One of the comments from that piece:
Austin's concern is well-founded. Some candidates are being "excluded" from local-council selections, for citing similar concerns.
Some historical stats are available on... www.lwn.org.uk/labour_women_in_parliament
There are currently 147 female MPs, out of a total 650 members of parliament. Labour 86F, 169M... the "good news" is that the ratio will be closer, but it's "skewed by age"... and these are mostly "pretty young things" not "experienced fat hags built like an outhouse".
They are rarely working-class, active at all, shunning leafletting in the rain.
It's time to consider constitutionally capping equally around 45% minimum. (At present,there are no AMS (All Men Shortlists) in the constitution...
I happen to think it's time when Women aren't disadvantaged, we should remove ALL, and ensure some. Just as we should ensure there is at least one applied BAME, LGBT, Disabled person shortlisted.
Of Labour's core shadow cabinet (the key deptartments), which would be our government... A STAGGERING 50% ARE PRIVATELY EDUCATED, and when fee-grammar schools are taken into account as well, that rises to over three-fifths, at 64%, which are not educated in comprehensives, which us public have to put up with.
Of the wider shadow cabinet, only 5 list any meaningful employment in the real-world of (hard-)work. [5 out of 27; 18%; less than a fifth]
Degrees in Politics, Philosophy, Economics, History and law account for five sixths, 84%. With 9 from Oxbridge.
Selecting young women, means some men will never be able to stand, for selection in their own CLP. We need to cap MPs at 1- years, two terms (unless they make and keep front-bench, or contribute as a "independent conscience" like Tony Benn. Otherwise rising male talent will get disillusioned and disappear.
However, with many marginals selected as AWS, figures could have risen women above men... but Labour started dropping in the polls since 2013.
Until now, Labour has been guarded on AWS stats... it's been a struggle to get any figures at all. (I hope someone else can order these by average majority over last 2 'elections).
Data from Sarah Mulholland, Labour HQ... show a mass of safe/marginals being AWS... although these need to be "presented".
Any idiot can pick the odd one, it's the pattern. And that needs effort. Coming from the real-world of work, I haven't time yet.
BUT I will have done by conference.
In one crazy prolonged period, 95% of safe / winnable CLP's were only taking AWS applications. Recently re-opening masks the fact that most winnable marginals are mostly gone.
Labour doesn't want you to have these figures... I got lucky. It's been pretty difficult to extract figures at all; and I was kicked off Labour council selections for challenging AWS as getting out of hand, compared to 33% party rules for local councils. With around 40% of full-time employees women, it doesn't make sense to set a level for a full-time job above that.
So, it seems that he's not the only dinosaur there. No all male shortlists in the constitution? No, because until recently they have ALL been all male shortlists ffs.....