"I would have crossed dreessed to do it" John Snow on C4 - patronising?

[ziptoes]

Currently there's a debate on C4 news about the lack of women in UK politics and cabinet. Female guest (I missed her name) said that the TV debates were with male candidates, male interviewers and in a very masculine atmosphere. John Snow retorts that he would have "cross-dressed to do it". Is it me or is that the most ridiculously patronising comment, and probably a symptom of what men in the media and politics think of women?

[ziptoes]

Oops, dressed not dreessed!

[larks35]

I agree it is a patronising comment, I usually like John Snow too. Not watched the news recently as am a little sick of it (I over-indulged last week)

[wedlocked]

Yes Ziptoes I thought it was offensively patronising. Can't believe how marginalised women are in 2010 government. The new cabinet making decisions about the economic crisis etc. are nearly all men. Makes me cross.

[MarineIguana]

Women have a shockingly poor showing in government at the moment and it's been that way for a while.

On the plus side through the election campaign I've seen a lot of very senior female news anchors and correspondents doing a great job and never seeming secondary to the men.

[TheFallenMadonna]

In what way is it patronising? What does it show about how he thinks about women?

[MarineIguana]

I like Jon Snow though and it sounds like an off-the-cuff things for him to say, probably spur-of-the-moment silliness. But I do think they should have had one of our brilliant female journalists chairing at least one of the debates.

[scottishmummy]

oh god unclench a humorous quip,not post modern analysis of feminism.sometimes folk over analyse and pick up on any nuance or quip.this is one such case

[larks35]

I think it all went downhill when Betty Boothroyd retired. She was always the voice of reason in a very male-dominated forum.

When I think back now the Labour years had some great female politians - Mo Mowlam, Patricia Hewitt, Margaret Beckett, to name just a few.

I've purposely stopped watching the news so have no idea what kind of government we have now, but I do think that 1997 was a triumphant year for this country and I just don't feel the same can be said of 2010.

Maybe this is like the anti-climax we had in 1992 and hopefully sometime between now and 2015, we'll get the government and leadership we can embrace.