Janet Street-Porter Fears Women Will Stop Speaking Out | Loose Women

OK, whilst we don't yet know the full reasons why counter -terrorism police are now involved, that's despite all the media and social media speculation, it does raise a lot of questions, doesn't it, Janet?

I think what it does, particularly speaking as a woman who's roughly Anne Whittacombe's age, I think she was about six months or a year younger than me, and I'm pretty known for speaking my opinions.I think now people feel entitled to answer back and act in the most aggressive way.And this is definitely something that's happened with the rise of social media.And whilst I applaud the fact that the House of Commons is going to provide, one hopes, best security for Nigel Farage and for Reform MPs, I also feel that There's a level of reaction now.to what people say, to people who have opinions, that just feels so much more threatening than it felt, you know, when I started working in the media, you know, half a century ago.And over my career, I've written, you know, columns that have annoyed people.

I've edited a newspaper and annoyed people.But I've also encountered some brave people who've had strong opinions and not been shy of holding down positions of power where they were very vulnerable.And I'm speaking now about Mo Mowlam, for example, who was in the Labour government, made Minister for Northern Ireland.And she must...This is before mobile phones, but she must have been under constant threat.Because you knew her, didn't you?

Yes, I knew her very well.She came to my house for dinner.I knew her and her husband.We were friends.And she championed the idea that you could speak your mindwithout fear.

And I think now we should be able to carry on saying exactly what we think.I mean, Anne Widdicombe's death has really, really upset me and disturbed me. I mean, it frankly has disturbed me because here's a woman living alone on the edge of a village and this is...I still can't quite...Believe the sequence of events because no matter how much people Annoy us to have that happen.

Well, we don't know, you know We obviously don't know the reasons why counter -terrorism police are involved in this.

No, we can't speculate as to why it happened We're not but the fact it has happened is for whatever reason.

Yes I think women especially I mean we work on a show that is based on us talking about our opinions and one thing I I always felt was incredible about this show when I started working on it, what, five years ago, was that we can have differing opinions on so many different things, but what an audience sees with us is that We don't fall out.We don't have a go at each other about our opinions.We respect each other's opinions and we still remain friends, which is what it has been historically.

But, I say the word but because sometimes you and I or Colleen and I have had humdingers of rows on the show and then we see on social media or we read in the press, you know, it's ramped up.The way it is described has ramped it to another level for clickbait.So they are describing what is a normal jocular, you know, exchange of views.Colleen and I have, you know, so much in common and also so little in common.So we could rail about anything.But the way that it gets, and we do, but the way that it gets reported sometimes is almost inviting.

people to react in a much stronger way.

When you're on this show, Wherever Cold, is there part of you at the back of the mind that sort of thinks, I'm going to give it my all.But I will hold back on this stuff just in case.

I tell you what, I've been on this show for, what, 26 years or something now, and the difference from 26 years ago of what we would talk about and what you felt comfortable saying is so extraordinarily vast now to how it is today.Today, you do come, you know, in the morning meetings, how many times do we go, this is what I think, but I'm not saying it on telly?Because I realise it's quite dangerous to say on the telly, For many, many reasons, it's difficult to know what you're allowed to say, what you aren't allowed to say.And if you say the slightly... you know, wrong thing, you know, your whole career can be over, you can be cancelled.You've also got the worry of people out there who are going to take it so bad that they would hurt you.I mean, it's a completely different...

It's completely...But I don't want us to be held back by that either, because Ann Widdecombe was a perfect example of free speech, and you should be allowed to say it without your life being in danger.

I mean, that's just ridiculous.And on a larger level, what worries me, we have a tradition in...You know.very British politicians.We have access to our politicians.They're part of the constituency.

They are available.Everyone knows where they live.And when the more things like this happen, it's like, are we going to lose that?Are we going to lose that direct communication with our constituents?

Also, live good MPs, especially female MPs, who would disproportionately have to deal with attacks online about the way they look, threats of sexual assault, all of that stuff, simply for them doing their jobs.Are we going to get into a position where you've got some incredibly talented people, especially women, who could really do vast changes?in this country but they don't want to do it as a result of what could happen and how unsafe they feel.

It's interesting because when I started my career we were always begging for women to step forward, be brave, smash through the glass ceiling.That was a big campaign for so many years.Now women have stepped up and got onto boards and are changing things and running FTSE 100 companies.But those women are placing themselves in such vulnerable positions.I think it's really, really distressing that the two things have happened at the same time.That women are smashing through the glass ceiling.

They are getting there.But at the same time, the threat not just to women in higher positions, but women taking on any responsibility?Yeah.

I mean, you know, if you want to get, obviously, constant updates on what's happening with the Anwadikum case, you can, of course, go to icv .com slash news, where they will have updates on where the police are and the counter -terrorism police are with that investigation.But we're going to move on now.It's an old adage.Women are better at multitasking.