Government reshuffle

[AmberTheCat]

The Fawcett Society is (guardedly) positive about the increase in the number of women in the cabinet:

Despite the inevitable heckles of tokenism and of a last-ditch attempt to appeal to women voters, the increase in women at the UK’s top table of power should be welcomed as an important shift in the right direction.

Ahead of the 2010 General Election, David Cameron pledged to make a third of his Ministerial List female by the end of his first term. Today’s reshuffle – which takes the percentage of women in Cabinet from 14 to 26 per cent – makes progress towards this.

What do we all think?

[sausageeggbacon11]

After what Ester McVey has been saying/doing with the disabled I hope she gets sacked. But Camoron is going to have to make numbers to please people. The woman is one of the most hateful figures in politics and I truly despise her attitude.

[scaevola]

Cabinet posts are senior ones. So unless you're going to take a punt on a complete newcomer to Westminster (which doesn't seem to have hapoened with either sex) you'd need to be looking at women who were in Parliament before 2010.

Please correct me if I misheard, but I was listening to a commentary earlier today. There were 12 female Tory MPs pre-2010 and 8 of them have ministerial posts, and it could have been higher had not the LibDems had their share of posts (how do the Lib Dem figures compare? Anyone know?)

Basically, there aren't enough women in parliament. And that's not just a one party issue.

[ajandjjmum]

Damned if he did, damned if he didn't!

[SevenZarkSeven]

I have come around the the way of thinking that any women in power is better than none.

Some of them are right bastards / arseholes sure but so are the men they are there instead of.

And generally females are going to have more of an interest in things that affect them / have affected them and theirs. That for a man might well simply not be on his radar.

So overall, a good thing. If it's got to be tories then better a mix of sexes than just male ones.

[CaptChaos]

On an individual level, I am glad that Gove has gone, because frankly, he's a bit of a twunt. I am not at all sure about his replacement though. I know people who went to school with her, and have kept in touch, and she does display some very odd beliefs about who should go on to tertiary education and some even odder ones about women. It will be interesting to see if she can keep a lid on them during her ministerial term.

[PetulaGordino]

It's only to be expected that women who toe the party line will be promoted. But we need people to be accustomed to seeing women in power, so that it becomes normal and expected and no longer comment-worthy, and that needs to be women of all political persuasions really

[CaptChaos]

I agree Petula. I also agree that the whole govt has very odd ideas of what education is about.

[scallopsrgreat]

Nicky Morgan voted against same-sex marriage and for restricted abortion access. There is someone who is completely unaware of her privilege or wants to maintain it. Worrying she is now in charge of education.

Overall though I think I'm with SevenZarkSEven. She is no worse than Gove or many of the other men in the Conservative Party echelon. And having women in power, whether you agree with them or not, whether they are fighting for women or not, is more positive than not having them there at all.

[PeckhamPearlz]

Yes, regardless of what you think of these specific women, it's clear that their promotion was driven by a perceived need to have more women in the cabinet. And when even the tories start thinking like that, it's got to be a good thing.

Hopefully there will be a ratchet effect for the next government (of whatever colour).

[scallopsrgreat]

And just in case we are in any doubt as to women's place in the world

[weatherall]

The way it has been reported is the reason we need fundamental change.

Having more women there, even if I disagree with their politics, creates role models for girls today. This is a good thing.

Growing up during thatcher's years I wasn't aware of her politics but I grew up knowing that women could do any job. Which is better than my mums generation.

[BriarRainbowshimmer]

www.newstatesman.com/media-mole/2014/07/new-boys-block-your-guide-kings-downing-street-catwalk

[SevenZarkSeven]

lol briar that is brilliant

[AmberTheCat]

Good article! They missed the opportunity to tell us how many children Dave's Dashers have, though, and how they plan to combine their new roles with their responsibilities as fathers...