Brighton Short Breaks considers Brighton and Hove certifying its claim as the most Right On city in the UK this week with the fact that it is the first occurance a parliamentary election has considered an all-female listing of nominees.
20 years after Mrs Thatcher broke political history by becoming the first ever woman Prime Minister the charge that the halls of Westminster are still a macho club ring just as aloud as ever! So, Brighton and Hove’s whole female short list of Parliamentary candidates feeds some encouragement to a likely future exchange of basis in the sex proportionality in the political power world.
Being quoted in The Argus , Fawcett Society chief executive Ceri Goddard said: “If all the candidates are women that is cause for celebration but also concern that it has taken until 2009, whereas all-male elections are still the norm.
“The voters if Brighton can be pleased that whom ever they elect they will be a step closer to closing the gender gap in parliament where currently less than 20% of our MP’s are women – less than Iraq, Afghanistan and Rwanda.”
‘Less than Iraq, Afghanistan and Rwanda……… ‘ – personally that particular statement left me slightly embarrassed about the state of our political arena and interested as to the reasons for male domination above and beyond the old precedency that gentlemen should have it all their own way – and its a whole Pandoras box of discussion that is better left for some other time .
But my purpose here now is as – as always – to fly the flag for Brighton and Hove and demonstrate how ahead reasoning and politically awake our city is, and having a ratio of men to women in parliament more symbolic of the population, is in my judgment, a stride in the right direction!
