Lobbying secretly

rapid advances that trans-rights campaigns have made in many political arenas in recent years.

It could also be a template for the rule-breaking ‘political strategy’ employed by Crispin Blunt and the APPG for Global LGBT+ Rights. In a further striking coincidence, the APPG’s Kaleidoscope-employed coordinator is Anna Robinson, who was from 2017 to 2019 the co-chair of IGYLO.

What does this story tell us? It’s more evidence that some people who campaign for trans rights policies make a deliberate choice to do so in private settings, where the wider public cannot know or assess their arguments….

An agenda that needs secrecy to advance will never command lasting public confidence. A competent, coordinated and well-funded operation based on private lobbying and ‘quiet’ influence may well score some short-term victories, but it won’t deliver real political success. Lobbyists working in the shadows should know that if you can’t defend your proposals in the sight of the public, they will never stand.

"To tie trans-rights objectives to the more popular issue of gay equality and, above all, to ‘avoid excessive press coverage and exposure’" That's exactly what's happened. The T was tacked on to LGB, and everyone was led to assume this was the next big progressive campaign – without any real debate. 

The success of trans activists has indeed been extraordinary, though the signs are now that the tide's turning as people become aware of the issues, and realise that women's rights are suffering as a direct result. As we see here, lobbying secretly appears to have been a conscious decision. Open lobbying – and open argument – would never have achieved so much.