In a joint press conference, that resembled the end wedding scene from an American rom-com, Dave and blushing bride Cleggy heralded the dawn of the new politics. The press conference was a bit scary, I was waiting for the choreographed doves to fly down from the sky with a heart made entirely of flowers – but alas Steve Hilton and Andy Coulson clearly weren’t feeling that.
Dave left the press conference as he had to go and finish appointing his shiny new cabinet, but what has struck me, as it has quite a lot of other people in twitterworld and the blogosphere – there’s only one woman in the new Cabinet.
I’ve been waiting all day for this to change, but it hasn’t as of yet (i’m writing this at 5p.m). Isn’t this to be the new politics? the age of pluralism and fairness? It seems the new government doesn’t think a Cabinet with women in it falls into this new politics.
The one woman who has made the cut is Theresa May. I’ve never been much of a fan of Theresa, firstly because she’s a Tory and reminds me of Edwina Curry and secondly because she ducked out of PMQ’s and let William Hague face Harriet Harman instead. I’ve never understood why Theresa felt the need to chicken out, to have to women facing each other not only in Parliament, but crucially in PMQ’s would have sent a huge message that politics is no longer a man’s world and is now entirely open to women, and a place where women can succeed and get right to the top.
Theresa is now replacing Harriet Harman, (who has tirelessly fought to get equal opportunities for women in this country) as Minister for Women, as well as being Home Secretary. I’ed love to know when exactly Theresa is going to have any time at all to do any work for women – is this another sign that the new government really doesn’t care about equality for women?
CORRECTION: There are now two women in the Cabinet, but still only Theresa in any kind of senior ministerial position.
Caitlin Fitzmaurice 