The Labour Party leadership election

Following on from there, anyone with a promotion of women in positions of authority and power know that there is a crucial aspect in 'role modeling' for other women. That you see 'your sex' being able to have access and aspiration is v important - and that transmission mechanism goes well beyond the immediate issue re position in society AND inter-personally in daily lives. imo.

I've missed all of today's developments but see that the 50/50 split is observed though not in the hoped way.

I'm still having a sense of 'In JC we trust' but I want a bit more evidence please.

Yet, curiously, it's not Andy Burnham who's Shadow Minister for Mental Health.

Actually couldn't give a shit about that bit. The very fact that there is a shadow Minister for MH is huge. Enormous. Someone actually taking MH seriously enough to create a role for it where it's been missing before.

Personally, I'm hanging out bunting.

Buffy and Yonic what's does representation even mean? I am not being obtuse.

If you are going to re-enact systems of oppression then does matter if you are a woman or a man or a martian.

Theresa May is a woman and allowed for women to be brutalised in Yarls wood. I feel that representation works on the assumption that we will do what's best for ourselves and vote in our own best interest this is not the case.

"To hear those who have been responsible for cuts that represent a sustained onslaught against women suddenly becoming determined feminists today makes me sick."

It doesn't make me sick. It makes me hopeful. These people might not believe what they say now, but hopefully in trying to convince the electorate of it, they get behind their words and start to.

There will not just be a change in the Labour party, but the Conservative party too. Whether it is actually meant or not doesn't matter, it shows an acknowledgement of what people want and that is a bloody good start.

"To hear those who have been responsible for cuts that represent a sustained onslaught against women suddenly becoming determined feminists today makes me sick."

Yes. Me too.

"Yonic I am interested in dismantling systems of oppression, not improving my position within it"

It is oppressive if mediocre men are getting positions that women have to be good to get, don't you think?

Again, a general point, not specifically about Cooper vs Burnham or whatever.

And finally, Warwick's summary of dozens of other reports and news articles which reach similar conclusions:

www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/law/research/centres/chrp/projects/spendingcuts/resources/database/reportsgroups/#Women

Here is a brief summary of the evidence behind that argument that austerity affects women more adversely than it affects men:

www.womensviewsonnews.org/2015/06/women-continue-to-pay-for-austerity/

And here is the website of A Fair Deal For Women - an umbrella-group of over 10 major womens' charities campaigning on this issue:

fairdealforwomen.com/

I'm not a Labour party supporter and I didn't vote for Corbyn, but the fact that the right are coming out and attacking him for not having enough women in his cabinet when theirs is actually more unequal in its gender balance strikes me as a real 'people in glass houses' situation.

I'm massively in favour of women being in top positions, and of course it is important. But political engagement with feminist issues doesn't end there, and it matters so, so much whether the policies are favourable to women as well as the personnel decisions. There is need for real intent to improve the lives of the majority of women in the country - and I would point to this document as evidence of that intent on Corbyn's part, with policies aimed at narrowing pay inequalities, instituting universal childcare, challenging gender stereotypes to increase the number of women in male-dominated professions and reinstating services for DV victims:

d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net/jeremyforlabour/pages/87/attachments/original/1438076296/WorkingWithWomen.pdf?1438076296

Finally, it is worth stating that study after study has shown that austerity has a disproportionately negative effect on women. Therefore, an anti-austerity stance is arguable a feminist one. To hear those who have been responsible for cuts that represent a sustained onslaught against women suddenly becoming determined feminists today makes me sick.

Yonic I am interested in dismantling systems of oppression, not improving my position within it.

To be fair to Corbyn -- his cabinet is more than 50% women, Cameron's is less than 32%. Cameron has Theresa May in Home Secretary but Defence, Business, and Health (which are prominent positions) are all men, whereas in Corbyn's cabinet they're all women.

I'm not saying his cabinet is perfect by any means.

And sod the snide comment about shadow secretary for mental health. Because it's not a job Andy Burhnam wouldn't have it's an insulting job to give a woman? Luciana Berger is eleven years younger than Burnham. I think it's a fantastic brief for an ambitious politician - she can literally make it her own.

John McConnell has a lot of financial experience. He may have said a lot of stupid things in the past but I think he may be OK.

Hovis, it might be a convenient conviction to discover but it does ring true with the more consensual style of politics he wants to create. And it is very true that health and education are not negligible positions. I'm still watching.

Here's the full list

John McConnell thinks Bobby Sands was a hero

Lords Faulkner and Bassam are back! There's a blast from the past...

nicknack Why does he have to have one of the other leadership candidates as home or foreign?

"I am surprised by how completely unbothered I am about the lack of women in his shadow cabinet"

Have I missed something? I thought that his cabinet was largely made up by women??

Having women - good women, bad women, mediocre women, left wing women, right wing women - in prominent positions is important because good, bad, mediocre, left and right wing men currently dominate those positions.

That's a broader point than JC's shadow cabinet.

Of course this is a convenient conviction to discover, but I think JC has said that he rejects the traditional hierarchy of the roles, pointing out that the idea of the 'big 4' comes from a c.19th, imperial context -- and that roles such as health secretary etc are hugely important in that they impact on the lives of everyone in the country.

His final cabinet does, I think, have at least 50% women and Angela Eagle's role is a pretty prominent one - leaving aside the honorific title, if she is going to represent Corbyn at PMQs then that's putting her in a pretty significant and highly visible position.

Also pretty pleased with the creation of the new cabinet position of shadow minister for mental health.

I don't know. I think nicknack's points demonstrate that with each of the big 4 roles he was between a rock and a hard place. And I think if I had to choose between a female chancellor and one of was 100% behind his anti-austerity economic plans... hmm.

Why is having women in these positions important if they are not advocating for women? What use is having come from a poor family if you are dismantling the welfare state?

I voted from Jeremy and Andy, if I recall correctly the only woman I voted for was Diane Abbott.

Yes