Maybe I should fire back at Antonia (and the other women bloggers who attacked me) that they only agree with AWS because they want a seat and it improves their chances?

Yes Kerron, that is exactly the point of AWS. To improve the chances of a woman getting elected as an MP. You never know, one day we might go over the 20% mark (currently on 19.8%).

I don’t want a seat. But I do want more women to have a seat.

And having made my point, Antonia I suggest you close the comments on this thread as this probably isn’t the place to have this debate seeing as there are multiple threads about it on all our blogs.

I don’t think you have been misrepresented - Antonia’s linked to your comments and anyone who cares can read your arguments in your own words. If you have an alternative to all women shortlists which would do more to boost the number of women MPs and the number of women involved in politics, then please do write about it and I’d be happy to discuss it.

I don’t think anyone has suggested that you are a ‘johnny-come-lately on the make’ or a Blairite stooge or whatever. I’ve no reason to doubt that you would be a perfectly good MP, probably better than some that we have got at the moment. The problem that the Labour Party has at the moment, though, is that there are lots of people who would be absolutely brilliant MPs or councillors who never even think about standing for these posts because they assume that people like them don’t become Labour representatives, and that it is important to change that, even if it means that some people who work for an MP and are councillors already miss out.

Take care

Dan xxx

Mis-represented?

Yes.

That is the point I make to you.

Maybe I should fire back at Antonia (and the other women bloggers who attacked me) that they only agree with AWS because they want a seat and it improves their chances?

It’s a rubbish rubbish argument and one I would like to shy away from.

I note Antonia knows nothing about me and clearly has her own prejudices. For example describing me as a “white middle class man”. My father worked on the railways his whole life and my grandad was a miner - not especially “middle class” - but I note this doesn’t fit your stereotype you like to build up of me as some male chauvanist or something.

As I have said, what we need to do is encourage more women MPs, and more women grass roots activists. In fact more women in every area of the Labour Party and public life generally. However Dan, it seems that rather than have this discussion and see how we could implement this practically, you would rather a) mis-represent my position and my background to paint me as some sort of Oxbridge, middle class, Blair-ista and b) portray me as anti-women and wanting less women in politics - which is just totally false.

As someone who has worked as a local councillor for over 5 years in my local community and carried out various voluntary work (including youth work for a number of years) before this, I find it rather distasteful to somehow be portrayed as a Johnny-come-lately on the make.

All I asked was that Antonia said sorry for how she mis-portrayed my position, views and background in a post based on a comment I made simply stating that my local seat was to be made AWS.

But I welcome your sarcasm and ability not to discuss the issue at hand.

You may not like the fact that you got demolished for complaining that All Women Shortlists were bad with reference to how they were inconvenient for you personally, but that’s a weakness in your argument, not Antonia’s fault.

Take care

Dan xxx

I’d think again on that if I was you Antonia.

I’m still waiting for my apology. Thanks.

Are you really a woman? Not for me to say really but if you are and you gave your ex-husband everything, you’re a bloody fool.

I suspect, though, that you’re actually an agent provocateur for “fathers for justice”: in fact, a wizened old man drooling over your computer…