Joanne Cash is prospective parliamentary candidate for Westminster North.
We are all agreed that politics is in crisis. The public are disenchanted with all parties. Apathy is at an all time high and as they say in any relationship “indifference is the killer”.
In my view the fact that parliament is still largely comprised of white middle class men who look and sound the same is a significant part of the problem.
Parliament needs to be significantly modernised and reformed. Having pledged to fix our economy, our society and our politics, it falls to us to lead the way on this. Part of that involves ensuring plenty of female MP’s in the next parliament.
The reality of day-to-day life in Britain in 2009 is that 70% of women work, making up half of the national workforce. Those same women are at the heart of British families as opinion formers and consumers. The harnessing of the energy and goodwill of these women will be vital to implement the policies necessary to repair a broken Britain.
Yet at present only 30% of our Candidates’ list is women. We clearly need to encourage more women to consider a career in politics. The public is entitled to ask itself why we select such a low proportion of women and telling them it is because there is a low number on the list only begs more questions. We must do something to break that vicious circle. Until the far-reaching change needed in politics has come the least we can do is improve the chances for the 30% of women who are on our candidates’ list so that our party becomes more representative of the country it seeks to govern.
Dave’s proposal would not be needed if so many Associations weren’t so resistant to change. They like having the type of (white, male) candidates they are used to. It may not be conscious but it feels familiar and safe. If that isn’t the case - if it didn’t require audacious intervention by David Cameron - how come Priti Patel took so many years to find a winnable seat, or Jane Ellison or Andrea Leadsom or the many other brilliant women candidates selected since Dave became Leader?
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