Istanbul Convention Follow-Up

The full Hansard report on the Istanbul Convention debate is now up and I have been able to check a few things. I noted on Friday that Thangam Debbonaire (Lab) and Kerry McCarthy (Lab) attended the debate (and Thangam made a great speech). Bristol’s other two MPs, Charlotte Leslie (Con) and Karin Smith (Lab), did not attend. I hope that Bristol feminist organisations will be asking them a few questions.

However, the name I was looking for in the list of voters was Caroline Flint (Lab). She’s a woman. Her party leader, who is a man, turned up to vote, but she didn’t. Obviously she didn’t think that violence against women was an important matter. And yet she turned up on December 1st to complain that trans women were a danger to women. I think, Ms. Flint, that you need to take a serious look at your priorities.