Dominic Raab is no more keen on the Equality Act than he is on the Human Rights Act
Esher and Walton MP Dominic Raab has just been made justice minister alongside Michael Gove.
Raab is a longtime critic of the Human Rights Act – this appointment looks like David Cameron’s way of saying he is serious about scrapping it. In January 2014 Raab voted to allow human rights grounds to be used to prevent a foreign criminal being deported only in cases where there would be a breach of right to life or the right not to be tortured.
In 2013, he voted to remove the duty on the Commission for Equality and Human Rights to work to support the development of a society in which people’s ability to achieve their potential is not limited by prejudice or discrimination.
And in 2013 he also voted against making it illegal to discriminate on grounds of caste.
Raab also took an unusual stance on gender equality in 2011, when he expressed his fears that ‘from the cradle to the grave, men are getting a raw deal’. He attacked the ‘obnoxious bigotry’ of feminists and complained that men work longer hours than women (no mention of pay gap etc).
“While we have some of the toughest anti-discrimination laws in the world, we are blind to some of the most flagrant discrimination – against men.”
Seeming to have fallen at the first hurdle – assuming that feminism is anti-men – Raab also suggested that men start ‘burning their briefs’, presumably as a long- overdue retaliation against the feminists of the sixties (who did not, in fact, burn their bras.)
Raab’s diatribe continued:
“Britain’s not perfect, and we will never eradicate all human prejudice.”
This is especially true when we do not understand that prejudice. Another interesting choice from David Cameron.
Ruby Stockham is a staff writer at Left Foot Forward. Follow her on Twitter
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398 Responses to “He thinks feminists are ‘obnoxious bigots’: meet the new justice minister”
fmf
Dude you’d be hard pressed to find a feminist willing to fight you against banning circumcision, we’re not stopping you from getting your own protection legislated, and in fact, many would support you. No need to beat on our efforts with FGM, a different cultural matter.
fmf
If a movement about equality and women’s rights is seen as anti-men by you, what does that say about your opinion of men in relation to women’s rights?
I think freedom from gender will never be achieved whilst some cling so tightly to their identities as genders and not people. If you view that as an attack on you then you’re one of the people that probably needs to de-gender their thinking to live in an equal and free world
Rex Duis
My problem with Feminism fmf is it’s unnecessary divisions between genders which is where it gives its bias away. You’ve just demonstrated it. You said you support banning circumcision in one breath, but had to add a ‘but’ after it by suggesting that FGM was different.
It’s not different. It’s genital mutilation. The reasoning behind it may be slightly different but to the screaming child being mutilated with no pain killers, humiliated and terrified, permanently disfigured, I imagine the distinctions and finer points of ‘cultural matters’ are lost.
Why not actually unite for once and put Genital Integrity as a whole issue on the table. You’d surely increase your support for ending FGM by sending out a clear message to those still performing circumcisions that it’s unacceptable. At present we have a message that it’s ok to do it to boys… so to some people it’s ok to still do it to girls and we will overlook this small fact that it’s illegal. This is what I mean.. you can’t have ‘equality’ for one gender and not for another. It’s not equality then is it. Its just some people having rights and others not… which is inequality.. isn’t it.
airmanjoe
Rex,
Excellent comments. There is no reason for feminists to fight against FGM while remaining silent on circumcision. If one’s ideology represents equal rights for all, then one should prove it.
airmanjoe
I dont think he’s talking about the dictionary defnition. I think he is talking about how people who are vocal about feminism speak and act.