Harriet’s Half n Half

Acting Labour leader Harriet Harman told a Unite union conference in Manchester that Labour party rules should be changed so that half the shadow cabinet are women. She said the party had more women MPs than all other parties added together but still had twice as many male MPs; it was time for Labour women to step out of the shadows.

What is it about being a woman that entitles some to think they should have ‘equality’ by special privilege? Feminists have all but wrecked the Church of England with their false claims confusing vocations to the apostolic ministry with secular employment. They already have a short list of future women bishops expecting ultimate parity with men. How many male ministries must be lost for the sake of feminist ideology?

In the secular world, should a first-rate man be overlooked for a second-rate woman in the mistaken guise of equality? Men and women must compete on equal terms so that the best person wins. Using Ms Harman’ criteria the next calls will be for representation by minority groups as though office holders were incapable of seeing their needs.

'Half n half' completes a good curry but will only enhance the shadow cabinet if it occurs by natural selection.

Postscript

I read in The Independent that "Ed Miliband has strengthened his pledge to promote women to senior political jobs by supporting a plan to ensure half of the party’s new shadow Cabinet team is female". He previously advocated a third. Couldn't be anything to do with his bid for the leadership, could it? The same thing happened in the church. Once clergy saw which way the wind was blowing many 'saw the light' and had a change of conscience embracing the ordination of women contrary to the teaching and tradition of the universal church. Just look what's happened there.

A Question of Balance

Once again I allowed myself to become irritated by watching Question Time on Thursday. It was like a repeat of the Carol Vorderman show in drag with that offensive little pip-squeak David Starkey ranting from a similar Tory election script. Whilst I welcome a variety of opinions (within reason) such tirades become wearisome especially when formed from a narrow historical perspective. Some will recall his 2009 dismissal of the Scottish, Welsh and Irish nations as ‘feeble’. People in glass houses….

Much was made by most of the panel, and the Chairman of course, of the links between the Labour party and its trade union sponsor Unite as a result of its dispute with British Airways. That was fair game but what are we to make of the report that the Tories have forced the BBC to drop their intensive investigation into the affairs of Lord Ashcroft in the run up to the general election? Can the implication be that they have something to hide? So much for transparency and balance.

Of course funding isn’t a problem for the really high earners in our society. A joke was made on Sport Relief last night that if every footballer donated a week’s wages we could buy Africa. Not being a fan of round ball games I may be biased but I find the astronomically high wages of footballers offensive especially given the bad example many of them set with their aggressive behaviour and disgusting habit of spitting all over the pitch which is then echoed by yobs spitting on the street and spreading diseases. “Spitting spreads germs” is a sign we ancients recall seeing on public transport.

Just as, if not more, offensive is the reported £60m bonanza for the president of Barclays. From the Telegraph: “The package is based on a £384,000 salary, but through a combination of perks including share bonuses, Mr Diamond could earn more than 150 times that amount”. Ignoring the perks, can anyone deservedly earn a salary sixteen times that of the average wage even if he does want to build the biggest investment bank in the world - especially if it is on the back of the tax payer as Vince Cable aptly put it?

David Cameron’s plan to impose a tax on banks to repay the billions used to bail out financial institutions is most welcome as is Alistair Darling’s expected Government support for a global bank tax. Whoever wins the next election and by whatever means, someone needs to do something about these greedy bankers.