I WAS astonished to read last week that Kirstene Hair, the Conservative and Unionist MP for Angus, is urging more women to become involved in politics.
This from an elected representative whose own party has absolutely no women represented on Angus Council in its cohort of eight councillors. Their demographics are, let’s be honest, the opposite of diverse.
This from an elected representative whose own party is guilty of introducing the two-child cap, which limits child tax credits and Universal Credit being paid for more than two children – unless the mother can prove she has been raped.
This from an elected member whose government presides over more women, children and people with disabilities living in increasing poverty and being sanctioned by a punitive welfare benefits system that’s designed to squeeze people out.
This from an elected representative of a party that thinks food banks are fantastic, when in truth they are a symptom of a failed society. In the 21st century, how many of us imagined we would see hard-working families need to supplement their food supplies by approaching food banks? Food bank use in Angus has increased by 34 per cent in the last full year. I spoke to a local food bank volunteer on Friday last week and they are now starting to see the full, awful impacts of Universal Credit in Angus – Friday was their busiest day ever.
This from an elected representative of the government that has let down a generation of WASPI women.
This from an elected representative of the party that’s presiding over the catastrophic Brexit negotiations that are causing uncertainly and distress to hundreds of EU citizens in this country and their families, to the rural economy and agriculture, to care and NHS services.
I know Ms Hair knows the NHS and care sector in Angus needs an international workforce because I asked the question in a meeting with the Angus Health and Social Care Partnership which included Ms Hair, and that’s the answer we received.
Ms Hair references the UK’s first two Prime Ministers being women – they were certainly not feminists. However the Conservative and Unionist Party cuts it, it is not the party of feminism, equality and diversity.
I am, of course, biased, but I chose the SNP for a reason – a party that is open to equality and diversity and embraces it, and is led by an astounding woman of principle who is a feminist First Minister.
Today, 100 years and a week after some women – some women – were given the vote, women constitute 52 per cent of the population: we are not a minority. The first woman councillor in Angus was Gloriana Adams, who became a Baillie in Montrose in the late 1920s or early 30s, and it took us until last year for a woman CEO, Margo Williamson, to be appointed to Angus Council – so there is clearly work to be done.
The SNP has a gender balance mechanism within its ward selection process to help address this structural inequality in politics – it is a matter of pride that none of us needed to use it to become selected to stand.
Women make up only 21 per cent of this council. Out of 28 councillors, there are six women. SNP women councillors are 83 per cent of all women councillors (there’s one who is independent).
If Ms Hair wishes to see more women engaging in politics, she needs only to attend a Women for Independence or Common Weal Angus meeting, or see what’s happening on our social media sites. She should catch up with the 50:50 campaign, with Engender, with Scottish Women’s Aid, with Rape Crisis Scotland or with our many other violence against women organisations.
She will see that women are already hugely active in politics and doing politics differently. These women are making hugely difficult and complex decisions every day – not only about whether to stay in the EU or leave, but decisions no-one should have to make, such as whether to buy food for their children or heat for their homes, or forgoing period products because they are too poor, or swallowing their pride to ask the food bank for help, or to leave a violent partner.
If Ms Hair would like to engage with these groups, then perhaps she would like to join us at our local or national meetings. I’m sure our members would be delighted to have a wide-ranging policy debate with her.
There’s a Chinese proverb I love: “when sleeping women wake, mountains move”.
The women of Scotland are waking up.
Councillor Julie Bell
Kirriemuir and Dean (SNP); National Committee member, Women for Independence/Independence for Women, Common Weal Angus
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