Labour’s attack dogs have Nigel Farage firmly in their sights. A vote for Reform will leave women and girls at risk from all manner of online nasties, is their latest salvo. Apparently, only Labour can offer us women the protection we need. Well, as one such woman, I would far sooner have a pint with Farage than be looked after by Starmer.
When it comes to protecting women and girls in real life, the Labour government does not have a leg to stand on
First came technology secretary Peter Kyle, who, at the end of July, accused the Reform leader of ‘wilful disregard for the safety of children online’ after he proposed repealing the Online Safety Act.
Angela Rayner then ramped up the panic. Scrapping online safety laws would enable ‘a vile, misogynistic culture on social media’ by opening the floodgates on revenge porn, the Deputy Prime Minister proclaimed. This would ‘fail a generation of young women,’ she added for good measure.
And now this week sees the launch of a Labour attack ad scurrilously linking Farage to Andrew Tate – a self-declared ‘misogynist’ and ‘sexist’ facing charges, which he denies, of rape and human trafficking in more than one country – after Farage discussed Tate’s appeal to young men in a podcast. The crude message being drummed home to voters is that women and girls will not be safe with Farage in charge.
That Labour needs to confuse online and real world harms, that it seeks to blur the boundary between the actions of Jimmy Savile and internet pornography, not only speaks of desperation, it is insulting to women. There isn’t a woman alive who doesn’t know the difference between a podcast interview and being intimidated or physically threatened in real life. Or, for that matter, between even the vilest online content and the actions of a rapist or paedophile. To suggest women don’t know this – and need to be protected in the online world just like girls – is patronising in the extreme. In case Labour’s PR team needs reminding, women are morally and intellectually equal to men. Of course there are things online I would not want children to see. But, as a mother, I consider it my role – not the job of government ministers – to protect my daughter.
Because, let’s be honest, when it comes to protecting women and girls in real life, the Labour government does not have a leg to stand on. Just this weekend, while Rayner was busy arguing Farage would fail women, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy joined Wigan’s Pride march sporting a ‘Protect the Dolls’ T-shirt, ‘doll’ being slang for a man who ‘passes’ as a woman. Was a government minister really suggesting that males should be allowed access to women’s single sex spaces – presumably including toilets, changing rooms and hospital wards – places where women really are vulnerable? So much for women’s safety.
And if we’re discussing risks to girls, what has Labour done about the Pakistani-heritage grooming gangs that have preyed on working class girls in towns across Britain? Jess Phillips, the minister for safeguarding and violence against women and girls, huffed with irritability when forced to listen to Conservative Katie Lam’s Parliamentary plea for justice for the victims of ‘racially and religiously aggravated’ crimes. When the issue of grooming gangs was raised on Radio 4’s Any Questions, Leader of the House of Commons, Lucy Powell, dismissively retorted, ‘Oh, we want to blow that little trumpet now do we,’ and ‘let’s get that dog whistle out shall we’. And let’s not forget that Starmer initially ruled out a national inquiry into grooming gangs, accusing those calling for one of jumping on a ‘far-right bandwagon’. So much for the safety of girls.
Labour has nothing to offer women and girls other than promises of censorship. Restricting free speech online might suit the current government but it is scurrilous to use women’s safety as a reason for this control. In any case, patronising women while smearing Farage could backfire spectacularly. With women now leading protests against asylum seekers being housed in hotels, Reform is targeting female voters directly. Women are listening: latest polls suggest that Reform is gaining ground not just among women but among young women in particular. Even trendy women’s mag Cosmopolitan has been forced to admit that ‘Nigel Farage and co are winning over more female voters.’ It seems I’m not the only one who would prefer a pint with Farage to being looked after by Starmer.
Joanna Williams is an academic and author. Follow her on Substack here
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