women's equality party launched today

[overthemill]

What does MN think? I watched the launch event and was reasonably impressed although it does sound a bit familiar ( not surprisingly). Will if make an impact?

Couldn't find another thread on this so apologies if I'm repeating

[Isitmebut]

An interesting article here, it is bound to get support, early days methinks.


"Women's Equality Party": Ukip for women? Maybe that's not such a bad thing after all

Today, the Women's Equality Party revealed practical measures aimed at tackling gender equality. Cathy Newman listened with interest

www.telegraph.co.uk/women/womens-politics/11942881/Womens-Equality-Party-policy-launch-Womens-Ukip-Thats-not-so-bad.html

"Women's Equality Party policies at a glance"

• Gender pay: WE will require companies with more than 250 employees to publish an annual report covering women and men’s pay, employment status and working hours. To be extended to businesses with more than 50 employees.
• Childcare: government-funded childcare available from end of paid parental leave at nine months. First 15 hours a week free, the rest payable at £1 an hour.
• Equal parenting: parental leave to guarantee both parents six weeks away from work on 90 per cent of pay.
• Violence against women: Restore legal aid for all cases involving domestic violence.
• Equal representation: Ensure 66 per cent of candidates replacing retiring MPs and 66 per cent of other candidates are women. Grant 75 per cent of new peerages to women.

[SilverOldie2]

Middle class media lovies with no interest in equality but feminist superiority.

Oh but if you make a 250 pound donation you get a free copy of Toksvig’s book and a 5,000 pound donation nets you dinner with her. Tacky or what?

I am female and 100% support equality but not this drivel and any party which is only concerned with 50%(ish) of the population is obviously a non starter.

[slug]

Sorry, SilverOldie, but I know the leader. She's no "Middle Class Media lovey with no interest in equality but feminist superiority"

She's a bloody intelligent, hard working mum. To be honest I think I'm far more militant than her and I'm just your run of the mill, everyday feminist.

[howtorebuild]

I went with my daughter to the WEP Youth event, during the summer. I was impressed. Catherine Mayer was on our table and said she was inspired by ukip changing main party political agenda. I won't say who to protect her privacy as she has been through a lot, there is a VERY well connected youth running that branch, she didn't tell the others her last name, I just recognised her. I hope they shake things up.

[Hamiltoes]

Have to say, I heard them mentioned on Question Time and I did add my name to the mailing list.

With the current system I don't think they have a hope in hell, but I'll definitely be watching with interest.

[overthemill]

I like their policies but fear they will get overtaken by the realities of battling mainstream Parties. I've joined. Will see what happens. I was impressed by quality of speakers and no Sandy Toksvig in sight ( so far as I could see on iPad)

[howtorebuild]

Catherine explained they are happy for a Tory, lib dem or Labour politician to also rep WEP. They won't stand against someone who shares their six policies, you can stand for other policies along side theirs.

[squidzin]

This is great. From what I gather, the WEP in Sweden hasn't managed to gain any seats in parliament, but that's not the whole point.

With increased pressure group power, and marginal influence, they can still hope to make a difference to mainstream politics.

Current parties are only conserned about 1% of the population. Women as a 50% of the population group, need better representation.

I am completely behind publishing pay, particularly the pay gap between top and lowest wages. This has been inforced in America. Our WEP party could work alongside other more established parties to pressure on certain policies.

[howabout]

Inclined to agree with Silveroldie and I say that as a Mum of a 4 year old.

Any party proposing "free" childcare from 9 months old will never get my backing. To my mind this is the root of the problem rather than the cure and necessitates exploiting some women in low paid childcare roles to advance other women in high paid professional roles.

If high paid women with young children are needed in the workplace, as I believe they are, then they should be paid enough to cover unsubsidised childcare. I believe this will only happen when the subsidies cease and that all women will benefit from the ability to make the choice to take time out while their dc are small.

[slug]

Don't you find it a bit sexist to suggest that childcare exploits lowly paid women? For a start, men can wok in childcare too, and secondly, the idea that women contracting out the childcare (and cleaning too) implies that this work is inherently female.

We don't berate men for contracting out lawn mowing or house repairs do we?

[howabout]

Slug the day men are performing the work of care in our society whether paid or unpaid to the extent that women are will be the day I will concede we are at least on a path towards gender equality.

Contracting house repairs, generally though not exclusively, to men costs me approx £50 per hour. Sadly childcare does not appear to be so highly valued and imo never will be as long as government subsidy gives the impression it is "free".

[squidzin]

Howabout, look at France though. Free childcare from three months old. And the childcare profession is highly regarded, decently paid, not exceptionally sexist, and you don't see the country falling apart as a result.

[squidzin]

None of the WEP party's aims are unattainable. They have all been achieved by one country or another.

Why not aim low and give them a chance on just one of their policies.

[squidzin]

(oops, double party!)

[howabout]

I agree that the other aims are laudable squidzin but the policy on childcare needs more thought and needs to be looked at in the round against how society views responsibility for raising children. I am not sufficiently well versed in French society to comment on their set-up.

The sorts of issues I would need addressed around this policy are:

• family taxation and benefit policy
  
• responsibility of nrps and enforceability of those responsibilities
  
• work related strings attached to state support for raising children
  
• clearly defined distinctions between education and childcare
  
  Actually for me the bottom line is that children and their care should not be a "women's" issue at all and as long as it is viewed as such by women they are defining themselves unequally.

[overthemill]

slug the majority of people working in childcare are women that's why low pay unfairly impacts on women. As suggesting '10 years complete' employment record on an application form unfairly favour men because more women than men take career breaks for caring and childcare responsibilities.

That's why we need the policies over all although individual policies may not be brilliant.

[squidzin]

children and their care should not be "women's" issues at all
We do live in a society where this is the case, though.

And, err, it is not women defining this for themselves either!

[slug]

Exactly the point I was trying to make. By defining it as a 'women's problem' you ghettoise it. Childcare can be carried out by men too. There's no logical reason why men can't be involved.

We need to stop thinking low pay = women's work.

[overthemill]

Men are involved in WE and globally attempting to change policies that unfairly impact women.

[weeburrower1]

I've yet to read up properly on this but out of curiosity, why the comparison to UKIP in the earlier mentioned article, does anyone know? The article doesn't explain why the comparison has been made.

[claig]

'why the comparison to UKIP in the earlier mentioned article, does anyone know?'

Because UKIP were successful in getting leaving the EU and a referendum on it onto the agenda of the political classes by building up a People's Aemy which won votes from the mainstream.

The Women's Equality Party are hoping to do a similar thing by outting womens' rights on the agenda of the political classes.

[claig]

They will succeed in getting lots of media exposure because they are metropolitan and middle class and have lots of media contacts, so the BBC and Channel 4 etc will give them lots of airtime way beyond their political representation, but this is likely to backfire as people begin to feel that favourable treatment is being given to a connected in-crowd to the exclusion of parties which have far more political representation.

Labour with Yvette Coooper and Harriet Harman etc are not too far away from the WE Party anyway, it seems, so they will inevitably be seen as a helper of Labour. However, I think they will have success as a pressure group in a similar way to green pressure groups, because Tory modernisers will want to appear as progressive as possible. So it is a good strategy to form the party as it will gain huge publicity.

[howtorebuild]

Catherine is part of the media, she edited papers, wrote a book on POW. She met with all the main parties even trekking by foot across London, during the tube strike, that is one intelligent determined woman.

[BungoWomble]

You could ask her what she thinks of the mass sexual attacks that took place across Europe at New Year, the potential for culture clash they demonstrate between women's rights and islamic beliefs, and what she thinks the UK, the WEP and women in general should do about it. www.mumsnet.com/Talk/in_the_news/2551896-Sex-Attacks-in-Cologne-and-other-European-Cities-Part-VII?pg=20