Jess Phillips’s feminism called into question – why is it all right for HER to target women?

Last Updated: September 17, 2016By
Jess Phillips (left) and Dawn Butler [Composite: Evolve Politics].

Jess Phillips (left) and Dawn Butler. The former has replaced the latter as leader of the Women’s Parliamentary Labour Party – apparently for reasons that have nothing to do with their political or professional views [Composite: Evolve Politics].

This Writer admits to some confusion over the attitude of Ms Phillips (and, indeed, her high-profile supporters like JK Rowling).

Only a few weeks ago, I was subjected to a process known as ‘dogpiling’ by Ms Rowling, for daring to suggest that Ms Phillips might have an ulterior motive behind her claim to be building a ‘panic room’ due to abuse levelled against her. The MP frequently levels allegations of misogyny against her critics.

(Ms Rowling later managed to attract the same treatment for herself – a turn of events I can only take to be poetic justice.)

Now we learn that Ms Phillips is apparently quite happy to allow women to be targets – and to target them herself – as long as they are a certain kind of women.

This certainly warrants further investigation within the Labour Party. One incident – such as the confrontation with Diane Abbott – may be written off as an act of temper but it seems we are seeing a pattern.

Perhaps Ms Phillips needs to be reminded that misogyny is not permissible in any circumstances – even if the perpetrator happens to be female herself.

The leading Labour women may want to bolster their own media image by claiming they stand for all women but the reality is that they do anything but.

News broke this week that Jess Phillips has played a central role in replacing Dawn Butler as chair of of the Women’s Parliamentary Labour Party.

It appears Butler’s crime is to be seen as not being in opposition to Corbyn but there is a pattern emerging behind the behaviour of Phillips.

It was a job that Phillips has cited as a “dream” but it draws serious questions over the nature of her feminism.

Butler did not have to be ousted in such a way and the vast plethora of positions within parliament meant Phillips did not have to target one of the few women of colour who actually held any kind of influence.

While Phillips has claimed to support more women in parliament, and to champion women’s causes and representation, her political movements arguably have focused upon targeting against the women of colour within Labour.

The questions which linger over the replacing of Butler grow in strength due to the fact that Phillips had a public falling out with Diane Abbott last year, telling the now Shadow Secretary for State of Health to “f**k off”.

Trying to silence a woman of colour from political discourse is an act of misogynoir from a woman who claims to want to make louder the voice of women in politics.

Evolve Politics contacted Phillips’s office to request a clarification on whether she can assure members that the representation of women of colour would not be sacrificed at the expense of white women within Labour but a response has not been forthcoming.

Source: Jess Phillips targeting marginalised women proves it’s her own career she puts first | EvolvePolitics.com

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10 Comments

  1. Brian September 17, 2016 at 9:54 pm - Reply

    This parallel universe seems to be all the trend just now. We recently had a group of woman taking up the mantle to protest about pension age reform. So far, so good, but there is a suspicious notion that these same protesters are of an age that coincides with the feminist push for equality. Similarly, It’s all very well being a member of the PC union, but only if your prepared to give what you take.

    • Mike Sivier September 17, 2016 at 10:03 pm - Reply

      I’m not sure I understand the point you’re making. Elaborate?

  2. casalealex September 17, 2016 at 9:55 pm - Reply

    Twitter: 
 frances Barber ‏@francesbarber13
    Sep 15
 frances Barber Retweeted Jess Phillips MP

    Disgraceful. That List . Encouraging more abuse.

    frances Barber added,

Jess Phillips MP @jessphillips
Seems the list is having desired affect have had my first anti semitic we are coming for you email of the day.


    • Mike Sivier September 17, 2016 at 10:03 pm - Reply

      That’s not related to this – unless you’re making a point about alleged “cry-bullying”?

  3. Nanma Vanda September 18, 2016 at 12:08 am - Reply

    Please don’t think for one minute people like her, or Rowling, represent in any way, shape or form, women like me. God forbid. She has such a filthy gob on her there’s no way she should be in parliament representing anyone. Talk about lowering the tone. I’m OK with ‘ telling it as it is’ but even that particular little nugget has its place. And then we have Rowling, whose sole claim to fame is, let’s be honest, writing a children’s tale that sold rather well. I could take her or leave, like most of us, I’m sure, until she started using profanity on Twitter and telling the rest of us who we should vote for (in our own interests, apparently). The pair of them have smeared and defamed a decent, honest man. Such a man only comes along once in a lifetime, and the last time it was Clement Attlee. Both men who really care about working people and their problems, the sick and the disabled. Who on earth are these two to cast aspersions on who I choose to vote for, as an avid party member who left Labour during the years in which Blair was trying his hardest to subjugate us under the tories (Mrs Thatcher’s greatest achievement, no less). I only returned back to the fold because of Corbyn, a true socialist, not some careerist wolf in sheep’s clothing out to make a name for him / herself and hopefully get rich, very rich, doing it. A genuinely honest man who can’t be bought, either by corporations or entitled, Self-Service ‘celebrities’. How dare they pontificate to me.

    • Jane Owens September 18, 2016 at 1:36 pm - Reply

      Well said.

  4. aunty1960 September 18, 2016 at 9:40 am - Reply

    Philips is thick as s**t. Not anyone or any woman who should be saying she is the type to represent and speak for all women. I come from traditional northern working class and council house and council estate and went to a High School. Jess Philips is the council estate potty mouthed slovenly s**g. Not the type that many working class and decent women want to be associated with or represented. But after watching too much telly and soaps and reading stereotype media I am sure that is what and who and how the politics and media of all sides see normal working class people. Rough, leud, slovenly and slaphappy slovenly. Pat Phoenix and Elsie Tanner, Bet and Liza from Emmerdale are not the kind of example most working class want to be associated with or seen as. PR written on soapbox packages.

    • Sosueme September 20, 2016 at 9:58 am - Reply

      So the Philips back story and positioning is working. Ms Philips is not working class, although of course she trades off this. Her bio carefully states that her mom and dad grew up on a council estate and she grew up ‘nearby’, her dad was a school teacher (a v wc ‘profession’ clues in the name) and well her mom she did work for the NHS before setting up her own company with a contract with the NHS.
      Jess did actually go to uni but couldn’t hack it and ran back home after days! She was then employed by…….. her mom. She did not ‘manage’ a womens refuge…..(she never gives the name of this charity) although happy to say worked for Women Aid she was a business manager more specifically a fundraiser who would not have been doing any sort of advice work with women!
      Jess is happy to tell us hubby is a ‘lift engineer’ (probably cos it sounds wc) when in reality as soon as she became an MP she employed him as her Office Manager. Jess’s whole family income (a v good one by most) depends on her being an MP (for now) I hear personality politicians can be paid quite well. Nothing is quite as it seems with Ms Philips and as a working class woman I really dislike middle class women trading off our misery to be quite frank raise their own credibility level it is really repugnant.
      As for ousting Dawn Butler it really doesn’t surprise, I feel any woman will be trampled on for Ms Philips to get to where she thinks her ego belongs.

      • Mike Sivier September 20, 2016 at 10:35 am - Reply

        Can you provide proof for any of these claims?

  5. hypermobilecat September 28, 2016 at 4:52 pm - Reply

    Jess Phillips is horrible, Dianne Abbott did not deserve to be treated by ms Phillips like that. She talks on the media about knifing Jeremy Corbyn if he hurts the party, then goes on to talk about a man with a big gun and a bomb strapped to him should be shot in the head ten times no less.months later Jo Cox was killed, she was stabbed and shot. Jess says Jo was a good friend. At best Phillips is childish and needs to grow up, at worst she is an mp, impressionable people listen to what she is saying, you cant say things like that if you are an mp in the public eye.

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