The Rights of Man

Article Summary

• RAPE ANONYMITY DEBATE HEATS UP AND A FEW MORE VOICES EMERGE [2010-Jul-11]
• MINISTER FOR MEN MANIFESTO AND PRIORITIES: 2010 UPDATE [2010-Jul-11]
• JOEL EDWARD’S PATHETIC RANT AGAINST MEN ON "THOUGHT FOR THE DAY" [2010-Jul-10]
• COALITION POLICY UNCLEAR ON RAPE ANONYMITY BUT SOME MP’S SPEAK UP FOR EQUALITY [2010-Jul-10]
• PARLIAMENT DEBATES RAPE ANONYMITY [2010-Jul-7]
• YVETTE COOPER’S BUDGET REPORT IS RIDICULOUS AND ANTI-MALE [2010-Jul-6]
• ANOTHER FALSE RAPE ACCUSATION AND DOUBLE STANDARDS REVEALED IN CLIVE BISHOP CASE [2010-Jul-6]
• WILL RADIO 5 LIVE’S MEN’S HOUR SUPPORT OR PATRONISE MEN? [2010-Jul-5]
• VOTE FOR THIS BLOG IN TOTAL POLITICS POLL [2010-Jul-5]
• SWIMMING DISCRIMINATION AT SALE LEISURE CENTRE [2010-Jun-29]
• « Previous Articles

At the weekend, the site highlighted how a few male MP's had publicly supported the Coalition Government's proposals to support anonymity for rape defendants, even though the way the Parliament debate had been covered by the media you would have thought that no MP had supported it (Sky, Daily Mail, Independent, Guardian and Telegraph). Talking about dancing to one tune.

However, a few more have emerged, Jason Duncan who was a victim of a false accusation was interviewed and Mark Brooks from the ManKind Initiative was on Radio 5 on Saturday night (1 hour 42 in).

Posted by Skimmington

In a post  three years ago, this site published what it thought the 12 key priorities for a Minister for Men should be, a position that has never been created by the British Government, even though it has had a Minister for Women since 1997 and also a Women's National Commission since 1969. There has been much debate on this site about the need for a Minister for Men.

Whilst there has been some mixed results from the new Coalition Government and the Liberal Democrats published a Manifesto for men at the General Election, there is now a need to update or reiterate what the priorities should be.

It would therefore be useful that before publishing updated priorities for a Minister for Men, if ever there a positionw as created, this site would be grateful for any ideas, in addition, to those covered previously.

There is no need for explanation just a line or two on any suggestion.

Posted by Skimmington

Hattip - John Kimble

On going to work on Thursday, I always tune into Radio 4's Today programme and always listen to the Thought of the Day.

But after hearing a pathetic and abject anti-male rant from Joel Edwards from the Evangelical Alliance, people wondered why I was so miserable all day. Did he actually read the article by Hanna Rosin (this is well worth reading) and think about what is happening to men in this country or did he just read miserable response from Christina Patterson in the Independent.

Why does the BBC continue to allow this anti-male propaganda to be broadcast unchallenged, just as we say on the issue of Men's Hour? If it was a rant about a women, they'd be banned but rants against men are OK according to the BBC.

Posted by Skimmington

Hattip - Alan

As previously flagged up, on Thursday Parliament spent the afternoon discussing the issue of rape anonymity for defendants, a major and important matter.

The debate was five hours long and thorough and is available to read on Hansard, it is well worth it if you have the time.

What was unclear was whether the Government is proposing to give anonymity until charge or until conviction. They are going to undertake some further research but it just seemed unclear.

What was gladdening though that despite all the usual "we don't care about men who are falsely accused" nonsense from both Labour and many Conservative MP's, there at last were some men who stood up to be counted. Aidan Burley MP and Rehman Chishti MP both spoke in favour and Rehman actually used a case from his constituency to explain his position.

Tomorrow, Parliament discusses the issue of making rape defendants anonymous unless convicted, an important issue for male equality and an issue covered on this site at length. It looks like starting at about 11.30am

The debate will be able to be viewed live on Parliament TV.

This is the test to see whether the Coalition Government believes that equality also applies to men.

It will be the first test to see whether it will stand firm against the hysteria of the anti-male vested inestres that infest our country. If it fails, it will never stand up to them again and another Government will have let men down.

Comments on the debate welcome on the site please.

Posted by Skimmington

Unless you are single or gay, society has men and women who live together in partnership or married and often with children. Not according to new Yvette Cooper MP, former Government Minister par excellence.  

This week, she published a report (it cannot be found online not even on her official website so its  veracity cannot be interrogated) which was covered fulsomely and without challenge in the Guardian on Monday. In the report it states that women will bear the brunt of the proposed budget cuts by a ratio of 75% to 25%.

This was based on the freezing of the children's allowance, changing pension allowances, capital gain tax changes and others. The list that is not given by Cooper contends that as 94% of recipients of children's benefit are women, its freezing means the benefits affects women to the tune of £913 million compared to £62 million for men.

Er... wait a minute, just because the women is the main recipient of children's benefit (only one parent can be nominated to receive it) are not men who share the family home with their female partner and children not affected then?

Also she says because of the freezing or lower increases in pension allowances, women will suffer more then men. That's because women live longer and have a far longer post retirement period of life than men. No mention of that.

She also complains that this also does not taken into account any cuts in public sector jobs. Of course, a cut in a public sector job where a woman is employed won't also affect her male partner or husband!

She honestly thinkls that women and men do not share their lives together.

Yvette Cooper of course was a part of the same Government that said women were the biggest losers from the recession and the financial crisis despite all the official figures (here and here) produced by their own Government showed that it was in fact men.

What continues to amaze (but not surprise) is the brass neck of it all. There are so many in Parliament like Cooper, Harman, Flint and Baird (oops sorry just remembered she lost her seat!!) who want to outdo each other in standing up for women by slagging off men and simply just making things up.

Misandry is alive and well in Parliament still.

Posted by Skimmington

As the campaign continues on whether to deny equality in justice by granting anonymity to defendents in rape cases and the fear that the Colaition Govenment will backslide under the weight of hysteria from their anti-male feminist opponents, this site will publish immediately each time it comes across a story about a false accusation.

Today, the papers reported the story of Temitope Adenugba who was sent to prison for 18 months for falsely accusing a male cleaner of raping her. The poor chap was named. Silence from Caroline Flint.

Then we see the case of Clive Bishop where the weasely Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority appealed against his claim for compensation following being faslely accused of rape (link). Could you imagine the outcry if the genders were reversed?

However, this research by the False Rape Society is significant.

Posted by Skimmington

On the face of it, after decades of discrimination by the BBC, they are running a series of six programmes called Men's Hour, having run a Women's Hour on Radio 4 for over 60 years. It will be on BBC Radio 5 from 18th July 2010.

This follows their generally excellent Fatherhood Season (still available here) and also their programmes on the family courts (here). The latest programme on the treatment of fathers as caricatures certainly chimes with the essence of this article by Danuta Kean in the Daily Mail about how society and the media does it all it can to demonise men, a theme pathetically and discriminatory used by Frank Field, the Coalition Government's new Pensions Czar. Field was rightly condemned by the Fatherhood Institute and Jon Davies at Families Need Fathers.

The announcement of Men's Hour does not bode well on the BBC's own web-site as it declares that "BBC Radio 5 plans Women's Hour for Men". Men second already, not equal. On Radio 4 last Friday (41 minutes in) tehre was a short debate and it allowed Lynne Franks, "feminist", free rein to lambast the whole concept. She stated that when she first heard about it she thought someone was having a laugh and that it was a a joke. She also said it was a ridiculous idea.

The interview, instead about talking the issue, just turned into a situationw which allowed Lynne Franks to slag off men.

Putting that to one side, having listened to the interview and also seeing coverage where the presenter Tim Samuels described the show as the cheeky little brother to Women's Hour, where men can "emote" and a show which has Louie Spence as a weekly guest, there is a concern that the programme won't take the issues facing men seriously. Women's Hour takes women's issues seriously.

If subjects such as the rape anonymity, pension age, unemployment, domestic violence, suicide, men's health and the family courts are not tackled and discussed seriously then the programme will have failed and will never be commissioned again. 

The jury is of course out until the programmes are broadcast but this opportunity cannot be missed but to be taken seriously, it must take men seriously.

Posted by Skimmington

Note: story was also covered in the Daily Mail, The Independent, Telegraph, Telegraph 2

Note 2: The latest Men's Matters show by James Williams on Express FM is here (third way down).

Hattip - Jon 

As you can see from the top right hand side, this blog has had some success in being recognised in the UK. Under the Total Politics site it is shown in the non-aligned category.

Anyhow, the Total Politics site is asking people to vote for their best blogs and it would be great if this blog, which is 'owned' by everyone with an interest in righting the wrongs of male discrimination in our country, got some votes.

The process etc is set out by clicking below.

Posted by Skimmington

Hattip - John Kimble

Just over a year ago the site highlighted how Leicester Council banned men from using a library one afternoon a week as it was women-only and Bristol Council did the same at a swimming baths.

Well one regular reader was barred from going to Sale Leisure Centre in Trafford Borough recently. On a Thursday morning, there is an hour set aside for women only as can be seen here. 

The reader has asked for the site to publish a request for help and of course we are happy to oblige (see end).  Help offered to be posted in the comments section please.

As well as helping the reader, what would be useful is if someone has the time (I know, who has?) could someone volunteer to undertake some Google research to find out how many other councils have these sorts of policies. If anyone wishes to undertake this project, can they contact me at trom_editor@talktalk.net just so there is no duplication etc.

Posted by Skimmington

Letter

I live in Trafford Borough in Cheshire and I really want to take my council to court over what I consider is either Sexist or Discriminatory practice against men.

 I was astonished and angered to discover that, when I turned up for my swim the other day at Sale Leisure Centre, that I was not allowed in because I was a man. The staff told me it was ladies only swimming. I protested to the manager and was subtly told that it was really meant to cater for Muslim woman because of their religious requirements. He said he sympathised with me but these decisions were made higher up the food chain by a committee.

I feel very passionately about discrimination towards men (and woman for that matter) and I would like to challenge my council in court over this issue. The problem is I don’t really know how to go about this challenge. Can you give me some information and advice or point me in another direction to seek advice and/or a very good solicitor/barrister who specialises in this area?

 Thanks for taking the time to read this,

 Mr C (white, lower to middle class, and yes, you’ve guessed it, MALE  L!)