Cabinet 'Reshuffle' and Impact on Women. (Hint: Its Bad. Includes BPAS statment)

[RedToothBrush]

This reshuffle has been pitched as improving the image of the Tory Party with women and ethnic minorities.

So far it doesn't look terribly great.

Maria Caulfield has been CCHQ Vice chair for Women.

She's supposed to be responsible for selling the Tories to Women, and representing women to the party.

Her appointment has provoked this response:

bpas‏ @bpas1968
We are incredibly disappointed to hear that Maria Caulfield MP, who supports the criminalisation of women who end their own pregnancies, is the new CCHQ Vice Chair for Women.
Maria Caulfield lead the parliamentary opposition to @DianaJohnsonMP's bill to protect women and decriminalise abortion up to 24 weeks, and defended the current law which threatens any woman who ends her own pregnancy without the approval of 2 doctors with life imprisonment.
This is not an abstract issue. Women in across the UK have faced prosecution and prison sentences for ending pregnancies using abortion medication bought online.
These are often women in the most desperate of circumstances. One study found 1 in 5 who tried to use online abortion medication were in a violent or controlling relationship. Should these women face criminal prosecution? According to the new CCHQ Vice-Chair for women, yes.
Caulfield's views are out of step with members of the public & her own parliamentary party. Our polling found majority of Con MPs agree that a woman should be able to have an abortion if she does not want to continue with a pregnancy, a more liberal framework than our current law
Abortion is not a side issue. One in three women will have an abortion in their lifetime. One in three. They deserve parliamentarians who take their wellbeing seriously, not those who would seek to impose their minority view on their access to healthcare.
Maria Caulfield MP, the new Conservative Vice Chair for Women, seeks to be a "voice for the unborn child."
Our full comment on the shocking decision to appoint Maria Caulfield as Conservative Vice Chair for Women is here:
www.bpas.org/about-our-charity/press-office/press-releases/bpas-comment-on-maria-caulfield-mps-appointment-as-conservative-party-vice-chair-for-women/

Karen Bradley got promoted to NI Secretary.

She previously was in a controversy at Culture about vetoing the appointment of a non executive director of C4. This was a 'high calibre' black female candidate Althea Efunshile. Instead she wanted four white men. Efunshile eventually did get the post.

Greening has gone from Education. She was well regarded by the profession. There were a few reasons why she was apparently out of favour. One was her effectively killing the return of grammar schools, the other was about just how much she went on and on and on in Cabinet meetings and Mrs May didn't like this. I can't imagine this ever being said of a man.

This could be bad news over the GRA which Greening was said to be stalling.

Instead Education gets Damian Hinds. The Minister whose old job included defending the Rape Clause.

Even pundits have tweeted stuff like this:

Sam Coates Times @SamCoatesTimes
It's definitely promote white men day

Justine Greenjng has gone from the cabinet, just as she had started to listen to feminists.

Faisal Islam @faisalislam
Tory MP after Greening news: “damaging loss... PM caves into boys but not a woman. Dreadful error”

Ruth Davidson‏ @RuthDavidsonMSP
Sorry to see @JustineGreening leave government - she brought her non-nonsense, northern accountant's eye to every brief and is a real role model for LGBT+ Conservatives.

Tim Shipman @ShippersUnbound
This is not a great look in a diversity reshuffle

When someone shows you who they are...

I don't think this is even about being anti-tory. Its easy to dismiss it as that.

This was pitched at trying to win woman and minorities and to be in their interests.

Instead even white male Tory leaning political commentators are saying it is exactly the opposite.

It shows contempt.

IMHO it was a mistake to pitch the reshuffle as about promoting diversity, because there isn't the depth of talent from which TM could pick to be able to do that.

(Doesn't stop it being a depressing step backwards though)

Leadsom being rumoured as being lined up for women and equalities. No confirmation though.

Caroline Nokes going to immigration:

Nokes was reported to be one of the parliamentary candidates who signed a pledge to "respect, uphold and protect the right of Christians to hold and express Christian beliefs and act according to Christian conscience". She has also stated she was 'broadly supportive' of same-sex marriage providing religious organisations are not forced to act against their theology. In February 2013, she cited her support for stable and secure relationships, both gay and straight, but also referenced her previous pledge to Christians, and voted against the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill at Second Reading, saying she was "not convinced the safeguards sought by the Church of England have been guaranteed".

Was Greening sacked?
News reports say she was offered W&P secretary and resigned.
Is there more to it than that Red? You're implying she was forced out?

Oh God. Please not 'as a mother' for women and equalities.

LEADSOM!!!!!

Oh my lord.

I’m not a feminist because I’m not anti-men, I just see people as people. I’m never happy to see women written out of the picture . . . but feminism is a term that’s been used to abuse men so I don’t identify with it.”
www.thetimes.co.uk/article/i-m-sure-theresa-will-be-really-sad-that-she-doesn-t-have-children-t77dswngp

Women and equalities! Ha!

Its the tone of reports before reshuffle. Schools and unions say she was doing a good job and improved relations. Yet there was a seeming personality clash. Implications were she 'talked too much in cabinet' and May didnt like. Education is a higher position, dwp would be an effective demotion. Its supposed to be humiliating and a point about 'towing the line' and doing as told.

Note difference between males not thought to be doing a good job and who speak against pm in public.

Also Hunt didnt want to leave Health. May wanted to move him. May let him stay. Not so for Greening.

Do you think her treatment has been the same to male colleagues?

Leadsom didnt get it apparently. Stays as Commons leader.

One for tomorrow then.

I wonder.

Saw nick Clegg do a thing where he said as dPM he had a regular catchup with Theresa May in her role at the home office.

Nick'd say, so have you managed to do [whatever it was] this, this week, Theresa? And she'd say:
.
.
.
"no"
.
.
.

I can imagine she might perceive a talkative woman in a meeting as overly feminine/chatty/weak.

And there's this:

Paul Brand @ paulbranditv
A former Equalities Minister herself, for the first time PM has decoupled Equalities brief from a cabinet role. Has previously been tied to Home Office, DCMS, Education. Unless she links it to a new dept, the ‘diversity’ reshuffle has ended up demoting equality, not promoting it.

I mean, even Tory voters must be thinking that we are led by donkeys.

I honestly think the entire political class is useless. Or rather, the whole working of it is so dysfunctional that only the useless incompetents get anywhere near power.

Laura Kuenssberg‏ @bbclaurak
Claire Perry will attend Cabinet and become member of the Privy Council

Paul Brand‏ @PaulBrandITV
Cameron used ‘attends Cabinet’ to boost gender balance and seems May has adopted it too.

Libby Wiener @LibbyWienerITV
‘Attend Cabinet’ - but of course not be too ‘chatty’ which apparently was Greening’s problem

This is scathing from two ITV political correspondents.

I like Greening - and I don't say that about many Tory MPs (I'm a leftie teacher and a feminist). It will be interesting to see what the media make of it over the longer term. Will she be portrayed as a strong woman standing up for herself or a petulant child who threw her toys out of the pram?

It seems to me that she was unpopular within the government because she listens to voters and puts their opinions forward. She seemed to want to work with the teaching profession (unions and all) to stabilise and improve education. Calm, sensible and rational. But this approach wasn't favoured because she should have been forcing through more changes (grammar schools) and hammering teachers in to submission .

Not looking forward to Damian Hinds in charge of education. Especially in light of the reforms to SRE that are currently open for consultation. He doesn't strike me as the kind of person to fully understand why we need to be teaching all teenagers about the importance of consent.

After the reaction to Maria Caulfield's appointment they will need to think long and hard tonight about who will be getting Women and Equalities.

It's depressing. Not just who is new, but who has stayed. Boris, Jeremy Hunt, the Brexit Bulldog.

Why even mention women and minorities in the first place?

And I can barely come up with words to describe Caulfield.

All very depressing

one tiny good thing though - at least the 'women and equalities' minister IS a woman....

Yes. And at least Amber Rudd is in the Cabinet.

Am I right in thinking that vice chair for women is a different position from chair of the women and equalities committee? Is Greening still doing the latter?

Vice chair for women is vice chair of the Tory Party - its Tory Party not Government.

The Minister for Women and Equalities is now Amber Rudd - this is the person responsible in government and who is head of the department. Greening used to have this position in addition to Education. Its a Cabinet Role.

The Chair of the Women and Equalities Select Committee is Maria Miller - the select committee is a cross party panel of MPs whose job it is to scrutinise government performance in this area. They have the power to call individuals or groups before parliament to advise and make reports to government. They are suppose to hold the Minister for Women and Equalities to account for actions taken.

I think you have slightly confused the three positions.

Oh right, yes I was confused. I thought Greening was the Chair of the committee.

So is it Amber Rudd who will be running the GRA consultation if it goes ahead?

Yes. Her responsibility.