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Equality doesn’t happen by accident

November 23, 2011 11:12 am

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Sarah Hayward

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At last night’s GC we had a contested election for our vice chair campaigns (I know, but stay with me). Two bright, able and keen women stood for the position that had become vacant following a by-election win for the previous incumbent back in September.It’s significant because the previous month for various reasons only a man had stood, potentially upsetting the gender balance of our EC. An argument was made that women do well in our GC and locally. They’re right too. 14 of our 30 councillors are women and half our Cabinet are too. The previous incumbent was a woman who succeeded me as the post holder. So why bother?

Dogged on this issue I stuck with the fight – which wasn’t universally popular – and ensured that the party took it’s responsibility to equality seriously.

The point of recounting this is not to criticise my local comrades. There is a legitimate view that in our local area people come through the party from a variety of different backgrounds and are successful. And that can be demonstrated by the people who hold positions in the party and on the council.

But I firmly believe that complacency is an enemy of equality. When there were no all women shortlists in 2001 the number of women MPs fell. Women and ethnic minorities are less likely to be elected as both councillors and MPs. Bringing people through the party’s structure will help develop more viable candidates.

If we as a local area are good at this, we should take more responsibility and we can’t rest on our laurels – as the 2001 parliamentary experience demonstrates. It also shows with a bit of extra effort, asking around, and encouragement people will come forward – and that’s the point. Achieving proper representation at a local and national level doesn’t happen by accident we have to work at it and we have to take responsibility for delivering it. All of us.

When we stop working at it, representation of marginalised and underrepresented groups falls back. We as a party have rules to help us achieve this equality. Which is why it’s really disappoiting that we won’t be using all women shortlists where an MP stands down at the next election until all the incumbency issues are resolved. The focus on that fight at the moment should be on making appropriate representations to the boundary commission.

But as you start getting representations to vote in the NEC elections, ask the candidates what they are going to do to ensure that the procedures for selection for the 2015 general eleciton don’t set us back on women’s equality. Because at the moment they do. Which given we’re the only party that’s ever taken this seriously means we’re not just setting the party backwards, we’re setting the country backwards.

Anonymous
How many disabled people are in your group, if it’s anything like my lot it’s zero, reason they meet upstairs.

http://twitter.com/Sarah_Hayward Sarah Hayward
Hi Treborc we’re very poor as a party on disability. Although we do have one member who has hearing loss and another who has a mild limb disability. We are very careful to ensure that meetings are accessible.

http://twitter.com/anniesec Anne Baldwin
Hear hear Sarah. All too often objection to positive action comes about because folks feel it is being imposed from on high. But it will only NOT feel imposed from on high if we embrace equality as a fundamental goal of our whole movement that we are prepared to implement at a local level.
http://twitter.com/duncanqbruce Duncan Bruce
I agree with you on All Women Shortlists, you can see they work from some of the excellent female MPs we have in Parliament, however there is a but. We do have a fundamental problem that if we are going to pursue positive discrimination as a tool we must be open about the process. Many members continue to ask me how AWSs are selected and the answer is we don’t know, the earliest a Party Chair or Secretary can have a voice in the process is when they receive a letter from the Regional Director informing them of the decision with no details of what factors were taken into account to make the decision. We also have this problem with Local Government selections, members see the decisions being taken ‘on high’ and don’t understand what the process was.
A problem which has begun to appear more strongly this year with the influx of new members is the concern that the party seems hell bent on its focus of 50% Women and is not doing enough to make sure young people, ethnic minorities, the LGBT community and the disabled are properly represented on both a national and local level.

Anonymous
Yep it is something activist have argued about , being I’m still class as a grass roots labour activist through my Union membership I have to write to my MP all the time about the NHS, about the WCA and disability. Equality goes much further then just men and women it has to pick up the rest of this nation, especially Muslim women…..

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http://twitter.com/Sarah_Hayward Sarah Hayward
PS I meant the party generally not specifically Camden – although we could do better.
Anonymous
But you also have to ensure that women only list do not end up with the famous parachute, we put forward three women on our short list and all were rejected. We did end up with a women one given to use by the leadership.
Anonymous
Excellent title and piece Sarah.
I’m not at all familar with the processes of local government,
so couldn’t comment on specifics.
(What’s the GC and EC- sorry!)
But on principle, I’m completely in favour of all women shortlists,
and any other measures to increase representation and access.
It has nothing to do with being PC as some would say;
it’s about finding practical ways to balance gender
and reflect the rest of the population in all walks of life!
It sounds like you are doing some really important work
and making waves Sarah; I’ve got great respect and admiration for that.
Thankyou, Jo.
Anonymous
All women shortlists – excellent idea, ask Harriot Harmon’s hubby.
But if Labour is so set on AWS how about other equality measures . . . like all black shortlists, all gay shortlists, all disabled shortlists etc. Just no all competently able shortlists, that would be a pc step too far.
PS: How about all men shortlists?

Anonymous
LordElpus,
Women comprise about 52% of the population,
yet what percentage in parliament and local government/
institutions?
It just seems like basic common sense to find ways to
balance out the equation, when supposedly representing people
and acting on their behalf.
Also, family friendly policies that benefit all.
Cheers, Jo.

Anonymous
Because 52% of the population are women does not mean that 52% of the posts in parliament and local government/institutions should be allocated to women to balance out the equation?
If that be the Labour way then I would expect all other groups to be represented according to their population percentage.

Anonymous
It should surely reflect roughly a balance of the population,
as a public institution?
I did read some time back that in other countries shortlisting is the norm, because one of the only ways that works effectively.
I do feel very strongly in the 21st century that equality in the workplace
should just be part of normal life, not the exception.
That could also apply to men entering female orientated professions,
such as primary school teaching.
See too the Fawcett Society site for excellent info and background/
campaigns etc if interested.
I agree with you about greater access for all, where there is under representation.
Jo

http://twitter.com/Newsbot9 Newsbot9
Parliament is not elected under PR. Trying to make lists of candidates balanced as if we DID have PR, and losing seats because of “parachuted” candidates…

Daniel Speight
When we stop working at it, representation of marginalised and underrepresented groups falls back.
I’m reluctant to quote from John Reid but he did make good points on the major under-representation of working class people in party leadership positions last week. As he said this includes women, blacks, Asians and other minorities from the working class. (Women being a minority in the party possibly, if not in the population as a whole.)
To me it seems that the AWS is used to promote middle class women – in fact clones of Harman in many ways. I have to also admit that the normal short listing does the same with men producing clones as mediocre as their sponsors.
So if we are going to have positive discrimination let’s have some points earned for being from the working class and points lost for Oxbridge PPE courses. (It seems the Tories already have some form of positive discrimination by only having millionaires in the cabinet, which is quite right for a party that represents the establishment.)

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