byn at a Your Party rally this weekend. But his post on X arguing that “women’s rights and safe spaces should not be encroached upon” has exposed a chasm in the new party. Some of the replies are too abusive to repeat, but it’s clear that Hussain has made the fatal mistake of offending trans activists. “Didn’t waste much time on regurgitating the transphobic talking points, did you?” asked one. Another addressed Sultana, pleading with her to “do something about this phobic loose cannon”.
This is where large sections of the Left are these days, unable to hear the word “women” without a furious response of “but trans people”. It doesn’t bode well for the presumptuously-named Your Party, where Corbyn and Sultana already appear to be at odds with each other. Her premature announcement of the new party evidently caught him by surprise, and she has since claimed he “capitulated” on the definition of antisemitism when he was Labour leader.
So this new trans divide is the last thing they need.
Whether the trans issue will prove a dealbreaker has yet to be seen. Until now, some secular people on the Left have looked the other way when it comes to their allies’ religious conservativism, especially if they are Muslim and support the Palestinian cause. But now hyper-liberal Corbynites must ask themselves a question: can they be in the same party as alleged transphobes who are ardently pro-Palestine?
A neat example of this meltdown was posted by the Stats for Lefties X account in response to Leeds Green councillor Mothin Ali defending Adnan. “Adnan is a blatant transphobe,” the account wrote. “The fact that you’re defending him and comparing his critics to Farage is absolutely disgusting and makes me very glad I did not vote for you.”
This public spat in the new party has highlighted one of the most corrosive political developments in recent years. It’s not so much single-issue politics as a refusal to allow people to dissent from a rigid party line. In an era of slogan-based politics, “trans women are women” has equal billing with “free Palestine”. But which will the Corbyn-Sultana crusade choose?
Oh dear. Settle back with the popcorn…
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