Let’s form a women’s caucus in Left Unity
Women strikers in Dagenham 1968
Over recent weeks there have been two contributions on the Left Unity
website – from Soraya Lawrence and from Kat Burdon-Manley – which have
focused on questions of how Left Unity (and the labour movement more
generally) should relate to questions of women’s rights. These are of
course issues which Left Unity as a whole, regardless of gender must debate
and decide in the end as it must on all questions of policy and of
practical campaigning. But it is in our view at least, useful to know
within that discussion what women themselves think about the questions at
issue.
There are some differences between what Soraya and Kat argue ; on questions
of whether Left Unity (and the broader labour movement) needs to and should
take conscious measures to ensure that women are adequately and
proportionately represented in the structures of the relevant bodies and on
the question of whether feminism is an integral part of socialism or
somehow a dilution of it. These (and more) are questions where
disagreements exist between women not just between women and men or between
men or between a mixture of genders. It is also the case that sometimes
those differences between women can be sharper and more passionate than
those between people in other contexts – but despite those tensions we
would argue that creating space for an all women environment is important
and valuable.
There are issues that neither Soraya or Kat touch on – these include the
specific position of disabled women as Bob Findlay-Williams has already
pointed out on the website – as well as the position of black women and of
lesbians, how the struggles against racism, homophobia, transphobia and
disablement intersect with the struggle against sexism. We would suggest
these are all issues that could usefully be discussed by a women’s caucus
in Left Unity.
There are also issues where there would seem to be agreement not only
between Soraya and Kat but we would expect more broadly within Left Unity
about the way that austerity affects women, particularly working class
women; about the ideological attacks which seek to bolster images of ‘ideal
families’ while making it extremely difficult for people, especially those
with sole responsibility for children – more often than not women – to put
bread on the table, where violence against women is trivialised and women
don’t have the reproductive rights we must all be supportive – and on many
other issues. Finding ways to ensure that Left Unity at national and local
level is fully involved in campaigning on these questions would also be a
valuable role a women’s caucus could play.
We are also committed to safe spaces and engaging environments (including
online environments) where people feel confident expressing their views or
being without the threat of violence or verbal abuse. Finally we think that
a women’s caucus may have a positive role to play in examining policy
proposals produced elsewhere – be it from commissions, local groups or
platforms to attempt to ensure that women’s specific interests, struggles
and demands are integrated into everything that Left Unity has to say and
do.
From a practical point of view, as women are even less likely to have time
and money than men in Left Unity we are not at this stage proposing
physical meetings at a national level. Instead we are proposing that a
women’s area be set up on the discussion forum which is open to all women
who are founding members of Left Unity. From such discussions we can then
see if there are other measures women want to take from physical meetings,
skype calls, conference calls, webinars or things we haven’t yet thought of.
Any women in Left Unity who are interested in this initiative can contact us on womenscaucus@leftunity.org
Charlotte Bence, Pamela Bowhill, Kat Burdon-Manley, Terry Conway, Merry Cross, Pippa Dowswell, Felicity Dowling, Eleanor Firman, Winmarie Greenland, Laney Holland, Sue Hogarth, Jade Hope, Kate Hudson, Chris Hurley, Jane Kelly, Alison Lord, Kathy Lowe, Sharon McCourt, Elaine McNeil, Susan Pashkoff, Jenny Russell, Peri Stanley, Inbar Tamari, Jasmin Todd, Jean Todd, Bianca Todd, Simone Todd, Louise Whittle
8 comments
8 responses to “Let’s form a women’s caucus in Left Unity”
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It should really go without saying that LU should have a women’s caucus and an LGBT caucus and an ethnic minority caucus but it is probably just as well that somebody has said it.
Why then don’t segregate even further? We could go back to single sex schools, separate children as they are born, Pink for girls and blue for boys, at school, Domestic Science for girls, metal/woodwork for the boys, football/Rugby for the boys and hockey/netball for the girls why don’t we go the whole hog and separate women/girls from men/boys until they marry, we can even arrange that.
Alternatively, we could all go forward as Socialists where to my mind, it should go without say, that we are all feminists and that the whole group/party/organisation is one caucus with many aspects….?
The other alternative is that we tie ourselves up in knots over semantics and then the whole project is doomed to fail in any event.
Ally
`Why then don’t segregate even further? We could go back to single sex schools, separate children as they are born, Pink for girls and blue for boys, at school, Domestic Science for girls, metal/woodwork for the boys, football/Rugby for the boys and hockey/netball for the girls why don’t we go the whole hog and separate women/girls from men/boys until they marry, we can even arrange that.’
I think caucuses are about forcing a path open for the normally excluded to participate in the `mainstream’ or even to change what constitutes the mainstream. I see only good things for caucuses for women, LGBT and ethnic minorities as long as they are about improving the promotion, presentation and content of LU’s overall programme, making sure that programme takes full cognisance of their positions as the doubly oppressed. They are also useful for policing the apparatus against racist and sexist attitudes and practises. Chillax my friend.
@Baton Rouge
“I see only good things for caucuses for women, LGBT and ethnic minorities as long as they are about improving the promotion, presentation and content of LU’s overall programme, making sure that programme takes full cognisance of their positions as the doubly oppressed. They are also useful for policing the apparatus against racist and sexist attitudes and practices”
I see only divisiveness, with key ideological philosophy being worked up in little corners by those with deep-lying interests in such areas, discussing long into the night with others sharing their limitless passion for the topic, and then imposed on the wider party who are too intimated to repudiate the positions worked up in these caucuses. This acts as an impetus to the embedding of extreme positions in broad church parties – which electorally successful parties must be – to the satisfaction of the ideologues but wider societal rejection. This has happened time and time again in ‘left wing’ or ‘progressive’ politics, and has always been its electoral Achilles heel, and this will surely be the end product of your no doubt well-intentioned appeal.
IT probs so can’t use link, but put my name down
thanks
It’s funny, I was listening on Friday Woman’s Hour on R4 to a Ugandan, female, hetrosexual gay rights activist. She wasn’t asking for Women’s or LGBT caucuses, she was attempting to bring peace and understanding to the whole Ugandan and wider African communities by bringing them together. She wasn’t trying to segregate people along any lines. She wants people to progress together…
I’m with her and others like her….
Ally
This is a good thing because it shows that Left Unity is different to other major parties. Its an open invitation to women who wouldn’t normally involve themselves in politics. The creation on an environment where they can gain confidence and discuss issues that affect women more so than men. I am also grateful to male comrades who are very supportive of the action this includes the men at my local branch, who have been very helpful when we formed a local left unity women’s group. Which has helped myself, to discusses things in more depth that matter to me and therefore allowed me to develop confidence in a male dominated political sphere.
It seems to me that full gender equality will not be possible unless it’s part of a socialist programme. Some gains have been made under capitalism but the lives of many working class women have changed little during this time and this Govt’s attack on the Welfare State is setting back some of the gains that have been made.