Brighton Short Breaks recognises Brighton and Hove manifesting its claim as the most Right On in the United Kingdomthis week with the occurance that it is the first a parliamentary election has considered an all-female listing of nominees.
20 years after Mrs Thatcher broke political territory by being elected the first ever female Prime Minister the charge that the lobbies of Westminster are still a male dominated territory ring just as clamorously as ever! So, Brighton and Hove’s full female short list of Parliamentary candidates gives some boost to a future future exchange of base in the gender equalizer in the political power world.
Being quoted in The Argus , Fawcett Society chief executive Ceri Goddard said: “If all the candidates are women that is cause for celebration but also concern that it has taken until 2009, whereas all-male elections are still the norm.
“The voters if Brighton can be pleased that whom ever they elect they will be a step closer to closing the gender gap in parliament where currently less than 20% of our MP’s are women – less than Iraq, Afghanistan and Rwanda.”
‘Less than Iraq, Afghanistan and Rwanda……… ‘ – personally that peculiar assertion left me slightly disconcerted about the state of our governmental arena and interested as to the causes for male mastery above and beyond the foregone antecedency that men should have it totally their own way – and its a whole Pandoras box of discussion that is nicest left for a different place .
But my intention here today is as – as always – to fly the flag for Brighton and Hove and present how fresh intending and politically conscious our town is, and having a ratio of men to women in parliament more true of the population, is in my belief, a stride in the right direction!