To think it's time for a woman to be Prime Minister

[Cinnamon77]

It doesn't look like Starmer is going to be PM for much longer but all the favourites to replace him are men.

Every female PM we've had has been Conservative - no woman has ever led the Labour Party before.

Wouldn't it be an improvement to have a left wing woman running the country, like we've seen elsewhere? There are many good female MPs in Labour like Raynor, Mahmood, Huq, Phillips, Siddiq, Leadbeater, Thornberry, Dodds, Kendall, Haigh, Butler and Reeves (Ellie, not Rachel).

Why aren't any of them contenders and wouldn't we be doing better if one of them was in charge?

I agree with your point.

But - a side issue. I too wish we hadn’t fought that war; it was and still is unsustainable to have a territory so far away. But a fascist state with an appalling human rights reputation was invading a tiny country. If the UK had done nothing we’d probably be thinking now that we should have. The argument, apart from defending the Falklands population, was based on what happened with Hitler and appeasement - if you let a fascist regime walk over a small country, you give the green light to other bullying states across the world that they can do what they like.

But I still wish we hadn’t gone to war…I just can’t square the moral circle, I admit.

It's time for a competent person to be a PM. I don't care if it's a man or a woman. The best person should get the job on merit and merit only. Every job. The question is whether or not we can find such a person for the PM's role among the current lot!

Women often say that.

Men didnt say that though did they! At many many times in the past.

They wanted it to be a man. They insisted that the leader had to be a man

Can we not reduce women down to our reproductive systems please? We are more than periods and childcare.

I don’t think we can say as a society that we have defeated sexism until we stop defining people by their gender. I don’t give a tinker’s cuss whether someone is male, female, heterosexual or whatever, as long as they do a job with integrity, authority and competence.

I detest ghetto broadcasting such as Woman’s Hour, for example. If the issues covered in that increasingly irritating programme are important, then they are important to everyone, not just women. Grrr. I feel strongly about this!

Who said we are reducing women down to their reproductive systems. No one anywhere said that.

It is one vital part that needs to be improved in the UK.

Other countries have reproductive leave and menstrual leave.

Of course it is important to get that implemented in the UK.

No one anywhere said that women are ONLY their reproductive systems. Only you said that.

Women are of course much more

I think menstrual leave is an appalling policy and would not be voting for any party who wants to implement that.

It can be part of reasonable adjustments for anyone who really suffers.

I’d prefer a government to sort out the economy and provide more opportunities for decent work for everyone. Not menstrual leave or leave for childcare.

I always think it is interesting when women say that.

Men have defined people by gender in politics for centuries. Men have kept women out of politics. Solely because of women's gender.

Women are too nice to men.

I remember a man saying this to me once.

He said

"I don't understand women. Men are not nice to women in so many areas.
Why are women so nice to men? Why don't women stand up for themselves more?"

Menstrual leave works very well in the countries that it is already in.

I see my female colleagues bowled over by pain every month. Of course it needs to be thought about.

"Appalling"

You can debate the economic viability of it, but why would anyone be appalled by a policy that would help some women with excruciating endometriosis or PMDD or other debilitating conditions stay in the workforce and contribute their skills, knowledge and experience?

This, one hundred percent.

Wed be lucky to find anyone of calibre just now without cutting down the options on the basis of trying to favour one gender over another. That’s no basis for choosing a leader.

I have always seen people as individuals, not defined by their gender. You will find tough, ruthless women and gentle, empathetic men and the stereotypes are not useful.

Wanting any job to be filled by a man or a woman, a person of any specific race, religion or other similar characteristic or any characteristic besides their fitness for the job based on skills and experience is wrong. Doesn't matter who says it: men or women.

I am confident that nobody cares if their doctor, for example, is a man or a woman or about their ethnicity, religious beliefs or any such thing. Everybody only cares about their competence as a doctor and that's how it should be.

It wasn’t just the Falklands War, where I agree that there were good arguments for defending the Falkland Islands, not least the fact that the islanders wanted to remain British. (Although I also wish it hadn’t happened.) Thatcher was also hardline when it came to the arms race and in supporting all of Reagan’s military actions abroad. And she had a very hardline attitude to the troubles in Northern Ireland too.

She wasn’t at all someone whose first instinct was to avoid war.

Better health services for women who need it so they aren’t bowled over by pain every month would be more useful than menstrual leave for 50% of the population.

Female leaders are important to improve things for women and children in the country.
Wot? Like Wee Jimmy Crankie of the SNP? Women's rights went backwards under her.

I think we should try a women-only Parliament.

Trial period only. Let's say 200 years.

I mean, she's implicated in a massive scandal in Bangladesh and had to resign over it. What could possibly go wrong?
I agree also that Labour members and possibly the Unions are ideologically opposed to a woman leader.

Completely agree. We need to move past this phase, which is in itself sexist.

People do care if someone is a man or a woman.

There is a "female drivers only " option on the Uber taxis app, for example.

This was introduced for women's safety as there were so many incidents of male Uber drivers raping women passengers.

If I get an Uber taxi, I always choose a female driver. It is a brilliant option.

"Nobody cares if their doctor is a man or a woman".

Did you ask Everyone in the country then?

I work with teenagers. Two of the teenage girls were talking to me about this only last week.

They told me that they prefer going to a female Doctor as they feel more comfortable with them.

In one aspect, we have truly achieved equality between the sexes: the calibre of female Labour frontbenchers is the same as that of the male frontbenchers. They're all dire.

Not so long ago, women had to be twice as good as the men to have the same job, and in many sectors this is still true. But not in politics!

Come on, let’s have Diane Abbot

Nope

It doesn't have to be titled "menstrual leave".

It can be titled "reproductive leave".

And men can take this leave too.

This is already what happens in Australia.

Reproductive leave is already in place in Australia

Great in theory. But, for some reason, in its 100 year existence Labour have never found that 'competent' person to be a woman. They have occasionally let a woman hold the reins on an interim basis but then they always vote in a bloke. Always.