Mumsnet goes to the European Parliament: your thoughts?

[KateMumsnet]

To mark the centenary of International Women's Day, Mumsnet has been invited to the EU Parliament for a rummage about. So we're off to Strasbourg, in a (possibly doomed) attempt to figure out what impact, if any, this labyrinthine institution has had on the equality of women here in the UK.

We'll be sitting in on a special IWD parliamentary session, where MEPs will be discussing what's been achieved to date to further women's equality across Europe, and debating what the next steps should be. The gender pay gap, the vexed issue of maternity leave, the lack of female decision-makers in business and politics, and the grim figures for female poverty across the EU are all on the agenda.

We'll be frantically trying to make sense of it all as the day unfolds; and with a bit of luck and a following wind we'll collar a couple of MEPs and policy bods along the way to answer your questions, and feed back your views.

So, whether you're entirely au fait with the EU's inner workings, or your heart sinks at the very thought of it, do post your questions, observations, gripes or suggestions here, and we'll try our best to get to the bottom of it all.

Any news? Or has Kate been eaten by a Eurocrat?

Right then, it all got a bit more lively after introductions from the authors of the two IWD reports. LOTS of MEPs got up to make very short speeches ? they each get between 1 and 2 mins ? there?s a giant clock counting down to tell them how long they?ve got left, so they panic and speed up dramatically at the end, with the poor translators squeaking to keep up. Not sure what happens if they go over ? a big klaxon?

Most MEPs welcomed the reports - a few said they couldn?t support any moves towards quotas for the boards of listed companies but on the whole reception was positive and sedate.

It all went a bit off-piste when Godfrey Bloom, who?s on the Women?s Rights and Gender Equality Committee for UKIP (notwithstanding his well-rehearsed views in this area), harangued parliament for making ?a dog?s breakfast? of things, repeating his point that UK small businesses would have to be ?stark staring mad to employ a young woman? if the Pregnant Worker?s Directive passes into law (not on the agenda today). On boardroom quotas (?what kind of madness is this?!?) he claimed that no-one would believe that women had got their jobs on merit ? an entirely defensible position only slightly undermined by his roaring that ?none of you have done a real job in your lives or you would UNDERSTAND.? [blinks]

Mass raising of blue cards (how MEPs signal that they want to disagree). Eva Britt Svenson, who?s Chair of the committee, responded that it?s not stark staring mad to want parental leave, and the Nordic countries which go all out for this also have the highest rate of female employment with consequent benefit to their economies (the EU is committed to 75% employability to support an aging population)

Bloom (booming): ?I?m not INTERESTED in your country or others, only in mine! Draconian laws won?t help employment! I wish you would come into the real world ? hands up who?s had a real job!?

This was followed by a sea of blue cards: Edite Estrela (Vice Chair of the commiteee) said that the UK?s problem was that it had weak maternity pay provision, and that 33 weeks of it were little more than symbolic.

Bloom (really quite heated): ?Our problem is that we have given up self-government! THAT?s our problem!?

Estrela: I thank Mr Bloom for his opinions - they are widespread, although those who hold them tend on the whole to keep quiet about it. I want to ask him: are children the children of women only, or of fathers too?

Bloom: Children are the responsibility of their parents and no-one else. Someone shouldn?t have to take responsibility for his neighbour's children. The more personal responsibility we have in the EU and round the world the better the world would be in my view.

And with that, the Member left the Chamber. The Europeans must have been rather taken aback - and that was before a BNP member appeared to compare the resolutions to a Trotskyist plot to persuade people that they were being discriminated against, and decried the fact that the word ?discrimination? had become the ultimate evil..

It's all go here.

Leningrad, I can grant your wish to hear the word 'quotas'. On the other matter, I can offer you 'now-ish'.

Quotas for private sector management boards were the most controversial aspect of the debate on the resolution tabled in the report on Equality between men and women - Marina Yannakoudakis, the Conservative MEP that I'm meeting with tomorrow, said she thought quotas were deeply patronising (almost as patronising, she said, as the red rose which all female MEPs were handed today - what were they thinking?)

The resolution was passed, though certainly not unanimously - think the numbers were 366 in favour, 200 against, with 32 abstaining. A resolution doesn't have any legislative meaning - but it's the firmest way for the European Parliament to put pressure on the European Commission to act, which I get the sense that they've been until recently shy of doing.

Viviane Reding, who's Vice President of the EU Commission and responsible for fundamental rights amongst other things, accepted the resolution and said that the first step would be to offer listed companies a 'last chance' to self-regulate - with a promise to monitor them carefully for a year.

If doesn't improved dramatically in that time (she set an overall timetable of 30% by 2015 and 40% by 2020) then they will move to legislate. But a Green MEP speaking at the seminar right now seems very that it will actually ever come to legislation, pointing out that there's no mention of binding targets in the resolution..

And if there were, whether it would in fact pass or not would depends on many variables - not least of which, the number of people who make their opinions known to their MEP .

I imagine you slowly slid lower and lower in your seat...

Nail on head, Twit

Other pertinent matters: the resolution on female poverty was passed, including an article which "strongly encourages" member countries to achieve a 1% reduction of the gender pay gap each year, to meet a target of 10% reduction by 2020. Plus, it wants full pay for women during statutory maternity leave, which was recommended by the Pregnant Worker Directive (now absolutely stalled by member states).

I think they are talking about binding quotas for national parliaments, Lenin - but I've got to check whether it's a vague notion or a definite plan.

European Parliament stats are not-bad-considering: 35% (Finland has 60%!).

National parliaments vary dramatically - Sweden 47%, France 17% , Malta 9%. Also doing well - Finland and Spain, with just over and just under 40% respectively.

Almost everyone has more female MEPs than they have in their national parliament - the UK has 32% of MEPs are female, though women make up only a depressing 20% of MPs.

Blimey, that Godfrey bloke, eh?

Jules - blimey indeed. We bumped into Nigel Farage tonight in the town; he was walking in the road against the flow of traffic, which seemed rather symbolic .

Sophable, Custy, I have made enquiries about those jobs. Seems you have to go through the equivalent of the Civil Service exams - verbal reasoning, psychometric tests and so forth, but in French or German . After that, you're in - but it might take them 5 years or so to actually offer you a post, and you'd probably have to move your entire operation to Brussels. Plus you'd then have to spend one week a month in an overpriced b+b in Strasbourg. If you're still interested, I'll put a word in with the Vice Prez.

Lenin, I think it would be very hard to be an MEP with a young family. Which prompts the general question: how can you legislate effectively for equality, when so much of the critical stuff takes place in the private domain? So much comes down to who, in a relationship, shoulders responsibility for childcare, organising domestic life, housework etc?

Kate it's really great to get these updates and see MN at the EU.

Hope you get to read this before your meeting tomorrow with Marina Yannakoudakis (the Conservative MEP who said she thought quotas were deeply patronising).

Q to Marina - has she read Lord Davies report Women on Boards?

If not then she should!

A little taster:

There is a strong business case for balanced boards. Inclusive and diverse boards are more likely to be effective boards, better able to understand their customers and stakeholders and to benefit from fresh perspectives, new ideas, vigorous challenge and broad experience. This in turn leads to better decision making. This business case is backed by a growing body of evidence. Research has shown that strong stock market growth among European companies is most likely to occur where there is a higher proportion of women in senior management teams. Companies with more women on their boards were found to outperform their rivals with a 42% higher return in sales, 66% higher return on invested capital and 53% higher return on equity.

There is a body of research which demonstrates how the appointment of female directors can improve a company?s performance. Female directors enhance board independence. Better decision-making is assumed to occur as a result of directors having a range of experiences and backgrounds. Women take their non-executive director roles more seriously, preparing more conscientiously for meetings.8 Women ask the awkward questions more often, decisions are less likely to be nodded through and so are likely to be better.

Boards are often criticised for having similar board members, with similar backgrounds, education and networks. Such homogeneity among directors is more likely to produce ?group-think?. Women bring different perspectives and voices to the table, to the debate and to the decisions.10 Studies, stemming from Solomon Asch?s original work on conformity to majority opinion, have shown that three women are required to change boardroom dynamics,11 allowing them to become more vocal and their voices to be heard. Further studies have shown that the environment for women in senior roles improves once about a third of leaders at that level are female, and that a? critical mass? of 30% or more women at board level or in senior management produces the best financial results.

IMO the answer to her Q about being against quotas is:

at the moment there are "de facto" quotas for Men - men tend to promote in their image and to coach/groom other men for the top jobs.

The system is set up for men to succeed.

BTW WTF is Godfrey UKIP on.

Someone needs to tell him that UK companies reclaim from HMRC 92% of statutory maternity pay and small companies claim 104.5%.

I am pretty certain that this is fairly widely unknown!

THat sound okay.. I'm glad they can put pressure on the Comission now.

I'm glad Boom behaved like that; as is often said on here, it's handy to have a random misogynist in the vicinity so you can see upclose what you're dealing with

No no, this is a proud day for Yorkshire and the Humber. Let the world (well, Europe) hear our call: women are destroying our nation's economy and only Godfrey can put a stop to it!

Fascinating, Kate. Loved your description of Europe HQ.

Godfrey Bloom is deeply deeply embarrassing.

I feel obliged to at least email him to point out the error of his ways (as to the BNP guy, words fail) but I'm not sure I want some ranty load of old bollocks back from this fool.

Presumably transcripts of these events are published, I would rather not get KateMumsnet in trouble for her interpretation of his presentation and rely on official text.

I'm assuming, of course, that UKIP do this in every meeting of the EU, i.e. say the problem is that the UK has given up self-government and the EU is a waste of time. Perfectly valid opinion but means they have nothing to contribute to a debate at a European level. Which also presumably means they return their European salary and any benefits not directly chargeable to standing up and saying "the EU is bad" during every debate? (Genuine question, I would expect UKIP to do this if they are serious about their position). We have a couple of female MEPs in Yorkshire in the Humber who I might email to protest at the conduct of their fellow MEP, although all the MEPs from mainstream parties make it fairly clear they have no truck with the UKIP or BNP MEPs.

Feel terribly sorry for the translators, btw, having to try and keep up with someone running out of time. Nightmare.

Good point Tribpot. I can't help but see keeping the money etc might (morally at least) be in the same area as the expenses scandals etc.
As the leader of (say) UKIP it surely doesn't make sense to have some-one so utterly against the idea of Europe (politically) being your representative in Europe? No-one will take him seriously and by default the party and their idea(l)s seriously.
Unless of course, they actually fully support and agree with him.
I would assume the BNP some MEPs would might think it extremely amusing to take all they can get.
Kate I hope you got some sleep despite all your reading material (and coffee).

tribot and others - if you go here you can see video footage of the European Parliament.

You need to look at the bottom right for a box called "subjects" and click on "Female poverty - Equality between women and men ? 2010".

Then just above that box there is a box called "Speakers on this subject" - Godfrey Bloom's first offering is at 10:28:27.

Very interesting to see what our MEPs are saying on our behalves...

I would love to make some more time to look at these. Does anyone know whether there are every any decent summaries of proceedings?

(Could well be on that website somewhere..)

Yes, I would like to her to talk about speeding up today's lengthy process of getting maintenenace from abroad through REMO (Reciprocal Enforcement of Maintenance Orders). All participating organisations need desperately to start using electronic mail for forwarding correspondence and getting information about progress on cases, etc. Today, all parties use the postal service and this service is unreliable and does nothing to progress cases swiftly. Information about progress on cases is non-existent.

Isn't it wonderful that Godfrey Bloom and the BNP guy were there to represent the UK

Forkful, I wonder if there is a Euro version of Hansard? Thanks for the link to the video, I did like the quizzical looks of 'errr, you do realise you in no way answered the question I just asked?' - maybe he objected because they chose to ask them in other languages, who can say.

I can see how it is sort of understandable for a member of UKIP to take a seat at the European Parliament, even if it is purely to say "Europe is bad" to every proposal. Enough people in my region voted for this person to make that possible - and of course they all understood that was what would happen if they did and what they wanted him to do as a result. Equally surely an upstanding member of UKIP would not want to be profiting from the experience of going to tell Europe why it was bad by taking its money to do so. Covering expenditure aside, of course. I would stress I have no reason to suppose this isn't what Bloom is doing.

I think he needs to separate his concerns about maternity leave/rights/poverty/whatever from his concerns about having quotas or rights imposed from Europe. One seems a legitimate concern within the scope of his political party and constituency. The other does not. Unless he actually was voted in on a 'mothers are destroying the economy' platform.

Am loving it. Must log on to see lovely Godfrey . Great work Kate, I feel a Mumsnet Pulitzer celebratory coming your way!