The issue of women candidates has proved a pretty divisive one in recent months, but I have just heard about one development that should meet with universal support from all quarters of the Tory Party. My good friend Lorraine Fullbrook (whose fundraiser persuaded me to drop my boycott of the Carlton Club back in January for one night only!) has this week agreed to take on the role as Executive Director of Women 2 Win on a three day a week basis. This is the organisation set up by Anne Jenkin and Theresa May to help address the lack of women Tory MPs.Lorraine is a powerful advocate of women getting seats on ability but with the proper training and support. She is in the perfect position having been fast tracked in the key Lancashire marginal seat of South Ribble in October last year. She is already showing just how effective a feisty and determined candidate can be when given the chance, something that her campaign again Police mergers in Lancashire highlighted. I know from conversations I have had with her in the past that having given up a full time job to nurse her seat she is fully aware of the problems faced by many would be candidates. She became Leader of her Council just a year and two days after becoming a councillor and has serious business experience, and what is more she is based in Lancashire rather than London. This really is an inspired appointment.
There are many changes going on at the moment that relate to who will be standing for the Conservative Party at the General Election. This, at least, is one I can wholeheartedly endorse.
43 comments:
This business of trying to put women into Parliament is not voter led. Voters don't care about the sex or colour of the people who represent them. They just want them to be like-minded and effective. The ridiculous amount of effort into forcing something on the electorate that they never asked for and don't give a stuff about is effort that could be more usefully employed elsewhere.
David Cameron is fiddling while Rome burns.
The origin of the phrase rule of thumb is that it was unlawful to beat your wife with an instrument wider than your thumb. I feel a strange wistful yearning when I conjure this simple world and fear we have lost much in our helter skelter drive for progress.
Just kidding
Paul Newman
( and I still can`t work this site properly)
Mrs Pedant is well known locally in politics and has a very important portfolio on our local (very large) council. She has also stood (and failed to gain the seat)for Parliament. She is good at what she does, but she tells me it is very hard for a woman in politics. As she says, you need to be very tough. All I can say is she works like a trojan (is this word ok?). She is also violently against any "slewing" of the selection processes for or against either sex.
Verity ,
I find I agree with just about everything you say . A dip into the `My Space` world of Boris Johnson would suggest that the last thing women in particular want is women MP`s. They write poetry about him for goodness sake.
It confuses me . I have met Boris and he is amiable chubby little chap much like a reflection of his publicity photos in a spoon .
In the real world politically motivated women of my aquaintance would almsoy universally feel patronised by special treatment of any sort . This is `Quota` policy and always divisive.
PAUL NEWMAN
( one day I will work out how to open an account but it will not accept anyhthing honestly I `m not a cretin and use computers all day )
`Not voter lead`
But in a sense it is . this part of a process that is best understood in terms of rebranding and operates bemneath the concious level
I see these as side issues to ordinary voters. Wgat we want to know is what are the key policies.
Note about windmills and recycling.
Johnny Norfolk. You are right up to a point, BUT you must remember that volunters are still vital for all parties. I sometimes wonder if the Notting Hill set realise this. All these special rules, quotas etc. are a real turn off to the people who go out delivering on wet, foggy nights, and those people DO matter.
Yes indeed, women do feel patronised by this. And affirmative action/quotas are always causes of great resentment.
What is especially crazy is NO ONE HAS ASKED FOR IT! This is a bunch of silly men in Central Office projecting what they think women want. You'd think after 2m years, men would have given up trying to figure out what women want. (Hint: When we want something, we'll let you know soon enough.)
How about a campaign to make NuLab have an all-wimmin shortlist for Party Leader ?
I understand there may be a vacancy some time in the next ... 3 years.
"Lorraine is a powerful advocate of women getting seats on ability but with proper training and support." What can be wrong with this objective. What is the objection for heavens sake in providing some guidance to some candidates who are made of the right stuff. However capable some are an ounce of good advice is what often tips the scales. Noone is forcing something onto the electorate. The objective is present outstanding candidates and good luck Lorraine in making this possible. And well done David Cameron in providing leadership and direction in opening doors which in many cases have been jammed by prejudice.
I say, real men need to start a 'men to win campaign' ! You need to beat these upstarts.
This appointment like this "A" LIST business gets my goat.I think that you Iain are wrong in your views in this instance-- too politically correct.
This woman was fast tracked into a seat to give longevity in nursing it and ultimately winning it,and certainly not to spend 3 days a week on a politically correct other job of work.I wonder what her Constituency Officers are saying about the matter and what they would have done on selection if they had known.
I have said it all along "A" listers are going to have a harder time than more successful LOCAL Candidates.
"What is the objection for heavens sake in providing some guidance to some candidates who are made of the right stuff."
But they're not made of the right stuff. They need help.
Some of the most vociferous opponents of women's suffrage were women themselves. I suppose a great number of people did not "give a stuff" about giving the vote to women either. Opponents of these tiny measures to help women candidates will look one day as hopelessly old fashioned as those Edwardian politicians in their stuffy high collars who got the whipping they deserved.
"But they're not made of the right stuff. They need help."
Being an effective MP requires a keen intellect. Sadly, people can't be helped with that.
It's a bit sad that someone who lacks one should be fast-tracked.
I agee with anon,@ 7.03.
The work of a PPC is full time if you are to be serious in winning.
It appears to me that only local candidates,in general,are offering the most serious commitment.I can see that we will not win a workable majority at this rate and the hung Parliament is more a likely scenario.
Where is the Men 2 Win organisation?
Do all men not need help but all women do?
This whole thing is simply sexist as it is at least 4 times harder for a man to get on the A List than it is for a woman.
It's no fault of those men who are excluded who had no choice in the way they were born.
This sexism is terrible and shame on you Iain for supporting it.
Oh please! It seems the Tory Taleban is out in force again. Lorraine is a good example of why we need more normal, women candidates. The North West is better off for having Lorraine.
anonymous 10:25 - Agreed. I wouldn't say "shame on Iain for supporting it" because he clearly thinks he is doing the fair thing. But he is not. It's not fair to competent men, who aren't going to get a fair go because 50 per cent of the places are being held for women whether they're competent or not.
This is equally unfair to the voters.
Margaret Thatcher, Edwina Currie, Margaret Beckham, Clare Short, Anne Widdecome, Wossname Bottomley, Diane Abbott all won elections because they were highly motivated - they hungered to win - and figured out what they had to do to beat their rivals. And once they'd made it into Parliament, they joined the fray with no dainty holding aside of skirts.
"Lessons in winning elections for girls" just isn't it. It's awful.
The voters didn't ask for it. It came out of some meeting between Dave and his advisors on "what can we do to make ourselves more popular with women? I know! More women candidates because women must be feeling irritated that we don't have enough!" This is beyond stupid - but there, I've just summed up Dave in four words.
Women are 50% of the human race. We want to be represented by someone strong, someone who thinks like us and, hopefully, someone who's well-connected and might pull in a favour for us. The last thing I care about is if it's a man or a woman. Black or white or Indian or Chinese. Just be on my side and speak up frequently in Parliament.
Imposing quotas on local Conservative Parties is unjust and is not my idea of democracy. But then, I don't think Dave has the faintest idea of what democracy is all about. Not the foggiest concept.
Another thing they've missed, Iain, and it is very insulting and condescending that they have done so, is, women who go in for politics are naturally combative. So are the men. This is what they're in politics for. A fight.
And to get up the ladder. And to get influence and power and, yes, self-aggrandisement. This is what attracts people to the game. Not classes for the girls. The ones who are motivated to be in politics are already in your face and planning to assassinate you.
The others, you don't want.
Verity. I was recently `discussing `…ahem.. with the leader of our Association various activities of mine that she felt were to publicly disloyal . It was , in fact a letter in the local papers criticising the shadow cabinets performance and .. ..so on . She nonetheless confided that she found current central office interference in candidate selection unacceptable . I replied that if the local Associations were going to be as unrepresentative of Conservative Voters and potential conservative voters then I saw little option. Local Associations are not universally havens of sweet reasons they can be silly out of touch and unattractive for a swathe of semiotic reasons difficult to articulate quickly . Would you accept that central control of some sorts was essentila fio these reasons .
Additionally I `m not sure you have entirely understood the reasons behind the `female quota` and other efforts to actively irritate certain sections of the party . I feel it is driven by quite subtle marketing strategies to do with brand placement that are quite outside traditional debate. Anti Marketing .If I would defend David Cameron at all , and it would be pretty much for his expedience in my case , it would be that his has dragged the Conservative Party 20 years forward in the appreciation of image appearance and sub text. (Clearly he learnt this from New Labour ).I am unable to decide whether I admire his determination to win or deplore the methods
He is seeking to appeal not only directly to the electorate but chiefly subliminally to the electorate .The realisation that traditional discourse itself has been by passed is part of a wider development that gives this activist a queasy feeling that David Cameron is a barbarian beneath the smooth exterior .
Now there s a new insult and ..
Or is that just pretentious twaddle
paul newman, yes, we all got it, thank you. It wasn't particularly sutble.
The bright, motivated people should rise to the top. It does not matter what sex they are. If they appeal to the electorate and can convince the electorate to vote for them, this is what we call getting voted in. Coaching women to beat able men will chase able men away, and also clever women. Can you imagine trying to coach Edwina Currie?
Winners are winners because they have a hunger to win, not because they have a hunger to be coached.
steven - i - Where do you buy testosterone - or in your case, capitalised to Testosterone?
Did Elizabeth the First know where to buy it? Surely she was one of the bravest women ever? How about Isobel of Portugal?
Do you think you may be ridiculous in your over-excitable way? Have you never encountered an aggressive woman in your life - say in a supermarket parking lot? Do you think she had been to the testosterone shop, or do you think she was just naturally aggressive? How about your mother or your sisters? Everyone passive in your family, were they?
Verity - for goodness sake! Change the record!
You are actually completely wrong. For right or wrong, people do care about the sex and colour of the people who represent them. It might not be the 'biggest' factor they care about, but to say 'they don;t care' is simply not true - and I would like to know how you have come to this conclusion. What research have you done on this subject?
Sometimes, bias works in favour of women/black candidates, and sometimes against. But this idea that the whole electorate are colour/sex/sexuality blind is just not empiracally justifiable.
I know from my time as both a student of politics (I did a whole year studying electoral issues in the UK) and as someone who sat on selection committess that tailoring a candidate to the needs of a constituency can be an effective thing to do. Many would-be Tory voters (especially women) are turned off by Tory men. If we were to present them with credible Tory women to support, they would turn out and vote rather than stay at home.
The idea that they all adopt your emotionally dead approach to life is bollocks frankly!
Also, God bless Anne Jenkin. I knew her well (once) from when I used to live in Colchester. Her husband is MP for North Essex. She is as bright and sharp and intelligent (and not to say rather sexy) as they come. Sadly, she was denied a career in politics because she (according to herself at least) gets a little flustered by public speaking. Other than that, she would have made one of the most formidable political women in politics, and I think politics is poorer for the lack of women like her. She is brainy as hell!
Incidently, her husband, Bernard (the housewife's choice, as he was once nicknamed), is the subject for Richard Curtis' obsession with nerdy and geeky charactors called 'Bernard'.
The reason being - Anne Jenkin used to be an item with Richard Curtis. But she met Bernard and dumped Richard for him. Now Richard spends his life seeking revenge by giving the name 'bernard' to all the sado charactors in his films. He is clearly still heartbroken!
Rather runfairly really, as Bernard is quite an all-right bloke and doesn't at all resemble the Bernards in 4 weddngs et al!
A man in the Tory party needs to get 10 out of 10 to succeed.
A women needs 12 out of 10 to succeed.
And, when she gets 12 out of 10, she still doesn't get the job because she is told 'you are too good'.
The point is this. How can you be sure that you have got the best person for the job when half the population are effectively excluded from the selection the process.
This isn't about 'pushing women forward', it's about removing unfair barriers!
If this was economics, we would be saying 'remove subsidies and make sure there are no barriers to entrance into the market place'.
But because it is women in politics, we are accussed of being PC.
Crap.
Advocates of more women in politics just want fairness for 50% of the population!
Jesus H Christ - this blog is really winding me up. Where are the central office press officers when you need them.
Can we please just get our bloody facts straight.
1. No-one is fast-tracking women just because they are women! My understanding is they are seeking out women who would make ideal candidates, who have relevanty experience and skills base, but who would normally NOT consider a career in politics because of the perception that politics is domninated by white middle class men!
2. All that applies to suitable women also applies to suitable men, but it's just that women are fewer in numbers, so when you find one, make the most of her!
3. The Tory party has a shocking history of being unmeritocratic. Often associations would select people (i.e. men) purely on the basis of them 'seeming a damn fine chap', or 'I knew his father at Harrow you know'.... Ability had sod all to do with it then, so the current calls for selection processes to be on the ground that 'we don't want to select on anything other than ability' appear somewhat hollow! We have never selected on ability before, but now we are bing forced too (thank God). This can only be a good thing.
As I said earlier, how can you be sure you have the best candidate when 50% of the population are effectively excluded from the process due to latent sexism!
Mr Newman. If the cap fits......
Ian,
Verity is not the Tory Taleban - don't attribute her views to us! She is a declared BNP supporter. Bear that in mind when reading her rants.
the sad thing is that Rehman Chisti has made the A-list.I mean what the fuck!
So they're holding back seats for women----that's what it amounts to--- and then we get stuffed with absolute turncoats like him using up precious spaces on the male list..I'll hold back on some of the people who made the original a-list,who got on there on the back of their sex/ethnicity (it only needs a couple of real spanners to demean it for everyone).But how can they line up that bloke for a seat of any sort.
Needless to say,I will be abstaining at the next election.
Would basher be pulling these stunts?
'David Cameron is fiddling while Rome burns' - Verity.
David Cameron is making the Conservative Party electable - the polls.(whilst Verity foams at the mouth).
Verity try engaging your brain before you mouth off. You have not thought through the issue. Cut down on slogans and calm yourself.
Adrian Yelland - They are holding back 50% of places for women. That's not prejudice?
You write that they are seeking women: "who have relevanty experience and skills base, but who would normally NOT consider a career in politics because of the perception that politics is domninated by white middle class men!"
If they're not prepared to bash their way in anyway, they're not worthy to be politicians. They don't have the right stuff. And stuffing the party with second raters who don't have the iron will to win at any cost does politics no favours. Politics is an aggressive trade. If they're not aggressive enough, they don't belong. I think this is a toxic idea and David Cameron is a toxic person.
anonymong 8:14 a.m. Who wrote your post for you, given your inability to read? Where have I ever voiced support or allegiance to the BNP?
What I have said is: I have voted Tory all my life. I will not vote Tory with Dave and his absurd twiddley pom-pom policies and his Brazilian chest wax. I find him absurd and revolting at the same time.
I will never vote for the socialists. I will also not waste my vote by abstaining. Therefore, this time round, I will vote for UKIP or the BNP - whichever one is running in my constituency. I don't give a crap which one it is, as long as it is a vote that doesn't go to Cameron.
Do not have the impertinence to say that I am a declared BNPsupporter. I am not a lefty. I have a suspicion that you do not understand this, given the naiveté of your post, but the BNP is not a far right party. It is far left.
Calm down Adrian. Let's face it, at the moment a woman who is a party member with ambition probably has a much better chance of getting on then a man of similar ambition and higher ability. Despite Maude/Maples/Cameron's activities in this sphere female candidate ratio should not the be-all and end-all.
Adrian Yalland
I certainly agree that Conservative Associations are the opposite of meritocracies mine for example somewhat underestimates my own manifold qualities.
I am struggling to see by what meritocratic process congenital idiot Adam Ricketts arrived on the A list though and as I have previously said I believe the entire exercise
swims in a cultural sea where image is holding policies head under .( ..and I mixed that metaphor earlier in the show folks)
There is a problem with social exclusions of all sorts however and some of what you say is a bit … right .despite the fact you studied politics ..and therefore have no education.
Verity , … what blow are you really a BNP supporter. I liked you and agreed with you but this is not acceptable . I understand some of the reasons why the working classes feel betrayed ( and housing is the crucial issue ) but on the other hand which scrounger gets to live at the taxpayers is a matter of relative indifference to me . I hope you see that I say what I like to who I like so it s not PC thing . I also appreciate that most of the people who advocate increased multiculturalism will not be sending their children to the schools local to me where 8 languages are somehow coped with . No it will be the Dianne Abbot ecole de la Hypocrite.. We have a Liberal Council and this is factually true
BUT BUT BUT the BNP is a vile organisation that undercuts the Conservative case for retaining our culture by its vicious barbaric tribalism. I have admired greatly everything you have posted and I really hope this ugly rumour is not true .
Please issue an immediate denial
Paul Newman - See my post above yours but one. Some little over-eager toxic anonymous fantasist misread a post I wrote.
I have voted Tory all my life.
However: I will not vote Tory as long as the destructive, foolish Dave is the leader of the party.
At the same time, I would gnaw off my own leg before I'd vote for the socialists. Therefore, I will vote for whichever fringe party is on the ballot in my constituency, as an anti-Tory vote. I am not going to waste my vote by abstaining.
I have explained this candidly before. (As, in fact, have several other posters. In fact, there's quite an army of Tory voters who will be making a protest vote this time.) But little anonymong, in his haste to disapprove, didn't understand and came whizzing in with his hair on fire.
The reason I have issued this explanation is not that people don't approve of the BNP or UKIP or whatever, but because stupid little people like the little anonymong are so eager to comment, they don't bother to read the post they are commenting on.
VERITY- So you`re saying your a commited BNP supporter basically ?.........
Paulnewman. No she's not Can't you either read or understand what she's written. You may not agree with what she proposes to do but it's very straightforward, really.
Pedant .
Is it really possible to interpret my remark other than ironically ?Read Verities post again , it was a joke .
Anyway Verity I am desperate to forgive you . Can’t you even admit there is a profound difference between UKIP whose meetings I have on occasion attended out of interest and the BNP who I would emigrate to avoid. You say these are fringe groups as if it were the same thing . One is a right of centre party with legitimate aims and a respectable position, the other is a National Socialist hate mongering gang of thugs .
This is an important distinction to me and to anyone who wishes to be taken seriously . You are on a precipice and need to be talked calmly down back into the warm embrace of the Conservative party where you will find many , like me , very much in sympathy with you .
XXXX
( You know how we right wing Tories love a strong woman which rather takes us back to the redundancy of fast tracking women)
Verity, so you are saying that because the Tory party is not sufficiently right-wing enough for you, you are going to vote for either (a) a bunch of self-defeating egotists who lack a common brain cell between them, or (b)a bunch of neo-fachists who despise democracy and hate people simply because they are black!
I am afraid you somtimes destroy your cedibiity by your insane rants and ridiculous comments.
Verity - sorry, but you say the BNP are a far left party (and I agree with you and Norman Tebbitt on this), but then you say you'd never vote left as long as you hadn't chewed your leg off.
So, if I understand you correctly:
1. You'd never vote for a 'left' party
2. But you would vote for a 'far left' party as a protest against a right-wing party that isn't right wing enough!
But surely that is double speak and contradictory?
Voting BNP actually undermines And could easily destroy) Conservatism and makes the case for the traditional conservatism you are so passionate about a lot less attractive. Also you offering succor to a vile, dispicable organisation which encapsulate the very worst of modern British (English???) culture.
So, not only are you talking patent rubbish, but you are also playing with fire and cutting of your own political nose to spote your face.
I hate to appear so rude, but please do consider growing up a bit!
Adrian Yalland
I half agree with you again on the is verity a fascist question. I previously said
. BUT BUT BUT the BNP is a vile organisation that undercuts the Conservative case for retaining our culture by its vicious barbaric tribalism. I have admired greatly everything you have posted and I really hope this ugly rumour is not true .
I can`t let you get away with lumping UKIP with the BNP( as ironically verity seems to ). Were you actually to debate with some of the sympathisers and members in the open you would be treading a vast deal more carefully with your accusations. You may disagree with these people but dont be so absurdly arrogant and accept that there is a difference between a a disagreement and a moral imperitive.
At a Bruges Group Meeting I listened to Norman Tebbit and Christopher Booker giving speeches that utterly put to shame the sort of weightless waffle emanating from Tony or the new Toned up Conservative Party although I am personally ambivalent.
Had you seen the calm good humour with which Norman Tebbit explained his position to an uninvited and threatening young Islamic Fascist (with his personal history of loss ) you would see the difference very clearly indeed.
And while we are at it why don`t you try to answer this question. What exactly are those who use the state school systeme supposed to think when cultural tolerance has wrecked the local school and the very people who sold multiculturalism habitually buy their children out of it in into all white schools. Dianne Abbot is only one of numerous others near me ?An honest debate would be a great help in this problem
Paulnewman.
I agree with your comments about Dianne Abbott. Although I think she is actually quite charming, I do think it is rank hypocrisy for those who force multiculturalism down or throats (and then tell us we are prot-nazi's for objecting) to then use their own economic power to buy their own liks out of the consequences of their own advice/policies.
I also agree with Normal Tebbitt (and Trevor Philips) that multiculturalism is failing. I think that we have allowed generations of racial minorities to become isoltaed, disenfranchised and dissolousioned. But that doesn't make me racist, or want to be one. I want to see virbant and well integrated minority communities and individuals.
The answer is not ever more pandering to those who want to turn us into UKaniastan, but taking a carrot and stick approach to integration. Afterall, there are so many good examples of people who remain true to their history and culture, but also are perfectly able to contribute/mix/be part of UK culture.
We need to stand up though and say that we have failed immigrant communities by allowing them to think they could come here and continue to live as they did in their place of origin. We have failed immigrant communities and consigned a whole generation of UK born non-Europeans to the dustbin because we allowed PC twoddle to triumph over common sense. As a result we have whole towns full of yooung Asain/Black kids whose education is poor )because they don;t speak English as a first language), and who are simply not part of proserous society. Their answer, either become criminals, extremists, chippy, or stay in the low-pay sector, never reaching their full potential.
We need to encourage them to improve themselves. Most Asians areactually dead fine people - and work really hard, but some of the culture just is not acceptabel in modern Britain (honour killings, female genital mutilation and forced marriages etc), and we need to chalenge these cultural norms. But we need to offer them something better at the same time.
Sadly, the failure of multiculturalism just fuels the nazis and faschicsts in the BNP.
Verity does nothing to assist in resolving the problem everytime she has a rant and threatens to 'go nazi' in protest!
It is just benile.
Adrian Yelland, I will respond to you because you are always courteous, even when you are wrong headed.
The BNP is not right wing, of course. The BNP is about as far to the loony left as it is possible to get and still cling onto the outer edges of planet Earth. You are correct. But they don't stand an ice-cream cone's chance in hell of forming a government.
I will vote for them or UKIP, whichever is running in my constituency. I am not going to waste my vote by abstaining. I have a vote and it will be tallied.
No one in their right mind votes for Labour, and frankly, the Conservatives under Dave have failed to win my X at the ballot box at this point.
But this doesn't mean I'm going to scrap my vote. I'm going to use it as a weapon, as are hundreds of thousands - perhaps millions - of others.
To the toxic Paul Newman, you imply that I am a fascist one more time and I will complain to our amiable host about your intemperate language.
I have never complained about anyone on a blog before, because I figure that everyone should be able to roll with the punches or go home, but I will not tolerate slander, written without base, and comments on my background, about which you know precisely nothing, from an individual such as yourself. The sheer impertinence of discussing “whether Verity is a nazi” on a blog such as this beggars belief.
This blog has a certain level of behaviour which the regulars find congenial. You persist in posting your coarse manners on this site and I will not be revisiting.
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