The Rights Of Man

THE SHAMEFUL HYPOCRISY OF ANTI-MALE BRISTOL CITY COUNCIL

 A story that ran pre-Christmas but with further evidence of the hypocrisy of the anti-male establishment comes this time from Bristol City Council.

In December, they forced a sports club founded in 1894 in a deprived part of Bristol to change its name from Broad Plain Boys Club because unless it did so, it would no longer receive funding of £11,600 per year. This despite the fact that it holds sports evenings for girls.

The story was covered - (Bristol Evening Post 1, Bristol Evening Post 2, Daily Mail, Daily Express , Telegraph,

For centuries there have been boys and girls clubs (and boys and girls school etc) and as long as there is roughly the same service, there is no problem. The problem always comes when you have state funding because when you have an anti-male politically correct council like Bristol, then you open the doors to all sorts of political interference. In addition, this excellent Club should be cherished especially as inner city boys need help and as one commentator said, the Council can always help set a Girls Club.

The real hypocrisy though is the fact that Bristol Council provides funding and support to a number of women-only services:-

Bristol Women's Forum (site and Annual Report)- supported by Council officials and who have a formal role in scrutinising the council's policies. It is only open to women and there is of course no Bristol Male Forum.

Women Who Make A Difference Award (link) - no male equivalent.

Women-only swimming at the council's swimming baths (link and scroll 1/3 down).

Bristol and Avon Chinese Women’s Group (source Daily Express) - £30,494 a year. 

Bristol Pakistani Welfare Community, a group aimed only at women (source Daily Express) - £10,984 per year.

It is clear that Bristol City Council's demand for the Broad Plain Boys Club to change its name is not about being gender neutral, it is a shameful and nasty act of anti-male behaviour. If it was not, then it would not fund or support women-only activity and be proud of it.

NEW BOOK - THE DECLINE OF MEN by GUY GARCIA

A new US book entitled The Decline of Men - How the American Male Is Tuning Out, Giving Up, and Flipping Off His Future by Guy Garcia (link) was published late last year.

He is described by Wikipedia (link) as an award-winning journalist, novelist, and multimedia entrepreneur, specialising in multi-cultural consumerism and socio-economic trends. The book is described by publisher Harper Collins (link) as  "an eye-opening exploration of contemporary American manhood, The Decline of Men shows how men are struggling to redefine what being a man means in today's world. Their confusion has led to rampant male malaise, which has left many men feeling alienated and disconnected."

The ever excellent Amanda Platell is one of Britain's leading opponents of our anti-male society and in a brilliant article (Daily Mail) she "disagree(s) with Garcia when he says 'men aren't giving up - they're being run over because they're lazy and can't multi-task'". She says that "The feminists view the current state of play in the war of the sexes as a great victory - they feel it proves they were right and that women were smarter than men all along."

Her article gives examples such as if fewer girls were going to university, there would be an outcry, but because fewer boys go to university now, no-one cares. Well, we do have the most anti-male Government in the history of the UK!

Her article follows on a previous first class piece (link) about Kathleen Parker's "Save the Males". Compare Platell to the usual nonsense in The Independent from Sophie Morris (link).

These books are great for raising the issues and effects of the anti-male society we live in but we could do with a British equivalent.

 

SHAMEFUL SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT WILFULLY IGNORES MALE DOMESTIC ABUSE VICTIMS IN SCOTLAND OVER CHRISTMAS

In the past few months there has been a sense that things may change in Scotland because of the publication of statistics (link) that showed how many men were victims of domestic abuse and domestic violence in Scotland (130% increase since 2000/01). These are under-reported figures of course as there are only incidents reported to the police. Pressure has been applied but so far the Scottish Government is not budging. This is on purpose.

This can be seen by the Scottish Government's shameful Christmas campaign about domestic abuse because it only features, as ever, women as victims (link, link). No mention of male victims whatsoever.

The Scottish Government TV adverts, entitled "I Soar" (link), will highlight the help that is available to those experiencing domestic abuse (women-only!). It will coincide with a new protocol outlining how the police and courts should deal with domestic violence cases. The adverts, voiced by actress Daniela Nardini, will began on Boxing Day.

Unveiling the campaign, Communities Minister Stewart Maxwell, said "Christmas is a time when many families are affected by domestic abuse and calls to the helpline and police increase. I hope that many women will see this year's adverts and take the first steps towards seeking help to rid their lives of domestic abuse."

Stewart Maxwell obviously does not give a damn about help that male victims (and their children) may need.

This campaign is shameful because despite there own statistics, they wilfully and purposely continue to ignore male victims. It is no different of course to the UK Government (link).

BEWARE THE WEASEL ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ON MALE VICTIMS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

One of the things that would have been clear in any analysis in the changing position of the Government, statutory authorities and the media on male victims is the weasel acknowledgement.

Years ago there was no acknowledgement but now there is the weasel acknowledgement. This is where, to give the false impression of gender neutrality, there is a description in an article/publication/report on the lines of  - "Men can also be victims of domestic violence but the vast majority of victims are women" - An untrue assertion (link) as 40% - 43% of victims are men. The article/publication/report then ignores male victims and only mentions female victims.

The Guardian's Joan Smith's article (link)from this weekend is a case in point (worth viewing the debate on the article).

The article states:- "Plenty of middle-class women, and some men, are beaten and humiliated by their partners, but there's growing evidence that the global recession is making people more vulnerable to physical and mental abuse".

It then just goes into the usual diatribe about how women suffer at the hands of men, without presenting the alternative view. All very predictable and just adds to the stereotype that only women can be victims.

Don't let the weasel acknowledgement fool anyone.

 

JUSTICE GAP FOR MALE VICTIMS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE REVEALED

Picking up a theme in The ManKind Initiative charity's submission (link) to a Crown Prosecution Service Review on Domestic Violence, new CPS crime figures show there is a justice gap for male victims.

The justice gap is because whilst the British Crime Survey (link) and other statistics show that men make up 40% - 43% of all victims of domestic violence, why do the police report low figures (if they do at all) and why are there so few females prosecuted.

The new CPS figures (In a report called Violence Against Women - page 18 onwards - link) show that of the 63,819 (2007-08) completed prosecutions, only 3,770 (5.9%) of those prosecuted were women. This was an increase from 2,579 (5.2%) in 2005-06, effectively 46% increase in three years.

 

As the CPS' training on domestic violence, all their information/leaflets are women-only and fact that they only really believe that women can be victims, it means there is a justice gap for male victims of 37% (43% minus 5.9%). It is difference between the reported victims rate and the prosecution rate.

This difference is an injustice and if it was the other way round (a justice gap for women) it would make the headlines, instead it is ignored. 

EUROPEAN (PACE) PRIZE AVAILABLE FOR DENYING MEN AN EQUAL POLITICAL FRANCHISE

In the last ten years, the war on men has included stopping men from seeking to be MP's etc solely on the basis that they are men. This has been done in the name of equality to ensure that there are more female politicians. While there is an argument for more female politicians, the way that UK political parties have been trying to achieve this has been through stopping men from being able to stand. The Labour Party for instance, has brought in all-women short-lists even bringing in an Act of Parliament to achieve it. These issues have been covered (link, link).

Now it emerges that the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has introduced a 2009 Gender Equality Prize, which rewards political parties that strive to promote gender equality in politics (link).

So now it is not just good enough to stop men from being able to serve their community, you can win a prize for it!

PACE have been campaigning on this issue (link) for some time and has declared "Introducing quotas and parity measures is only one way to reach the equal representation of women and men. Also reforming electoral systems, changing internal rules of the parliamentary assemblies and introducing policies to improve reconciliation of work and family and private life and fight the gender pay gap are needed."

 It is not just in the UK where political gender discrimination is allowed, "five European countries have stipulations in the electoral law or in the constitution which impose quotas on political parties in order to increase women’s representation or to attain parity democracy: France, Belgium, Portugal, Spain and Slovenia.

This male discrimination is endemic across the EU and is one of the most dangerous, if not the most dangerous, assault on men and equality.

 

 

FIRST RATE WELSH SELECT COMMITTEE REPORT ON DOMESTIC ABUSE

Unlike the Scots (link), the Welsh take supporting male victims of domestic abuse seriously. There are some male refuges and the Welsh Government fund the excellent Dyn Project (link).

Last week, The National Assembly for Wales’ Communities and Culture Committee published a report on domestic abuse in Wales (press release, report).

In the press release, they declared "Consideration to be given to the needs of men from different backgrounds and circumstances affected by domestic abuse."

Their Recommendation (number 8) makes it clear that the Welsh Government must make sure their action plan supports men, as well as other groups. Too right.

A couple of asides worthy of mention show there are some other issues.

Paragraph 6.1.9 states that "The Committee appreciates the concerns expressed by some women’s groups that the lack of a gender specific definition is leading to increased pressure to divert the limited resources currently allocated to supporting women-only services towards mixed or male-oriented support services."

What this is really saying is that women's groups in Wales don't like and don't want resources spent on male victims, only on women. The cat is out of the bag. How in keeping with equality is that?

Paragraph 6.2.8 also highlights problems with female victims who need refuge space for them and their children but if they are boys this can be a problem. So what are the mothers and refuges to do? Leave the boys with a violent man?  

 

THE CITY UNDER SCRUTINY BY EQUALITIES COMMISION OVER GENDER PAY GAP AND HARASSMENT

The CEHR (Commission for Equalities and Human Rights) which formed when the EOC and other bodies merged last year is pulling up the drains on the City and the construction industry.

It is conducting a witch-hunt inquiry (link) into both, based on the gender pay gap in the City and harassment.

They quote that the gender pay gap in the City is 41% and the arguments about why the Gender Pay Gap is a myth has been outlined regularly on this site (link). However, the gap in the City is starker because, generally speaking, the hours that people work in the City are extreme and many women will choose not to take part especially when they want to bring up a family.

Often, they have a husband/male partner in the City and they are the ones that work ridiculous hours (often earning serious money for their family to boot).

On the harassment front, perhaps the Commission may turn its attention to this survey that showed that 85% of men had said they had been sexually harassed at work (link).

Sorry...Commission... I...cannot...hear...you...

EQUALITIES BILL OPENS UP NEW FRONT IN ATTACK ON MEN

As was feared, in the streamlined package of Bills announced in Wednesday's Queen's Speech, Harriet Harman's Equalities Bill made the cut. This will be a disaster for men and will embed anti-male legislation into the establishment even if the Government loses the next Election.

The Bill (link) which has been covered here before (link) will lump all discrimination legislation together into one Act.

However, it introduces new areas.

(1) Positive Action - If a man and a woman have equal skill, an employer who believes one gender is under-represented will be able to give a woman, for example, the job if the employer thinks they have too many men. Because of the criticism made when the Bill was announced that this would lead to widespread discrimination against men, the Government have laughably tried to say that it will allow head-teachers to pick male teaching applicants above female ones.

As stated in the previous post about this Bill (see above), this is a laughable sop.

We know, because of the previous tone of Harman et al and the rest of the anti-male establishment when the Bill wasfirst announced. It will be used to systematically discriminate against men when used in practice. This will especially be the case when it comes to the public sector and will be used to allow women to bypass men in the management chain because that is where they are supposedly under-represented.

With so many boys leaving school uneducated, the last thing they need is another brick wall placed in front of them solely because of their gender. Trevor Phillips (Equalities Commission Chairman) previously raised this as an issue (link) as did academic Dr Catherine Hakim (link).

(2) Gender Pay Gap/Equal Pay Audits - As covered extensively (link), this is a ruse to attack men, nothing more, nothing less. There is no proof that a woman doing the same job, with the same talent, same experience, making the same profit at the same company gets paid less than a man. Research shows that single women get paid more than single men!

(3) Extension of All Women Short lists/Gender Lists For The Next Five Elections - Parliament is holding a Speakers Conference on how to get more women into Parliament and the political parties will continue to be allowed to 'positively discriminate' against men in selecting candidates for elections (link). This is a clear denial of the political franchise to men and stops men from representing their community and country solely on the basis of the gender.

This Bill is another nail in the coffin of the British male.

It will go through because too many Parliamentarians are supine in the face of the anti-male feminist onslaught to dare resist it.

Daily Mail debate

ASPIRE VENTURE CAPITAL FUND DISCRIMINATES AGAINST MALE ENTREPRENEURS

Is there no area in life that this Government hasn't either ignored men or introduced measures that are deliberately anti-men.

In these times, small businesses and entrepreneurs find it difficult to get credit and access capital.

So to help, the Government has launched a fund called Aspire which is Government run £25m venture capital fund for women (link). £12.5m is bona fide taxpayers money which is matched by private sector investment. As reported in the Telegraph (link), the Government has realised that such a blatant anti-male fund would be discriminatory so men can apply but only if they meet other criteria such as having 30% women on their board. It would be good to have this tested in court as it is discriminatory come what may.

The bias is clear. It gives people cheaper access to taxpayer funded venture capital on the sole basis that they are women. This is discrimination and will give a woman a competitive advantage against a man especially if looking to start up similar enterprises.

Also with capital so tight, not allowing people equal access to it, shows how gender politics is more important than fairness.

Llastly, there is no evidence that women need a special venture capital fund because they cannot obtain access elsewhere. For example women run 700,000 companies; they now sit on 78 of the FTSE-100's boardrooms; they are more female millionaires than male millionaire's between 18-44 (47,000 women / 38,000 men. But hey, lets not put facts in the way of a bit of anti-male discrimination.