Priorities

Written by

Ophelia Benson

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Remember Crispin Blunt MP? I wrote about him last August, in a post about the pressure being put on Lisa Townsend, Surrey’s Police and Crime Commissioner, who was being accused of “transphobia” for saying men shouldn’t be in women’s prisons. A Surrey news outlet reported:

Marc Jones, chair of the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners (APCC), came to her defence, saying: “Some services quite simply can’t function in a gender neutral way”, which Reigate MP Crispin Blunt said was an “evidence-free panicked response”.

Never mind about women, they don’t matter.

More last month.

Today:

Comments

8 responses to “Priorities”

  1. tigger_the_wing Avatar
    tigger_the_wing

    It took a few clicks, but I found the statement.

    https://www.blunt4reigate.com/news/statement-conviction-imran-ahmad-khan-mp

    Monday, 11 April, 2022

    I am utterly appalled and distraught at the dreadful miscarriage of justice that has befallen my friend and colleague Imran Ahmad Khan, MP for Wakefield since December 2019. His conviction today is nothing short of an international scandal, with dreadful wider implications for millions of LGBT+ muslims around the world.

    I sat through some of the trial. The conduct of this case relied on lazy tropes about LGBT+ people that we might have thought we had put behind us decades ago.

    As a former Justice Minister I was prepared to testify about the truly extraordinary sequence of events that has resulted in Imran being put through this nightmare start to his Parliamentary career.

    I hope for the return of Imran Ahmad Khan to the public service that has exemplified his life to date. Any other outcome will be a stain on our reputation for justice, and an appalling own goal by Britain as we try to take a lead in reversing the Victorian era prejudice that still disfigures too much of the global statute book.

    I’m not so sure that it is such a miscarriage of justice, given what Khan admitted during the trial, according to AoL.

    https://www.aol.com/tory-mp-found-guilty-sexually-152157638.html

  2. Your Name's not Bruce? Avatar
    Your Name’s not Bruce?

    I wonder what one would find on Mr. Blunt’s hard drive?

  3. NightCrow Avatar
    NightCrow

    Blunt has retracted his original statement and posted the following in its place:

    Retraction of statement on Imran Ahmad Khan

    Tuesday, 12 April, 2022

    On reflection I have decided to retract my statement defending Imran Ahmad Khan. I am sorry that my defence of him has been a cause of significant upset and concern not least to victims of sexual offences. It was not my intention to do this.

    To be clear I do not condone any form of abuse and I strongly believe in the independence and integrity of the justice system.

    It is a particularly difficult time for LGBT+ rights across the world and my statement risks distracting the APPG for Global LGBT+ Rights from its important purpose. I have today offered the officers my resignation so a new Chair can be found to continue the work of the group with full force.

    His original statement has been preserved on the Wayback Machine.

  4. Ophelia Benson Avatar
    Ophelia Benson

    What did he think would happen?!

  5. Your Name's not Bruce? Avatar
    Your Name’s not Bruce?

    What did he think would happen?!

    If he thought his bluster was going to carry the day, he’s had a rude awakening. He’s just discovered the limit of his power and influence. Would he have done the same if he’d known beforehand how things were going to end up? My guess is no. Wielders of swaggering overconfidence and bullying are often surprised by resistance, which exposes the underlying cowardice that gives rise to these traits.

  6. iknklast Avatar
    iknklast

    distracting the APPG for Global LGBT+ Rights from its important purpose

    And, of course, its MOST important purpose – more important than any other problem facing the world today! Misgendering! Dead naming! Having to play sports against more talented males! (I probably missed quite a few, but you get the picture.)

  7. GW Avatar
    GW

    Never mind about women, they don’t matter.

    Well, the world is “only just starting to understand” the challenges of “trans and gender fluid people”. Maybe we’ll get around to understanding women’s challenges in another 70 years or so.

  8. iknklast Avatar
    iknklast

    Maybe we’ll get around to understanding women’s challenges in another 70 years or so.

    By then there will be yet another group of “most marginalized ever” or another war or a famine…or maybe there will be a glitch with credit cards and people are momentarily unable to spend money. It doesn’t take much to be more important than the challenges of women.

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