Last night I broke the habit of a lifetime and attended an event at the Carlton Club. It was a fundraising dinner for a female Conservative marginal seat candidate, who's a friend of mine, with William Hague as guest speaker. Why do I say 'break the habit of a lifetime'? Because up to now I've refused to enter the hallowed portals because the Carlton still refuses to admit women as full members. In this day and age it's a disgrace. Their defence is that it's a private club and they can do what they like, and in any case women are allowed in the club as associate members. Big deal. They're right that they can do what they like, but the Carlton is seen as the ancestral home of the Conservative Party, and in my view until it changes its policy Conservatives should have nothing to do with it. So why did I break my self-imposed rule? Simple. I said I would go to the dinner to support my friend before I knew where the dinner was taking place. Yes, I could have pulled out, but it gave me the opportunity to canvass opinion among my fellow diners about the Carlton and every single person agreed with me its policy was fundamentally wrong and they felt profoundly uncomfortable being there. So come on Carlton Club, the least you could do is enter the twentieth century, if not the 21st. You might well lose a few of the more fuddy-duddy people among your membership, but you might then attract a new breed of members who would breathe some life into the Club. I'm now battening down the hatches and preparing for the barage...PS Apologies for no posts yesterday but I was in London all day and couldn't get access to a computer.
Carlton Club commentary - fine.
ReplyDeleteExcuse for no posts - rubbish.
Andrew Neil had you locked in a cupboard until you finally realised what you done and promised to put it right.
I'm quite suprised at you Iain,I thought you would have agreed with me that private clubs can choose who they would like as members.
ReplyDeleteThe days when the likes of the Carlton Club would be associated with the Conservative Party are nearly over and I suspect in time the Carlton will be grateful for any members of whatever gender.
Perhaps you’d feel more comfortable in the National Liberal Club?
ReplyDeleteI have to declare an interest; I am a member of the Carlton.
ReplyDeleteI feel that a private members’ club has the right to have whatever admissions policy they like, even if I don’t like it. I do not feel that it is appropriate to demand that they change, I am not allowed to join the Women’s Institute or Women 2 Win and that is fine by me.
I feel that the deal that the Carlton has struck a good balance. Associate members can use all of the facilities except for one dining room and one bar, and cannot vote at the AGM (big deal), in return the wives of members automatically become associate members. My wife is therefore able to use the club independently of me, for free.
This means that there are plenty of ladies, over a range of ages, who regularly use the club. The Carlton is much more feminine than many of the other London Clubs that I know (I was a junior manager in “Clubland” a number of years ago).
I haven’t had the guts to ask if male civil partners of full members get the free use of the club too. I imagine a Batemanesque scene would result.
Dear James,
ReplyDeleteJust to let you know, Women2Win welcomes you with open arms. The whole point about Women2Win is that it is a group of men and women who realise that the party has to change to be more like modern Britain. More importantly, that change will bring us huge benefits to the way we look, the way we think, and at the ballot box.
Please feel to log on to our website www.women2win.com and show your support.
I stand corrected on Women 2 Win, I should have looked into it a bit more deeply.
ReplyDeleteJames.
P.S. If you could sort me out with membership of the WI I would be very impressed.
The last vote on whether to admit women as full members was overwhelmingly support in full membership BUT the required turnout for the vote wasn't met and therefore the rules couldn't be changed.
ReplyDeleteJust because all institutions don't wish or seek to dispose of tradition or protocol doesn't mean they are bigoted in any way.
Furthermore, all the ladies I know who attend the club (admittedly mostly young or students) are quite pleased to have a 50% discount for not being allowed into one room!
Can women (like Carrie Ruxton in Northavon in 2001) who have lost vote share join Wimmin2Win?
ReplyDeleteOur candidate in the Dunfermline by-election has been linked to a slimming scandal in the Mail on Sunday.
It took me a while to figure out exactly why the Carlton club's policy unsettled me as I also believe that private clubs should choose who they want as members.
ReplyDeleteNow I know.
I think it is bad practice to pick members based on criteria determined from birth and which they cannot and will never be able to help, e.g. gender, race, height, sexuality, etc. (perhaps I'm biased being a short, black woman!).
Determining entry by age, citizenship, place of residence, political leannings, taste, etc is perfectly acceptable as these are things that are due to the individual's own choices or which may change with time.