretary thing is just another fiddle to get some more taxpayers dosh for a token few days work a year, no fucking sympathy from me
You dont have to male to be a tory cunt
 
Sasaferrato said:
I think that it is time that MPs are made Civil Servants, and have to adhere to the Civil Service Code. I'd also have them clocking in and out, with censure for absence.
Click to expand...

Things have moved on a little.
We’ve recently had a bunch of MP’s whining about civil servants not clocking in or out.
 
Anyway, as the woke brigade bring down the curtain on yet another fine Parliamentary career, I thought I'd offer a heartfelt tribute: :)

 
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