Labour critics hit out at all-women shortlists
Selection's looming for a stream of Labour seats but there's already a fuss about the party's insistence on all-women shortlists.
Newcastle Central is among those which has been told it will only be able to select a woman.
Durham North West is also a possible all-female list, though I gather some in the constituency are still hoping to avoid it.
In any case the suggestion has not gone down well with some in the party.
You can imagine the reaction of an ambitious local Labour man.
He waits patiently for his local seat to come up, only to find when it does, he's the wrong sex.
And some have pointed out that the North East south of the Tyne is not short of women MPs.
If Labour holds all its seats in the area, there will be at least eight after the next election.
(City of Durham, Durham NW, Stockton S, Bishop Auckland, Redcar, Sunderland Central, Washington and Sunderland W and Houghton and Sunderland S).
But then isn't that a sign of success? It's still fewer than half of the seats in the area, and nobody makes a fuss about the number of men selected.
And if Labour wins in Newcastle Central (you can check out the rumours on Labour runners and riders here) she will be the first female Labour MP ever to be elected north of the Tyne since 1950.
And there's never even been a woman MP in Cumbria.
Grumbling men may want to reflect on that before deciding to feel too aggrieved.
The Moss week:
Reading: The Decline and Fall of the British Empire by Piers Brendon - Feeling nostalgic for the days of Empire? You won't be after reading this.
Watching: Usain Bolt re-write the record books. I'm considering adopting his "bow and arrow" salute when nailing a particularly good interview!
Clicking: Twitter. I'm still getting to grips with it but if you're bored of following Lily Allen or Stephen Fry and are desperate to add a minor regional celebrity to your list I'm on there as Richardpolshow.
I'm Richard Moss, the BBC's Political Editor for the North East and Cumbria. Welcome to my irreverent - but hopefully insightful - northern take on reporting politics for Look North and the Politics Show.
Comments
Sign in or register to comment.