During his time in office, Rishi Sunak did much to popularize an intensifying phrase favored by men who wanted to announce their commitment to women’s interests while dispelling previous indifference: “As the father of a daughter.”
Without his domestic experiences, Sunak might never have realized that “as a father of a daughter” girls need to feel safe walking around in the evenings or receive the same level of education as boys. It’s annoying, but still. Better late, etc. Sunak’s commemoration of the lionesses’ victories and his recognition of the need for single-sex spaces for women (“women’s rights are personal to me”) are also appreciated by his daughters.
While relying on girls for gender equality is less impressive than promoting it in principle, Sunak undeniably shines when compared to politicians who remain in a natural state even after being blessed with girls. Donald Trump has daughters. Ditto Vladimir Putin. David Cameron, with two children, retained a primitive preference for male colleagues/banter. George Osborne’s daughter failed to inoculate him against spreading psychopathic fantasies about Theresa May. The fact that Boris Johnson became prime minister with first two and then three daughters similarly confirms that hiring only men with daughters is sadly no solution to misogyny in Westminster, the city or the Metropolitan police.
Unfortunately, hiring only men with daughters is no solution to misogyny in Westminster, the city or the police
Admittedly, Johnson has apologized to his female colleague, whom his former WhatsApp friends have called “that bastard” since she gave birth to another daughter. Maybe in difficult situations you need a ratio of at least four girls to one savage to achieve the level of insight claimed to be capable of two Sunaks?
Although we are discovering that even this project, if not reversed, has its limits. Sunak, a father of a daughter, confirmed jokes about date rape drugs were not crimes to be plundered.
In particular, as a father of a daughter, jokes about stunning women with the tranquilizer Rohypnol, which is almost synonymous with drug-facilitated sexual assault (DFSA) by predatory men, are authored by James Cleverly, who is not only the Home Secretary, but his department is also tackling the spike in public opinion that it is “disgusting” He is speaking on the day he announced measures designed to improve understanding of what constitutes a crime.
Shortly before Christmas, Cleverly’s Home Office colleague Laura Farris, the victims and protection minister, told the House of Commons: “Spiking is a horrific predatory crime that destroys lives.” Outlining the legislative changes, the evidence of harm “is undeniable: the main victims are young and predominantly women,” she said.
In a statement prefaced by his department’s recommendations, Cleverly added: “Spiking is a perverted crime that can leave a lasting impact on victims.” If the word “deviant” seems weak enough (it might even mean that the perpetrators have chosen a highly unreliable means to achieve their goal in temporary poisoning), perhaps this can now be considered just another unfortunate clue to be added to an even worse situation. While a comprehensive collection may not be actively suited for high office, Cleverly is one of the best arguments ever for not bringing your whole self to work.
But from calling a northern town a “shithole” to describing the Rwanda plan as “nonsense” before it became “common sense”, nothing compares to Cleverly’s achievement on the day Spiking’s seriousness was officially declared. crime on the same evening. No day is perfect for belittling your own department.
Sunday Mirror He reported that he had said of his wife at a reception at No. 10 that “putting a little Rohypnol in her drink every night” was “not really illegal, not even a little bit”. Les Dawson’s memoir (“I said to the chemist ‘can I get some more sleeping pills for my wife’, he said ‘Why’, I said ‘She’s waking up all the time'”), continued with the benefits of keeping a wife “She’s always on a mild tranquilizer so I can get better men out there “He never realizes it’s happening.”
Survivors and campaigners against the spike, some of whom contributed to the Home Office report, were quick to condemn the comments, which are unlikely to educate the kind of men who think it is a crime to sedate women and rape women with drugs that impair memory but leave no trace within a few hours. joke. Noting that entertainment has repeatedly been cited as a motivation for perpetrators, the Home Office clearly states: “This is not funny and we need to make sure the message is clear.”
Even without expert knowledge, it is clear that Cleverly’s attitude towards crime is far from anything generally understood as responsible. As leftists are mentioned in his defence, there is no vigilance in acknowledging that the trivialization of the DFSA is anything but unpleasant; At nightclubs and festivals, criminals only go to little trouble to traumatize and attack politically like-minded young women.
You don’t need to find Sleeping Beauty’s awakening problematic or want to trigger Keats’ awakening. St. Agnes’ Eve, to understand why men who publicly joke about DFSA are sinister, scary on dates, and should expect immediate disciplinary action in any workplace outside the incel community. Or the Metropolitan police. Or, as it turns out, the cabinet.
Since Cleverly was unlikely to claim ignorance of the crime, his spokesman’s best defense was “an ironic joke.” Plus, desperately, No. 10’s press reception was “special”. But most miserable is Sunak’s response: the famous daughter’s father “considers the matter closed”.
What if there is a conceivable downside to a sixth in four years? – home secretary, there is no advantage in raising Cleverly’s red flag in Downing Street, signaling the government’s tolerance of playful drinkers. Especially as the Home Office’s “Enough” campaign advocates a “whole of society” approach to changing attitudes towards violence against women and girls and calls on those around them to intervene. For example: “What would you do if you heard he was downplaying the increase in predatory drinking?”
Like many girls, the Sunak girls may have thought they deserved some time off for Christmas, but look at the result.
• Catherine Bennett is an Observer columnist