Those who are tackling the issue are addressing it at the wrong level.
ABSO-FUCKING-LUETLY.
Creasy is all 'in parliament', 'if you stand for westminister' and comments about local level a complete after thought.
The problem is that you either have women who set out for careers into politics or women who are taught at local level, that politics isn't for women.
Yesterday I spent a lot of time looking at the educational levels of women in politics. What is noticable is the trend that women have increasingly done degrees, and even more notably have studied politics in increasing numbers in recent years.
This seems to be particularly true of Labour, with the Conservatives being slightly more likely to field female candidates who have worked up through the local politics route than Labour.
As a rule, and part of the overall disillussionment of the public with politicians, has been the rise of career politicians with 'rising stars' parachuted into prime safe seats. So we've ended up with a frustration in shit politicians more concerned about their Westminister career basically neglecting issues in their constituencies for decades. That was one of the reasons that left the Red Wall prime for the taking. I'd argue that MPs who have lived and worked for the area for years prior to standing for election, are much better at understanding the problems of their area from the ground up.
If you want to have women interested and engaged in politics, you encourage every single grass roots political organisation, you do as much as you can to FORCE backward constituency parties who are largely run by pensioner to change. The Labour Party could insist on party meetings and inner workings being better for women at all levels. Same goes for the LDs and the Conservatives. The fact they don't just highlights that really the establishment are that interested in women being in politics. The likes of Stella's campagn is just a PR exercise which she is 'allowed' to do. We are not seeing the males in any party driving for these proposals because they damn well know that could have an impact on their own careers and women might start being uppity and having basic expectations rather than a 'be grateful' attitude.
I can not stress enough how this comes across on MN when it comes to women's health, and how often you get posters being told they should 'be grateful' rather than encouraging a massive ground swell of anger about second rate health care, poor maternity provision, lack of consideration of the importance of dignity and safeguarding, ignoring of institutionalised sexism in health and poor attitudes to consent. The mentality is far too often a 'well thats just the way it is and its never going to change'. It will never change, precisely be women don't force the issue and demand better.
I have stayed on MN for many years merely to keep saying it DOES matter because I know damn well that politicians at all levels DON'T CARE and I don't know how else you get that message out that YES IT MATTERS. The status quo is comfortable and easy. And thats were the rot has set in. There is no grass roots political movement properly connected to Westminster anymore. Except the Nimby Movement which is the LDs secret weapon at local elections.
I do think that MN in that sense - not just because of the GC movement on it - is seen as something of a threat because its a rare place where debate still thrives in more than 256 characters. Its seen as radical, precisely because its simply not passive. Remember this is a period of time where Westminster has spent a significant amount of time legislating against protest rights, Labour has been terrified by the factionalism in its own ranks 'scaring off the middle classes' and the LDs have actively said that in order to be liberal and democractic it is essential to throw women with the wrong views out of the party.
Nothing says we support women voicing different opinions than the treatment of Natalie Bird (I know someone who saw it all unfold in real time at the time and was appalled.) I've had a LD lord actively privately admit to me that the party has a problem with bullying. You only have to look at the structure of the LDs and how few individuals hold executive positions across multiple LD groups to realise there is an issue with cliques.
If you have a 'face thats doesn't fit' then you give up before you even begin.
DH was a friend of a local councillor. One of the (many) reasons we fell out was because I found out he had told DH that I was 'overly opinionated' and that DH should get me to wind my neck in. He'd previously whinged that I'd been unwilling to stand for local elections. The cognitive dissonce is something thats shared by so many politicians at all levels.
Creasy and Nokes say that women shouldn't be gender critical and haven't had the guts to say 'I don't agree with GC women but it is essential to women in politics and democracy in general to ensure they are welcomed into politics, not demonised and actively participate in politics in a productive way within the system'.
Every time women are push out of the system by whatever bullying and marginalisation techniques (both of accident and by design), it only reinforces the message that 'politics isn't for me'.
You can't go on a webchat for encouraging women into politics and then say 'be nice, that subject is off limits and we've had enough of that now' precisely because that gives the opposite effect to the one you are trying to achieve, because it looks like a top down control which fails to listen and engage and allow women to say what they want on their own terms.
Its all about recruiting 'the right views' rather than the right people. We talk about diversity, but we only use the permitted parametres and measures of that as defined from above rather than actually being representative of the people.
The overall prism through which politics is viewed on in the UK is Them and Us in terms of politicians. If you are outside politics then its you v politicans. If you sign up to a party you are required to sign up to the leadership's already decided agenda with no descent, no room for personal nuiance. Instead of being self critical and trying to improve from within, you should say 'well look how bad the other party is'.
It is all just one giantic race to the bottom where women are reduced to holding the baby going 'Look I've got a wiggly baby like you' in an effort to try and get more women into politics rather than standing back, and saying 'what issues are disproportionately affecting women in society across the board. what are female social injustices. tell me about this, suggest ideas and examine the problems in a cross party fashion. what barriers have you faced.' etc etc.
You know talking to women like grown ups with an intellect and maybe have something worthwhile to add to the conversation.
'Be Kind' is so utterly stiffling, especially when that's the exact problem many of have faced if we are remotely interested in political issues and trying to get heard. 'Don't make a fuss'. 'Be grateful'.
So many of these issues about women going into politics are internal party matters. If you can't win the conversation within your own parties - in places where you hold a majority on a local council - then fuck me, whats the fucking point. Have a nice little campaign and stick 'Mum' in the title and sit flat on your arse going 'wiggly baby'.
Otherwise actually get involved in the grass roots properly. Rather than constantly telling women who are how they are doing it all wrong.