Quote:Labour MP says 'merit' in women-only train carriages.
'Women-only train carriages could combat the rise in sexual offences on public transport, a Labour MP has said.
Shadow fire minister Chris Williamson said it would be "worth consulting" on the policy after such crimes doubled
in the past five years.
However, Labour colleagues have criticised the move as "normalising attacks".
Party leader Jeremy Corbyn first suggested the policy during his leadership election campaign in 2015.
Mr Williamson, MP for Derby North, tweeted an article containing figures from the British Transport Police,
showing 1,448 sexual offences on trains had been reported in 2016/17, compared with 650 incidents in 2012/13.
He then told PoliticsHome that women-only carriages - which have been tested in countries including Japan, Brazil
and Mexico - should be consulted on as they could create a "safe space".
"It was pooh-poohed [when Mr Corbyn suggested it], but these statistics seem to indicate there is some merit in
examining that," he said.
"Complemented with having more guards on trains, it would be a way of combating these attacks, which have
seen a very worrying increase in the past few years."
Mr Williamson added: "I'm not saying it has to happen, but it may create a safe space. It would be a matter of
personal choice whether someone wanted to make use of it."
'Make all carriages safe'
The idea for women-only carriages was dropped by Mr Corbyn two years ago after fellow members of his party
criticised it, including senior Labour MPs Yvette Cooper and Liz Kendall.
And Mr Williamson's comments have again been attacked by colleagues.
Walthamstow Labour MP Stella Creasy tweeted: "Can we make all carriages safe for all passengers rather than
restricting where we can go?
"[It] doesn't keep women safe to restrict their movements - it normalises attacks.
We need to be clear they [the attackers] are problem, not women's seating plans."
Jess Phillips, Labour MP for Birmingham Yardley, said the policy was an "absolutely terrible idea".
She tweeted: "It is essentially giving up on trying to prosecute assaults. Also men should be incredibly annoyed
by [the] suggestion they can't control themselves.
"Sexual violence isn't about urges, it's about power.
If you take your feminist cues from Saudi Arabia, you've gone wrong.".
The Women's Equality Party said it had not changed its opinion since the Labour leader first proposed
women-only trains in 2015. The party's co-founder, Catherine Mayer, tweeted that it was "not a good idea",
as the party "vigorously pointed out" when it was first suggested...'
SOURCE:
Apart from this not being 'true' news, it's another indication of what happens when you let the dweebs you used
to ignore in your schoolroom, get into positions of power.
Eh... what about having busses that have white men sitting at the back and everyone else sitting at the front...?
It's just an idea.
[The Labour Party used to be a political movement that represented the working-class and it's debated
that this party is now more in line with the US Democratic Party.]
Edith Head Gives Good Wardrobe.