No women in BBC sports personality shortlist

The all-male shortlist for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year is a disgrace.

The Ironman world champion, Chrissie Wellington (pictured left), who was among the Observer's nominations for the award, said on Twitter: "No women in @bbcspoty top ten. Its not about me, its about the need to celebrate achievements of so many female GBR athletes. Disgraceful."

Read other reaction from sportswomen here.

The voting panel included lads mags Nuts and Zoo. Remember Danny Dyer?

End All Male Panels campaign

This letter is published in the Guardian today. Please go to this website (or endallmalepanels.wordpress.com) to add your support.


Hashtag for tweeters is #EndAllMalePanels

GUARDIAN LETTER TO EDITOR AND SIGNATORIES

Dear Editor

We are a group of women who have an interest in public or political life who have become increasingly concerned by the number of all male panels at policy debates particularly in Westminster and also across the country.

Recently advertised examples include the RSA’s “Tale of Two Cities” on whether Londoners are on the brink of “economic apartheid” – an event with three male speakers when we know women are disproportionately affected by the effects of the downturn. The IfG’s forthcoming “Policy by Twitter” event with four men – though we know many women in policy are not just active in social media but leading exponents.

As advocates and activists around gender equality, some of us in political parties, others not, we will no longer be attending events where there is an all male panel without exceptional reason and also be encouraging others to do the same. With few exceptions, most events – whether organised by men or women - could easily have been more thoughtfully planned with a better balanced panel. The benefits of this for all of us are clear – wider representation makes for more informed debate and better policy outcomes.

We strongly urge all think tanks or similar organisations to adopt a policy of no longer holding events without a consideration for gender balance.

For forward thinking organisations and particularly those at the heart of Westminster, we believe it is time to be following a higher standard of public life and debate, which is more in tune with expectations of increasing the presence and voice of women in all areas of our political and economic life.

Yours faithfully

1.      Seema Malhotra FRSA (Fabian Women’s Network and Management Consultant)
2.      Deborah Mattinson (Director, Britain Thinks)
3.      Emma Burnell (Blogger, ScarletStandard)
4.      Dr Monica Threlfall, Reader in European Politics, London Metropolitan University
5.      Dr Caroline Whalley
6.      Shaama Saggar-Malik (Director, Diversity In Public Appointments and Executive Development Consultant)
7.      Jo Cox (Director, Maternal Mortality Campaign)
8.      Dame Ruth Silver
9.      Anne Reyersbach
10.  Sophie Livingstone (Chief Executive, City Year London)
11.  Anita Pollack (Former MEP)
12.  Ivana Bartoletti (Editor, Fabiana and public sector worker)
13.  Rachael Saunders, Labour Women's Network and Tower Hamlets councillor
14.  Dr Laura Nelson (Senior Manager, Charity, and Blogger, Delilah)
15.  Vera Baird QC (Co-Director Astraea: Gender Justice)
16.  Melanie Smallman (National Secretary, SERA - Labour's Environment Campaign)
17.  Claire Leigh (Former Advisor Strategy Unit and Vice Chair, Young Fabians)
18.  Alison McGovern MP, Member of Parliament for Wirral South
19.  Kate Nustedt  Executive Director, WomenforWomen UK
20.  Fiona Mactaggart MP, Member of Parliament for Slough
21.  Olivia Bailey, Chair, Labour Students
22.  Christine Megson
23.  Felicity Slater (Masters student)
24.  Barbara Follett (Former MP & Former Equalities Minister)
25.  Carole Tongue (Former MEP and Chair UKCCD)
26.  Sheila Taylor (Bermondsey & Old Southwark Labour Party Secretary)
27.  Ellie Cumbo (Blogger, and Editor, Anticipations)
28.  Leonie Cooper, Co-Chair of SERA, and Wandsworth Councillor
29.  Cllr. Rohini Simbodyal, Edmonton
30.  Beverley Clack (Professor in Philosophy of Religion at Oxford Brookes University)
31.  Reema Patel, Law Student
32.  Helen Jackson, Former MP
33.  Neeraj Malhotra (Locum Consultant in Public Health, West Midlands)
34.  Ms Judith Cameron
35.  Alexandra Kemp, Chief Executive West Norfolk Women & Carers' Pensions Network
36.  Dr Kate Mckenzie
37.  Camilla Antrobus
38.  Scarlett MccGwire (Communications Consultant)
39.  Barbara Keeley MP, Member of Parliament for Worsley and Eccles South
40.  Jane Hanson FRSA Leading Learning
41.  Mrs Cathryn Nunnery
42.  Kirstin Hay (Student, Imperial College)
43.  Julie Fitzgerald (Management Consultant)
44.  Kate Grussing, Managing Director, Sapphire Partners
45.  Caroline Watson (Co-founder Progressive Women)
46.  Caroline S Dargan  Interim Headteacher and Education Consultant
47.  Anna Turley (Former Deputy Director NLGN thinktank and Editor of ProgLoc)
48.  Kathryn Busby, Co-director, National Campaign
49.  Sarah Hutchinson DPhil student, University of Oxford
50.  Professor Wendy Savage MBBCh, FRCOG, MSc(Public Health) Hon DSc
51.  Rebecca Rennison
52.  Lesley Abdela, Senior Partner Shevolution Consultancy
53.  Marie Bailey, HR Lecturer
54.  Ronit Wolfson, Account executive and London Young Labour Women’s Officer
55.  Rachel Jones FRSA and Chair, British Council for School Environments
56.  Nina Champion (Charity Project Manager and Croydon Community Activist)
57.  Nicky Gavron, London Assembly Member
58.  Dr Suzanne Franks, Centre for Journalism, University of Kent
59.  Rachel Briggs
60.  Dr Rupa Huq, Senior Lecturer in Sociology
61.  Professor Joni Lovenduski, Birkbeck College
62.  Janice Winter, MPhil (Oxon) Programme Manager, Axess Programme on Journalism & Democracy

Fabian Women go to Brussels

This article is published on the Fabian Women's Network website

“I’m not asking people to love the EU. I’m asking people to understand what it can do,” said Linda McAvan MEP, when she spoke to the group of Fabian Women who visited the European Parliament last week.

The extent of the work of the EU was one of the main messages that came through clearly in the presentations throughout the day. And what was striking was that many of the achievements are due to hardworking Labour MEPs, such as Linda McAvan and Arlene McCarthy – another MEP who spoke to us.

For example, Labour MEPs have campaigned for and influenced policies on food safety, food labeling, bank rules and climate change. “The EU is not all about flags and anthems – it’s about working rights, consumer rights and the environment,” said Linda.

Another key message was that we will always need deal with Europe, whether we are part of the EU or not. “If we haven’t got a place on the table, like Norway, we need to lobby other countries’ MEPs to represent because we still have to trade.”

As well as the themes about the importance and relevance of the EU, we heard from speakers about the structures – the Commission, the Parliament and the Council of Ministers – and an outline of how legislation passes between them. We also appreciated that a crucial skill that MEPs need to have is negotiating, as many decisions are based on consensus-seeking of MEPs in different parties.

The group on the trip, which was made up of women on the Fabian Women’s Network’s mentoring scheme and others, was full of praise for the excellent organisation of the day and the diverse and informative range of speakers. One delegate summed it up perfectly. “I learned more today than on my politics course.”

Prime Minister's Questions review: Job losses, poppies and border controls

'Cameron looked defeated as William Hague stifled a yawn' - article published today on Progress.

Who won?
The three themes of today’s PMQs were job losses, poppies and border controls and there wasn’t much else. David Cameron started off in a sombre mood, presumably because of this week’s Remembrance Day and the resultant general seriousness of the House. He even looked a bit weepy, knocked sideways by the first question and all its associated jeering about jobs and growth, the lack of both under his reign and the relaxing of red tape for companies, which means workers can be fired at a moment’s notice.

Ed Miliband used his opponent’s fragility to launch a strong attack. In a game of political tennis about border controls, Ed used his questions to castigate the failings of the home secretary Theresa May on her recently admitted mistake of relaxing borders over the summer. Forceful, coherent and calm, he hammered his point. ‘When things go wrong, it’s never anything to do with them!’ Cameron looked defeated as William Hague stifled a yawn. ‘It’s just not good enough,’ yelled Ed. ‘It’s a fiasco! The PM cannot tell us how many people came into this country over the summer!’ Ed was doing so well and there was so much support in the House that the speaker had to chip in and ask the members to ‘stop shouting their heads off’.

When all was going well for Labour, Cameron swooped in with his killer line. Regaining his usual cocky confident stance, he cautioned the leader of the opposition to listen to the Labour adviser and founder of ‘blue Labour’, Lord Maurice Glasman, who famously noted that too many people immigrated under Labour. An unfair comparison from Cameron, but, nevertheless, it worked. Verdict: a tie.

Best answer?
No real jokes today, but there were a few attempts at witticisms and political quips. When Labour’s Geraint Davies MP questioned the danger of losing voters alongside the constituency boundary review (registration will no longer be compulsory) – making the point that Cameron is forcing austerity on vulnerable people and taking away their right to vote – Cameron was ready with a sly response. Using the word fairness, Cameron quoted the number of people in Davies’ constituency, and compared it with a higher number in the constituency of an MP behind him.

Backbench watch
A bugbear of the backbenches was the poppy. Tory MPs Tracey Crouch and Alec Shelbrooke both asked questions and expressed outrage at Fifa’s ban on poppies on football shirts. Cameron promised to write to Fifa. MPs cheered in solidarity at the fight against football.

Women doing science. A refreshing endorsement

What do you notice about this advert? Yes, it's a female scientist. Congratulations to DHL for bucking the gender stereotype trend in their adverts. 

And the world didn't end, did it?

A refreshing sight in the mid of an advertising world that time and time again reinforces stereotypes and prejudices in our society about what different genders are best suited for.

For example, read my blogs about adverts for a financial company, football, football again, icecream (and mobile phones) and holidays.

Source of picture: DHL Express advert, Guardian newspaper.