Quote of the day 27th July 2021

Most of the quotes in the "Quote of the Day" section of this blog are intended to be inspirational, cheering, or make a political point I agree with.

And I try to include at least ten positive posts in this blog for every post attacking another party or perspective. However, there are times when a quote from another party cries out to be repeated, in order to critically examine it, particularly when a Labour MP manages to put into a few words much of what is wrong with the Labour party.

Labour MP Jess Phillips did that recently when she told the Sunday Times

"The only way that a woman will become Labour Leader is if men don't stand."


Some people will read those words and detect an atrocious sense of entitlement. Others, including me, will see in them an admission that Labour is sexist to the core.

No men stood aside for Margaret Thatcher and she beat them fair and square to be elected leader of the Conservative party and then Prime Minister.

No men stood aside for Theresa May and she beat them fair and square and was elected the second female leader of the Conservative party and Britain's second female Prime Minister.

So Jess Phillips is saying that the Labour party can't manage something the Conservative party has done twice in the past few years - elect a woman leader on merit without rigging the election.

Perhaps Labour ought to apologise for all the accusations it makes about the Conservatives not being interested in women and look a bit harder at themselves.

Comments

Jim said…
I absolutely beleive in equality of opportunity. Regardless of sex, sexual orientation, skin colour or hair colour (even if they are a ginger :D )

Thing is that quote to me, rather than a sense of entitlement, it reeks of a demand for equality of outcome. Something we see a lot of these days. It may be that the labour party is extremly sexist, I dont know, It may also be that Kier Starmer was deemed as the best candidate.

I would have said if you want to become the leader then you need to up your game, you need to show you understand the issues ..............oh wait, yeah you would not have joined the labour party......

Though i think its a good thing that a female leader so far has not been "forced" by the labour party in a Dr Who kind of way. I think that problably would have happened had there been only one female candidate.

1:11 pm
Chris Whiteside said…
I don't think quotas or bans on candidates of a particular race or gender are a gpod way for any party to fight racism or sexism.

You can and should encourage could candidates of all kinds to come forward and bend over backwards to make sure they all get a fair chance - the present Conservative cabinet has as many women and members of ethnic minority groups in the very top jobs as Labour have ever had and it has been done without banning men or white people from standing.
8:16 pm
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