Political Motivation – 50 50 Parliament

Hello. Welcome to another episode of Political Motivation, here on the Women's Radio station. I'm Rosie MacLeod. This is the station that connects women all over the globe from our studio here in London. In this show, I take a look at the grassroots campaigners working to make the world a better place for women and girls. Now, one of the things that has been talked about a lot this November is the 100 years since the end of the First World War. I've heard it said that the Edwardian lady was the first casualty of the Great War, and that's because the fighting paved the way for women's emancipation. While the men were enlisted to fight, the women worked in the ammunition factories and were often known as canaries because the chemicals turned their skin yellow. For the first time, women were earning their own money, buying their own drinks, even drinking beer and cutting their hair short. The contribution that women made to the war effort secured voting rights for women aged 30 who fulfilled a property qualification. In 1918, for the first time, women could cast a ballot. While women have been able to vote for 100 years, the number of women entering politics remains very low. Men still outnumber women two to one, and at the last election, only 12 extra women were elected. At that rate, it's going to take half a century for there to be gender balance in Parliament. This issue hasn't gone unnoticed, so we've now got about 52,000 signatures on the petition. In this episode, we'll be finding out how antenatal teacher Frances Scott has been redesigning our democracy so that it better and more accurately represents and caters for the needs of women voters. If you haven't already guessed, she is the founder of the 50:50 parliament campaign. It's the fight to put more women MPs in Westminster until equal numbers of men and women are achieved. I'm here in London and I'm delighted to be joined by Frances Scott, who's been heading the 5050 parliament campaign. Hi, Rosie. Really great to meet you. Now, talk me through the campaign for a 5050 parliament. The campaign started in 2013 because I had been annoyed for about 10 years that Westminster didn't seem to understand the world of women. At that point, only 23% of MPs were women, so women were outnumbered three to one. And I could not believe that it was that bad and there were countries that were doing better than us, so I thought it was really important that we took action. My daughter said, well, Mum put up a petition copy the no more page three campaign. And so I put up a petition on change.org in November 2013 asking those who have the power to make Westminster better gender balanced. And here's how the campaign group decided to mark 100 years of women having the vote. It's a campaign that started back in 2013. Tell me what you're up to now. Well, we've got an exciting event happening in Parliament on 21st November, when we are asking every MP at Westminster to invite a woman from their constituency to Parliament that day. So we would urge women to contact their MPs for an invitation. It's going to be a massive Ask her to stand day, and we want Westminster overwhelmed with women on that occasion. The reason we've picked 21st November is that is the centenary of an act called the Qualification of Women's act, which is when women could first legally actually stand for Parliament. So although democracy has been around for about 2,000 years, women were actually only able to participate fully and actually stand for election 100 years ago. So it seems very sort of synchronistic on the centenary of women being allowed to stand, that Westminster should be asking them to stand. And we need to take action, because in those hundred years, there have only been 491 women MPs compared to 4503 men. And on the Green benches in the House of Commons right now, men still outnumber women two to one. And at the last election, only 12 extra women were elected. At that rate, it's going to take half a century for there to be gender balance in Parliament. I'll be dead and my daughters will be old. So we've got to do something about this. The reason it matters is because representation shapes policy and if you want to change things, you have to be in power. So we really urge women to contact their MPs and get an invitation to Westminster that day. It's going to be a terrific event with lots and lots of talks and workshops for women to attend and inspire them to get more involved in politics. And all being well, I will be there to report on that day in Westminster, so do stay tuned. So I had to ask the inevitable isn't it tokenism question, and I was enlightened. When I was preparing this interview, I realised how old I am, because I can Remember back in 2006, it would have been around that mark. Long before David Cameron was the Prime Minister, he was advocating for more female MPs in Westminster. And at that time, it sparked a lot of debate. And believe it or not, I actually found myself agreeing with Ann Widdicombe. Bizarrely, she said, I would like to see every female MP in that chamber be able to look a male MP in the eye and say, I got here by the same means that you did, and that is equality. How do you respond to the old age argument that it is tokenism and it is special treatment and not equal treatment? I regard gender equality of representation as a human right. If we look at the UN Declaration of Human Rights. Let me just see if I can quote it here. The peoples of the United nations have, in the Charter, reaffirmed their faith in the fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person and in the equal rights of men and women, and have determined to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom. So I see equal representation as a human right. It's absolutely essential that women have equal seats and equal say. The lives of women are as important as the lives of men. The experience of women is as important as the experiences of men. The opinions of women are as important as the opinions of men. Our lives tend to be different and that's absolutely why we should be involved in Parliament. Diversity leads to better decision making. So it's essential that our institution that is running the country and planning the future fully includes women. Now, the other thing that's levelled at this is people say, well, I want the best. And I find that a slightly insulting statement. There's an implication behind that that I don't really like to acknowledge. Of course, I want the best too. I want the best parliament. And to my mind, the best parliament is a parliament that includes women fully, properly, equally fairly, and recognises that their contribution is as good as men's contributions. So it comes down to the four Rs. Actually, it's about representation because representation shapes policy. It's about resources. We want our Parliament to draw upon the widest possible pool of talent, and that should include women. Women make up 50% of graduates, 60% of law graduates. And anyway, it's not just about having graduates in Parliament, it's about responsibility. It is women's responsibility to forge the future along with men. We need to take responsibility for the future of the planet, the future of our world, the future of our children and how they are raised. And it's also about respect. Parliament needs to be showing respect for women and their opinion and ensuring that its policies and procedures and working environments are attractive and enable women to participate equally. Yes. You cannot be what you do not see. You heard there that the 5050 campaign does not seek to get women into Westminster in order to fill quotas. It doesn't even ask for any quotas. It's simply a movement that encourages more women candidates to secure more naturally occurring presence of female MPs in the future. I've already mentioned that David Cameron was championing more women MPs back in 2006 and it seems that the desire to elect more women MPs to the House has been a long time coming. And what works against them is also nothing new. 2014 was a wonderful year. At the end of that year, the snp, well, in June that year there was a report produced by the all party parliamentary group, Women in Parliament, called Improving Parliament, where all the parties agreed that a gender balanced Parliament would be better. And there are some fantastic quotes from David, David Cameron and Ed Miliband in that report supporting 5050 parliament, basically. Then at the end of that year, Nicola Sturgeon was elected as leader of the SNP and she said that gender balance should be at the heart of government. I punched the ceiling when she said that. Then of course, 2015 started and the Women's Equality Party was launched in June that year, which was completely fantastic. I also was invited to speak at Canterbury University where a young woman called Rosie Duffield contacted me and asked to meet for a coffee. So we had a 10 minute coffee before I caught the train back to London. And she was clearly very interested in politics with a lot of good experience. And I said, look, you should stand. And she raised all the normal objections, oh no, they'll choose a man. And anyway, this constituency is Conservative and I'm a Labor supporter. I said, look, you never know till you have a go. She said, oh, it's been Tory for over 100 years. Anyway, what do you know? In 2017, we kept in touch. And in 2017 she stood for election. The Labour Party selected her, she stood for election and she was elected. So this is the germ of our Ask her to Stand campaign. This is where it started. It's important to ask women to, to stand. There's plenty of evidence, in fact, mainly done on research in America, that women need to be asked three times before they will consider standing. Qualified women, women who are in the occupations that men would normal, you know, from which men do stand, from which MPs are drawn. Take the law, for example. Women in these occupations are half as likely to consider standing than men. So that's why we urge women to come forward and we urge to ask them to stand. We all need to be asking each other and spurring each other on to Participate and get involved and not let the hurdles or barriers overcome us. And what do you see as the main barriers that prevent women from standing for Parliament? I happen to know that it's very expensive. You have to have a house in your constituency or the target constituency, or you need to have a base where you can do all the administration from. And obviously that comes with a rent fee. What are the other sort of barriers and obstacles that are preventing women from even standing for Parliament? Well, you're absolutely right to put finance out there. Obviously women earn less than men and in fact, much of women's work is unpaid, which doesn't make it unimportant. Many women choose to focus on parenting and do part time work so they have less money to spend on political campaigning. And you're absolutely right. To stand as an MP costs money. So money is one thing, time is another. Women tend to have less time so early on in their lives before they have children. There might be fewer barriers, but once women have kids, they like to make parenting a priority. And I've spoken to women who are at Westminster. It is difficult to manage family life when you're expected to be away from home for at least three days a week. And women do like to make parenting a priority. And I don't know why that is, or maybe we should be calling it out because men need to make parenting a priority too, but that can be a hurdle. But I would argue that there comes a point in your life as a woman when you're empty, nesting, when it is possible to participate more in these kind of, in this sort of occupation. So really we would urge Parliament to organize returnership programs and reach out to women who have got beyond childbearing or family life and are able to participate. And that's what major corporates are doing, people like Goldman Sachs, McKinsey, et cetera, they run returnership programs in order to attract talent back into the workforce. The other major drawback for women is, is misogyny, vitriolic Twitter abuse that they suffer online and in the media. And this really puts women off. Take for example, the Brexit Legxit picture in the Daily Mail, you know, that Theresa May and Nicola Sturgeon experienced. But it gets much worse than that. And Diane Abbott has experienced terrible Twitter misogyny and racism. And many women feel that they don't want to expose themselves or indeed their family to this kind of abuse. And this is really difficult. And I would again urge women not to let this kind of, not to be silenced by these Twitter trolls. Not to let this stop us from speaking out. We have every right to speak and what we have to say really matters. So it's important that we're there and it's important to support each other saying whatever we want to say. A little bit later in this episode, I'll be telling you how you can get involved in the 5050 campaign. But first we're going to go to a quick WRS women's radio station, Voice of Women Worldwide. Sarah's Universal Soul Show. What does your soul or spirituality mean to you? Welcome to future Classical Woman Awards with me, Stefania Passamonte on Women's radio station. Welcome back, I'm Russ Cain. You're listening to in conversation with on Women's Radio Station. I'm Angie. And I'm Patsy and we're open. Just to see what other programs we have on women's radio station, head to our website womensradiostation.com hi, my name is Michelle Bartlett, the founder of Live Laugh Love Ladies Club. We're looking for ladies to link arms across the globe. This is a new vibrant brand connecting women socially. Our club members enjoy great food, fun and inspiring speakers while making friends of all generations. If you're a social butterfly in your community, this fast growing franchise may be for you. Or we invite national companies to advertise within our closed network of members. Please visit Live laughloveladies Club. I'm Tamina Zaman, founder of Empower and Enrich. When it comes to money, do you clam up or get confused? Do you wish you could save more money or are you hoping you have enough for retirement? You are not alone. Many women want to be smarter with their cash but just don't know where to start. @empowerandenrich.org you will find a host of options to help you take charge of your finances and learn how to put your money to work for you in an easy, affordable way. Get in touch with me@empowerandenrich.org and let's change your future together. Women's radio station Voice of Women Worldwide presents future Classic Women Awards nominees concert Friday 23rd November at 7pm hosted by me, Stefania Passamonte with some of the most amazing nominees we heard so far on the program. It will be St. James Catholic Church, Marylebone. Please join us for a fantastic evening of classical music. Are you struggling with money? Turn to us as a national charity helping people struggling to make ends meet. Job loss, illness or bereavement can cause a real financial crisis. We give practical help to get people back on track. Whether you're thinking of having a baby, trying to get out of an unhappy relationship, or just unsure what benefits you may be entitled to, we can help visit turntous.org UK WRS women's radio station Voice of Women Worldwide Women's Radio station is a not for profit, community interest company. Supporting women is our passion. We're currently welcoming donations to help towards our running costs to keep this important initiative alive. To donate, simply head to our website. Every little will help. So far, 50:50 has secured the election of Labour's Rosie Duffield to the House. And a further 240 women have registered their interest in standing this year. That can only be a good thing. By the time this episode airs, the 5050 event in Westminster will have been and gone. But the fight goes on. Here's Frances on how you can be a part of it. But our main ask now is to ask women to stand. If you know a woman who would make a good mp, then you can ask her to stand via our website and we will send her an email encouraging her and inspiring her to sign up. And if she signs up to stand, then we can put her in touch. Our volunteers will put her in touch with the right people in the parties so that she can take the next step on the way to Westminster. So far this year, We've had over 250 women sign up to stand. And we support women, whatever their political persuasion and introduce them to whichever party it is that they might be interested in standing for. So that's a great result. We only need 116 more women to be elected to have gender balance in the House of Commons and that can't be a big ask. There are 32 million women that live in the UK, so finding 116 from 32 million shouldn't really be impossible. We just need those precious people on our green benches. We see this as a nonpartisan issue. It's a human rights issue. Women should have equal representation. Parliament is meant to be a representative body. Unlike corporations, they're not called upon to be representative, but Parliament is meant to be a representative body. All things being equal, you would expect half the seats to be taken by women. We do make up more than half the population, so we need to be sort of looking at the system and helping women overcome the hurdles and break down the barriers to political participation. So if you are or know a woman who would make a valuable contribution to local government or the Houses of Parliament, head to 50:50 parliament.co.uk askhertostand for more information thank you for listening. You can listen again at www.womensradiostation.com, where you'll find the links to other previous episodes. My Twitter handle is Rosie McLeod 4. If you want to tweet me or find out the latest updates about my programming, you can also listen to other interviews on my MixCloud page. Just head to www.mixcloud.com and search Rosie MacLeod. That's all for this week, but I do hope you'll tune in next time for another look at the grassroots campaigners making the world a better place for women. And I'll leave you with a track from Buckinghamshire artist Hannah's Yard. This is never gonna say I'm sorry Words with no meaning I don't tend to use without a reason why you call a truce Empty apology carry no weight so I've just one statement to make Regret's not a route that I'll take so I'm never gonna say I'm sorry I showed no remorse Though you're never gonna have to worry it's only because there is nothing in this world you make me hurt you, it's true so I'm never gonna say I'm sorry to you Push to the limit some cause so much pain Filled with regret try to make up again Left with the memories words can't erase what is there that they can say? Could one word take such pain away? But I'm never gonna say I'm sorry I've shown no remorse Though you made never gonna have to worry it's only because there is nothing in this world can make me hurt you it's true so I'm never gonna say I'm sorry to you since love is made home around us there's nothing there to put behind us there's just a clear road ahead. One will never see defied I guess that life is just decided to bless us with nothing to to regret so I'm never gonna say I'm sorry I'll show no remorse Though you're never gonna have to worry it's only because there is nothing in this world can make me hurt you true so I'm never gonna say I'm sorry to you no, I'm never gonna say I'm sorry to you. Hi. In England, I am Kilke John, but my real name is Kilke Van Buren. I'm a singer, actress and voiceover artist. I was born in the Netherlands and came to London in 2008. It took me a while, but between then and now I have learned to drink my tea with milk, find one big baked potato on a menu totally acceptable, and that talking about the weather is only always a way out. But do I still love cheese? Most certainly. Am I mad about tulips, windmills, pancakes, syrup, waffles and chocolate sprinkles for breakfast? Absolutely. Am I really that open minded and liberal? Quite. And last but not least, do I perform a daily clog dance? Well, perhaps, if you're lucky. In the Voice of Holland, I ask, what is it that makes a Dutch woman so Dutch? And with regards to the Dutch ladies living abroad, you can take a woman out of the Netherlands, but can you take the Netherlands out of a woman from Holland? And why is Holland also called the Netherlands? Anyway, join me and find out in the Voice of Holland here on Women's Radio Station. Welcome to Women's Radio Station, the voice of women worldwide. Hungry? An average woman eats about 2 to 3 kilos of lipstick in her lifetime. Women's Radio Station, we want to hear from you. This is Women's Radio Station. You're listening to Avril Price with Kitchen Sink Spirituality. It's Anna Kennedy talking all things autism. And my guest today is Karen Nunn. I listen to Women's Radio Station Women. The possibilities are endless. That's what makes us different. Hi, I'm Valentina Barbacci and I'm the Executive Director of Media Matters for Women. 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We give practical help to get people back on track. Whether you're thinking of having a baby, trying to get out of an unhappy relationship, or just unsure what benefits you may be entitled to, we can help. Visit turntous.org.uk Let me tell you about Jermyn Street Theatre. This is a secret theatre in the heart of the West End. Once found, never forgotten. This is where careers ignite, where playwrights take risks, where great actors perform just feet away from the audience. This is where magic happens. We would love you to join our mailing list or become a sponsor or just buy a ticket to one of our shows. The website is www.germanstreettheatre.co.uk. women's radio station is a not for profit, community interest company. Supporting women is our passion. We're currently welcoming donations to help towards our running costs to keep this important initiative alive. To donate, simply head to our website. Every little will help.