We've had Gordon Brown give his resignation speech outside No 10 accompanied by his wife.
We've had Gordon Brown visit Buckingham Palace to offer his resignation which was accepted. Again he was accompanied by his wife.
David Cameron has been to the Palace to accept an invitation from the Queen to form a new government. He was accompanied by his wife.
During the past six days I have watched the machinations of testosterone fueled discussions on the media. Women appeared to be wheeled out as an after-thought.
In the UK over 50% of the population is female, yet the television coverage could well have been back in the 50s or 60s when no women, not even Prime Minister's wives, were publicly paraded.
Much as I want to see more women having positions of power in Westminster politics, can we stop the fashion of Prime Ministers' and party leaders' wives being part of the power of the UK?
It certainly does not do the cause of equality any good.
We now have another Prime Minister. I hope his wife is not going to be his full-time PR.
I think you can relax on that front Subrosa, after all Mrs. Cameron has her own job, far from the corridors of power and she doesn't show any sign of changing that. At least (unlike Mrs. Brown) she doesn't seem to be siamese twinned to her husband! Mrs. B looked like she was about to climb onto the lectern when her husband resigned....
ReplyDeleteNo disrespect but the last female PM did no favours to women. Harrman and Jaqui Smith are poor examples.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the point however that women need a better profile in politics.
Very few good women are attracted to the job.
On the scottish scene the only one I can think of is Nicola Sturgeon, the labour benches females fill me with dread, come to that so do the males.
I noticed Mrs Cameron stood well to the side when her husband was talking outside No 10 Mave. Good for her. This wife thing has irritated me more and more the past few weeks.
ReplyDeleteI've never considered myself a feminist and have worked in a man's world several times but it is so disappointing to see no women involved in these 'discussions'.
Mind you women have to take some responsibility for it. We allow it.
Thatcher did do something for women KBW. She showed us just how testosterone driven our political system is. She had a very hard time being surrounded by some men who certainly thought women shouldn't be in power.
ReplyDeleteHarman, for me, has been a responsible member of the labour government. She's seldom spoken out of turn and has given a steady performance. I'm talking about her actions not her politics.
What can I say about Ms Smith without laughing?
In all honesty those women should of been left at home in the kitchen..where they belong all this Political stuff which is meant for Men would only hurt their pretty little heads.
ReplyDeleteas what used to be posted up in many pubs in Yorkshire on Sunday(A Yorkshire man tells me)
Pudding burners not wanted here
Oh I do understand Subrosa, I'm not a feminist either (I dread being any sort of '-ist'). I've just always assumed that women are equal and that it is mainly ourselves that hold us back.
ReplyDeleteI have certainly brought up the Chipolatas (my daughters) to believe that they can be whatever they want to be. So far one is a chef -I swear she thrives on the macho atmosphere- and the youngest is doing a civil engineering degree.
Now now Niko, you've the saying wrong. The Yorkshire saying is:
ReplyDeletePudding eaters not wanted here.
It's hard to break into male dominated circles Mave, although these your daughters have chosen are great choices. Catering, due to generations of wonderful 'cooks', had to give in eventually. :)
ReplyDeleteEngineering wanted women but found it hard to attract them. I know many of the engineering courses at Strathclyde have a healthy intake of females these days. Super profession to enter I think. (I'm only jealous!).
But politicians having wives clinging to them doesn't do a thing for me - even though they've possibly had umpteen think tanks telling them differently.
My experiences in male-dominated situations weren't pleasant. Men don't cover resentment well. :)
As a man who has always regarded women as the superior sex, I am not qualified to comment on this post!
ReplyDeleteOR, you're one in a million. I know no other who would acknowledge that without some form of bribery. ;)
ReplyDeleteWhen Thatcher was PM we hardly saw her husband.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure I like the 'wheeling out the wives' when things get awkward etc., and nor do I approve of the all women shortlists to force the electorate to vote women into office.
There are more women going into politics/studying PPE at University, but it does seem to be something boys/men prefer as a subject, which means women move into politics later.
To be honest, if I never see or hear a haranguing female MP's voice again I'll be happy.
And the sooner they get rid of all the female tannoy voices the better, including all the nagging ones at airports, bus stations, railway stations and in lifts.
Do I detect a touch of mocking irony?
ReplyDeleteYou have one of the best blogs in the country
informative
thought provoking
and I dare say influencial,
......yet you do a skit on puir wee wimmin.
You have a wicked sense of humour.
I would like to see more strong women MPs Mrs R. Nicola Sturgeon springs to mind. The SNP possibly have the best balance of male/female talent out of all the parties. I'm not mentioning labour because the talent there is questionable. :)
ReplyDeleteI agree. I think tannoys etc should have deep base voices. It's said piercing women's voices carry better but there's nothing like a rich basso profundo.
Muddypaws, thank you for the compliment but i assure you I'm not influential in the least.
ReplyDeletePuir wee wimmin? Nane o' us ir puir.
Well that's perhaps untrue since I'm sure many of my age group were hit by Brown's raiding of our pensions and the disappearance of the 10 tax band.
Oh there's Nickyboy on the TV. Praising Gordon Brown too. A lesson in insincerity.
Rosie, I'm fed up seeing the bloody wifs as well. Beown even had his weans. They should have been in bed. In Kirkcaldy!
ReplyDeleteThey will be now DL. No more free flights from London to Edinburgh for the Browns though. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm like Oldrightie, not qualified to give an opinion ... except to say that I was a weeny teen when Thatcher was PM and I've always thought she was tough as nails and admirable, but then I was an idealistic little Snarky Basterd and still am, liking my leaders with big balls (as opposed to limp-wristed clowns, like the one I'm stuck with for 2 more years and the one you just got rid of). Obviously my perspective is that of the memory of a 14-year-old boy, but its rooted in Thatcher's famous quote -- "the problem with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people's money" -- and I have to wonder if any politician these days would have the stones to say such a thing now.
ReplyDeleteOver half of the elctorate are female SR so it's in your hands.
ReplyDeleteIt was very creepy of Brown to force his children to share his walk of shame along downing Street
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Zc9uUEmcJ8
Sarah had to be with her husband, when he saw the Queen, to make sure that he did resign.
ReplyDeleteI doubt if anyone has Snarky. We're a pc society now and that wouldn't be pc - not now we've the ConDems in Westminster.
ReplyDeleteIt is in our hands banned but I do think men in politics make it extraordinarily difficult for women to get ahead. They like them in the background.
ReplyDeleteIt was strange wasn't it. Thanks for the link. I'll watch it once I've had some breakfast. :)
There was something unhealthy about her constant presence during his campaign Dad. I do hope Cameron doesn't continue to have his wife hanging on his jacket tails.
ReplyDeleteMavis B and SubR, Why would you want to go all the way back to equality?
ReplyDeleteI agree that the trotting out of the 'dutiful little woman' is nauseating focus group stuuf, but I suspect Sarah is there to operate the remote controls for Gordon? Marvellous ventriloquist.
Here is Rex Harrison posing the question for you SR
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Doz5w2W-jAY
It was a little irony Chuck my title of equality.
ReplyDeleteBut, on a serious note, I really think the relationship of any politician should not be used during their public service work.
Another reason is, if there was a single person standing as leader of a party, would that be held against them? Let's not forget, Brown only got married after pressure because it would 'look better'.
Excellent Brian, I enjoyed that. A long time since I saw that film.
ReplyDeleteThe press wouldn't let Ted Heath away with his relationship staying private now. He wasn't really single. Society is (rightly) afraid of the lone wolf.
ReplyDeleteI still have time for Sally Bercow though, but then she doesn't really support Mr B, she is a Labourite. So is he, probably.
ReplyDeleteThat's true Brian and I'm all for families. I just don't think it appropriate to have any of them wheeled out for PR purposes.
ReplyDeleteTony Blair started this or was it John Major? I can't remember Maggie taking Denis everywhere.
Your taste's in yer erm... mouth Marvo.
ReplyDeleteSeems like he's to be given the elbow and Ming Campbell installed if rumour is to be believed.
Maggie won three landslides because she was authentic- she said "I want to destroy Union power", people believed her and she did it...now lover her or more likely loath her, but you knew what she was about....you couldn't say that about ANYONE who took over from her..
ReplyDeleteMajor's lot where corrupt
Blair was a PR merchant
Brown has a cronic lier
Gods knows what Cleggaroon gives us---the ultimate PR machine? Like when transformers merge together to create the ultimate transformer or something :)
Many who comment on Maggie these days were only toddlers when she was in power. That's life Dean.
ReplyDeleteWe'll have to see what the ConDem lot deliver. Sounds good talk right now...