Censorship.

Allegedly the English Collective of Prostitutes are being censored. You could’ve fooled me, every time prostitution gets even the most vague mention in the media an ECP rep is there pushing their agenda.

Question - how is the ECP funded?

Question - how is their leadership elected?

Question - what percentage, if any, of their membership are or have been in prostitution?

Question - how do the ECP decide on their political agenda and group policies - is it after consultation with actual prostitute women or is it a policy decided thirty years ago by non prostitutes and stuck to mercilessly without further discussion?

I think it is both negligent and naive on the behalf of the government, socialist organisations, the media, and whoever else, that this group are presented as representative of prostitutes views and needs, when not even the most basic information about the ECP is known. Noone is asking for members names - but if the group is to be believed and trusted then they should need to do more than simply name themselves the spokespeople for prostitutes in England.

As for censorship - the Socialist Unity blog censored my comments and questions regarding their position on prostitution and the ECP, after they themselves had put a post up claiming that the activists who organised the International Women’s Day demonstration in London had censored a Trade Union speaker who was allegedly there to represent “sex workers”. So there you have it folks, Trade Union reps should be allowed to talk for women in prostitution, it is just a job after all! but those of us with some experience of it who dont consider it a job and name it as abuse and exploitation had best shut the fuck up.

The Oldest Liberation Movement at EVAW

Finn Mackay introduces the Feminist Coalition Against Prostitution.

Also see Mind The Gap for information regarding a Welsh branch of FCAP.

Misogyny and male violence against women is endemic but the truth must remain hidden

also at EVAW. Jennifer Drew questions the silence around femicide in the UK.

Ignoring forced marriage doesn’t make it go away at Rhetorically Speaking

Straw sacrifices prostitution law to ban strikes by prison staff at Incurable Hippie

IH also asks for support protesting the opening of a Hooters in Sheffield while Cruella-blogger Kate asks for support protesting the application from a London pub hoping to introduce strip shows.

Also at Cruella-blog, an argument in favour of the Swedish model and a hat tip for leading me to this interview of Roger Matthews, a criminology Professor and expert on prostitution, by Julie Bindel

Debs at the Burning Times suggests a national conference for Radical Feminists. Debs updates frequently and I find it hard to choose any single article to recommend, so here are a few more: an article on Rape Crisis, and a defence of women only spaces Part 1 and Part 2 inspired by this post by Michelle at Lonergirl, and here’s another response from RMott.

Another post by RMott to recommend, I am confused.

Maia writes on Contraception, sex education and abortion

Why Im a Feminist by Mwezzi at Me and My Army

Nectarine writes about meeting women from Swanseas Older Feminist Network.

Nectarine has also set up a new blog which I will contributing to, Crazy Like Us?, a feminist look at mental health in the UK. Please visit, comment, and contribute your stories and news.

Scotland Looks To Success Of Swedish Model at Sparklematrix. Sparklematrix also covered the story of Colin Norris, the male nurse who serial murdered the elderly women in his care - another clear example of femicide that went mostly unnamed.

Anji explains why Support of Pornography and Prostitution is not Feminist

Over at the F-Word, news of a campaign for feminist author Sheila Rowbotham to keep her job at the University of Manchester, who seriously need to untwist their budget priorities.

And finally - a reminder to support and subscribe to UK feminist magazine Subtext.