Has this woman disenfranchised 'half' her electorate for 33 years?
This is the redoubtable and widely admired Gwyneth Dunwoody:
She has been the Labour MP for Crewe and thereabouts since 1974, and is the Mother of the House, as it were. So why am I apparently picking on her? Because of this statement by one Ms (sic) Katy Clark yesterday:
"My right hon. and learned Friend will be well aware that considerable strides have been made on this side of the House in increasing the representation of women in this place. However, unfortunately, large parts of Britain have still never had a woman representing them directly in this place, in a devolved Assembly or at council level".
Following Ms Clark's logic, presumably those Crewe-ites with just one X chromosome have been under-represented for the last 33 years. As to Ms Clark, presumably she regards 2005 as Year Zero for the burghers of North Ayrshire and Arran, and considers that her predecessors in Brian Wilson, John Corrie and the great man that was Fitzroy Maclean would be unworthy to lick her sandals.
And what has she achieved? Well, she 'sometimes rebels', and has signed a lot of EDMs. Still, her seat is #10 on the SNP's target list, so come 2009/10 will doubtless have plenty of time to mull on sexism in Parliament if the SNP victor is male, and plenty of time to deem her life's work done if the victor female.
She has been the Labour MP for Crewe and thereabouts since 1974, and is the Mother of the House, as it were. So why am I apparently picking on her? Because of this statement by one Ms (sic) Katy Clark yesterday:"My right hon. and learned Friend will be well aware that considerable strides have been made on this side of the House in increasing the representation of women in this place. However, unfortunately, large parts of Britain have still never had a woman representing them directly in this place, in a devolved Assembly or at council level".
Following Ms Clark's logic, presumably those Crewe-ites with just one X chromosome have been under-represented for the last 33 years. As to Ms Clark, presumably she regards 2005 as Year Zero for the burghers of North Ayrshire and Arran, and considers that her predecessors in Brian Wilson, John Corrie and the great man that was Fitzroy Maclean would be unworthy to lick her sandals.
And what has she achieved? Well, she 'sometimes rebels', and has signed a lot of EDMs. Still, her seat is #10 on the SNP's target list, so come 2009/10 will doubtless have plenty of time to mull on sexism in Parliament if the SNP victor is male, and plenty of time to deem her life's work done if the victor female.
Labels: Battle of the sexes, Parliament
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