to rather intensely dislike Harriet Harman?

[grovel]

Naggy and bossy at the same time. And so tribal.

YANBU

YADNBU.

Harman has worked hard for womens' rights for many years. Despite always getting it in the neck from bloody everyone.

I'm not saying that she's super-likeable (she might be, I dunno - couldn't say - not having met her personally) or that we should all put her on our dream supper party list.

But for this, I am grateful.

The fact that she champions the cause is commendable. But I suspect her style damages her effectiveness.

To me, she's always been one of the very few politicians who is in it for the right reasons - she really wants to make a difference and to make women's lives better. No, she doesn't come across as particularly likeable on TV and I always thought she was fairly rubbish on Question Time. I don't particularly give a fig about that but I can see how it would alienate some people

People always say that about feminists though, don't they?

I'm just grateful that there is someone trying to fight the corner for women in parliament. I'm sure that Zac Goldsmith is super nice and lovely, but I don't see him doing a whole lot to get a better deal for women and girls.

I notice no one's called her Harriet Harperson yet.

I like to amuse myself by having a private bet on these things.

YANBU.

Horrible woman.

Wish she'd champion a cause worth championing rather than whining about "wimmin's rights" in general and setting the cause back about 100 years and making women basically unemployable in the private sector.

YADNBU. Met her and found her odious and self-serving.

My grandfather, pretty easy-going chap not given to irrational emotion, was both a constituant of the woman and knew her well.

He could not abide her!

He felt the same way about Tessa Jowell too, whom he also knew. Having met her I can't argue with that either.

Yanbu - I don't think I've ever disliked a politician as much -

YADNBU, she may do alot for feminism but she has royally screwed me over financially in the past couple of years

Harriet on Tessa :o

YANBU if that really is your opinion.

I can't help but notice the amount of hatred for Harriet Harman particularly from the right wing press and wonder if that has influenced you OP?

AlpinePony - really you think that women are basically unemployable in the private sector . How so?

Not that long ago there were no female politicians and no female had the vote. Good job some women decided to campaign about "wimmin's rights".

YABU - "naggy" ? mysogynistic crap

misogynistic

Bullying Harriet Harman for standing up for women demeans us all

YABU

Politics in this country would be much improved if we started judging politicians on their policies, not their likeability. I don't know if I'd like HH if I were ever to meet her in the flesh, but women have a lot to thank her for - even those who like to dismiss her.

Good article forkful - how is it 'naggy' and 'bossy' to raise issues such as the shockingly low level of rape convictions or the fact that DV is such a problem that 2 women are killed by their partners a week?

OP can you honestly say that if she was a man saying the same things you would use the term "naggy" or even the term "bossy"?

No problem with someone disliking a politician or particular policy initiatives.

Big problem with fellow women using sexist insults about a female politician.

I may be a feminist but I'm also a libertarian, and I don't have the same faith as Harman in the project of legislating the good society into existence. I think this kind of social micromanagement always has negative unintended consequences, and so while I admire her determination and the cause she champions I can't stomach the method she espouses.

YBU -she doesn't come across well on TV have to say - but agree she has done a lot for women - and what is wrong with being tribal? I take it you mean she is keen on the Labour party?

YABU- JosieRosie sums it up for me.

She despises half our species and that is as bad in a female as in a male politician.

Agree with Manatee.

Also question her genuine devotion to the feminist cause. She was quick to champion all-women shortlists for labour prospective parliamentary candidates in certain seats, but strangely quiet when one such all-women shortlist was ignored in order to let her husband be the candidate.

Andrew - no she does not. what a load of crap.

Part of the problem is that like many of the Labour party she has never had a job in the 'real world' - i.e. in business.

Most of them have come from a legal background and perhaps that is why they have always felt a new law is the answer to any problem.