Women can’t win

Can you imagine the fuss if there would be if every time the Shadow Cabinet discussed a policy, every single time, Harriet Harman, Yvette Cooper and Caroline Flint tried to start a discussion about its impact on women? They would be accused of time wasting at best. That lovely old nickname would come out in the press as the leaks inevitably occurred.

So you’d think the Labour dinosaurs would be happier about a separate meeting of the Female members of the Shadow Cabinet to discuss David Cameron’s women troubles and how to capitalise on them. Reading the actual facts (which are careful hidden between the bigotry) in this Mail article it seems this group have met twice so far this year – once in Summer and once in the Autumn. Seems to me a quarterly meeting to discuss the impact on women of the Coalition’s policies and how to translate this into political campaigning and capital is an eminently sensible idea.

But no, some Labour men are up in arms. Luke Bozier described the move on Twitter as “ridiculous and divisive”. Bleating on as so many of them are apt to do any time Labour moves towards positive equality.

Sadly, they don’t seem to have any problem with the phrase quoted in the article from someone with access to to Shadow Cabinet meetings who actually described this move as “a load of politically correct, feminist claptrap”. So this is either a Shadow Cabinet member or a senior Party official using the term “feminist” as a stand alone derogatory. But of course its the idea that – in a world where that is accepted without comment – women might feel more comfortable exploring some ideas without the presence of such men that is divisive.

Please imagine for a moment how it feels to have a colleague describe the movement for the advancement of your equality in what remains a vastly unequal world described in such terms? My heart has sunk and my blood is boiling. Imagine the phrase used instead were “a load of politically correct, anti-racist claptrap”. There would – quite rightly – be outrage. But no, the only outrage this morning is at the fact that some women don’t feel it would be helpful to discuss the best way to campaign and govern for women in such an environment.

If this group works, what it will do is come up with areas of policy and messaging that will ultimately appeal to women. This will ultimately help to advance the cause of all Labour politicians, even the dinosaur quoted in that disgusting piece. Which is a shame, but one I’ll live with if it means better and more robust policies on the day to day issues that affect women. But if I ever find out who he is, give him five minutes alone with this feminist. I’ll show him what happened when I trap his clappers.