Show Hide image The Staggers 1 November 2016 Hilary Benn urged to hold Brexit select committee hearings in devolved nations MPs from devolved nations have demanded representation. Print HTML Representatives of the devolved nations may have found tea at Downing Street less than fruitful, but they have now spotted a new entrance into Brexit negotiations. MPs from the SNP, Plaid Cymru and the rival Northern Irish parties the DUP and SDLP, have written to the new chair of the Brexit committee, Hilary Benn, demanding a platform. In the letter, the MPs call for evidence sessions to be held in each of the devolved nations. Despite "different views on specific issues", the MPs said there was "a common interest" in ensuring devolved administrations were respected. It stated: "The Committee on Exiting the EU will be crucial to ensuring that there is scrutiny of how the Prime Minister is implementing her commitment to involve the devolved administrations and of the discussions that she has with them. "We therefore write to you to ask you to ensure that the new Committee will examine these important issues, including by holding evidence sessions in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland." The letter was signed by the SNP MPs Joanna Cherry and Peter Grant, Plaid Cymru's Jonathan Edwards, the DUP's Sammy Wilson and the SDLP's Mark Durkan. Select committees are made up of cross-party MPs and conduct inquiries which can put pressure on the government to act, and the newly-formed Brexit select committee is likely to be one of the most crucial in the years ahead. Nevertheless, it may be the devolved administrations themselves that form the biggest obstacle to Brexit. This is not just because Scotland and Northern Ireland voted to Remain, but because the parliaments were set up after the UK joined the EU, and were created in the framework of EU legislation. Dr Jo Murkens, a law professor from the London School of Economics, told the Scottish Affairs Committee in September: "If I can put it bluntly, the EU is what has been keeping the United Kingdom together." › Labour has lost its identity Julia Rampen is the editor of The Staggers, The New Statesman's online rolling politics blog. She was previously deputy editor at Mirror Money Online and has worked as a financial journalist for several trade magazines. More Related articles Can International Men's Day ever be a force for good? What Labour's row over Brexit is really about The government is not helping the “just managing” – it’s “just managing” to help millionaires
Show Hide image The Staggers 19 November 2016 Can International Men's Day ever be a force for good? Those worried about toxic masculinity try to distinguish themselves from anti-feminists. Print HTML Saturday 19 November is International Men’s Day. Its organisers claim their aims are to promote men’s physical and mental wellbeing, as well as work to improving gender relations. However, the idea of a day concentrating on men has proven divisive, with many of its supporters using it as an opportunity to fight feminism. Some victims of sexism joke that every day is International Men's Day. So is the concept fundamentally misguided, or is it a question of interpretation? Journalist, writer, and activist, Ally Fogg, is part of the organising committee for UK International Men’s Day. We spoke over the phone on 9 November, the day, as it would turn out, Americans voted for a man who boasted about groping women to become their next President. One problem with a lack of debate, Fogg argued, is that International Men’s Day is about more than just raising awareness of individual issues. “You can’t talk about men’s suicide rates, without talking about the higher rates of alcoholism," he said. "Without talking about men being more reluctant to seek help from the NHS." None of this exists in isolation of a culture of violence, which is exacerbated by the criminal justice system. He is keen to stress that International Men’s Day isn't purely about celebrating men. “We live in a patriarchal society that systematically empowers men over women. But what happens to men who fall through the cracks?” he asked. “How do we address the fact that the majority of victims of sexual violence are women without ignoring that many victims are men?” To illustrate his argument, he gave the example of a friend, who reported being a victim of child sexual abuse to the authorities, and was offered support. However, the independent adviser couldn’t use her own office, as it was a women-only space. Instead, Fogg’s friend was expected to recount his trauma in a public coffee shop. To Fogg, this was not to suggest women-only spaces should be removed, but to illustrate the gaps in support. Nevertheless, talking about men as victims seems impossible without also acknowledging that men commit most violent crimes. Fogg said: “If we can do something about making men less violent, the number one beneficiaries of that are men and boys”. His believes that curing men of toxic masculinity is a worthwhile end in itself. International Men’s Day UK also focuses on the intersection of gender with race, sexuality, and poverty. “Look at the appalling coverage of the migrant crisis in Calais," Fogg said. He believes newspapers played on the fact many in Calais were male, Muslim, and had dark skin. Had they been Muslim women or white, Christian men, it would have been harder to portray them as menacing. “We are now seeing the same thing with Donald Trump and Mexicans," he added. But while focusing on a particular demography always brings new perspectives, International Men's Day is not just about refugees in Calais. One of the most prominent political backers is the Conservative MP for Shipley, Philip Davies, a man who has voted against equality legislation, attacked what he called "militant feminists" and bombarded the chairman of the Equality and Human Rights Commission with questions such as "why is it so offensive to black up your face?" He once said disabled people don't need to earn the minimum wage. With Davies leading the debate, it sends a message that men’s issues matter, but not if the man is disabled, gay, Muslim, BAME, or trans. This is vitally important because these are the groups of men who suffer from the highest rates of suicide, violence, and discrimination – with the least support available. I pressed Fogg to name someone he’d prefer, who hasn’t offended just about every minority and at-risk community. He avoided an answer, but suggested there there has been a growth in conversations about masculinity itself. “Grayson Perry’s work has great for this," he said. "More and more people are asking how to be a man in the 21st century, but what they don’t do is acknowledge that these are political issues. We can’t just say we want more boys to read and go to university. Men and boys can’t reinvent ourselves without policy being involved”. The cycle of toxic masculinity won’t end itself. More Related articles What Labour's row over Brexit is really about The government is not helping the “just managing” – it’s “just managing” to help millionaires Why Tory Leavers don't fear the Remain rebels
