Over the past fifteen years, there have been continual complaints from the political establishment about the lack of female MP's. The Labour Party brought in all-women shortlists for parliamentary seats in 1997 (which were ruled as being illegal until they changed the law) and as shown earlier this month, they have used them in 58 seats at this election.
The Conservatives have used A-Lists deliberately full of female candidates at the exclusion of equally qualified male candidates and also used other gender quota tactics to make it harder for men to compete on equal terms as a women. Cameron even hinted at using all-women shortlists but as his tactics were working anyway he didn't need to bother
This has all been supported by the Government, the Fawcett Society, the Equalities and Human Rights Commission and even resulted in a Speaker's Conference (a rarely used tool such is the supremacy of the anti-male movement) on the subject wanting to put even more barriers up against allowing men to stand for parliament for a main party thereby disenfranchising them from the political process.
But wait a minute, how we can take many female candidates seriously when they pose for these pictures(Conservative and all parties) - Cameron's Cuties, Brown's Babes, and Clegg's clothes horses.
These female candidates cannot have their cake and eat it. They cannot along with their sisters in the Fawcett Society, Women 2 Win, the Equalities Commission et al go around saying women are discriminated against, they are not treated seriously and do not receive the same credibility as male candidates when they pose for pictures like these. Many of these candidates have benefitted from all-women shortlists, A lIsts and gender quotas all demanding equality (except if you are a man) and then pose like Barbie doll's.
Such is the hypocrisy, one can only feel for those men who have been shut out of the political process by Labour and the Conservatives.
Posted by Skimmington
Well I suppose at least in that second photoshoot only 17 candidates decided to play at dress-up.
Also most of them actually use the photoshoots as an excuse to discuss policy which is more acceptable. The only candidates talking about hair/make-up are (rather unsurprisingly) the Labour ones. That too me makes things twice as bad - demeaning yourself by doing the photoshoot AND in the interview too!
Note the quote at the end: "But do they mind if they're voted in just for being attractive and female? 'Not at all!' says one Labour candidate."
That's right - she totally comfortable being elected because of her gender and looks rather than on merit. And of course she'll be the first to cry sexism/discrimination when she gets kicked out when those looks start to fade and people realsise she wasn't up to the job.
Posted by: John kimble | Tuesday, 20 April 2010 at 02:44
I do not know of a man who would vote for a woman simply on the basis of what she looked like. So that must be women voters the 'labor candidate' doesn't mind. What a ludicrous situation. A travesty. But heck, its 'empowered'.
Posted by: amfortas | Tuesday, 20 April 2010 at 08:41