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compassDIRECTION FOR THEDEMOCRATIC LEFT

Parity for the party –– bbeeffoorree 22003333BByy VVeerraa BBaaiirrdd QQCC

December 2008

“it is up to Labour to changeinstitutions, change systemsand change attitudes. This iswhat Labour is all about:renewing Britain and making it fairer”

Compass publications are intended to create realdebate and discussion around the key issues facing thedemocratic left - however the views expressed in thispublication are not a statement of Compass policy.

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Parity for the party –– bbeeffoorree 22003333BByy VVeerraa BBaaiirrdd QQCC

Parity for the party–– bbeeffoorree 22003333BByy VVeerraa BBaaiirrdd QQCC

t is excellent that Gordon Brownhas announced that the SexDiscrimination (Elections) Act will be

extended beyond its 2015 sunset clauseto 2030. This will be a provision of theEquality Bill, which I will be taking throughthe Commons. However, even with thisextension, if Labour continues along itscurrent candidate selection trajectory wewill not achieve gender parity in theHouse of Commons until the year 2033.1

Undoubtedly this will be a cause tocelebrate: but today, in 2008, we shouldlament not just the fact that it will take solong, but that we will risk political damageby neglecting faster progress in themeantime. The party’s aggressive target of40% of the PLP after the next generalelection seems a long way off.

However, there is a concern that some inthe Labour party think that all womenshortlists (AWS) for parliamentaryselections, introduced by the Labour partyto boost women’s representation inparliament, are something only to beconsidered when we are in the politicalascendancy; something to be ditchedwhen times are difficult. They are a luxuryonly to be occasionally indulged – so goesthis misguided thought process.

Labour victories in 1997 and 2001 owedthe size of Labour majorities to women’svotes, who voted for Labour more readilythan men. Women’s swing to Labour in1997 was higher than men’s (11% vs 9%)2.And, by 2005, women were more likely tovote Labour than men were3. Themajority Labour currently enjoys wouldhave been in the mid 90s if just womenhad voted. On the other hand, a wholly

male electorate would have given us aprecarious 23.4

So, very clearly, an important part ofwinning for Labour at the next GeneralElection will be convincing women that weare on their side. AWS is the only reasonthat 95 out of 350 Labour MPs arewomen and 77% of the total number ofwomen in the House of Commons areLabour. This is owed largely to the 1997quantum leap in which 35 Labour womenout of 38 selected via AWS were elected,with 101 Labour women MPs in total, 65of them new to parliament.

Since 1997, emboldened and driven bythe new female presence in the PLP,Labour in government has accelerated theadvancement towards equality for UKwomen. The minimum wage which liftedmillions, the majority of them women,from poverty; maternity leave alleviatingthe impact on employment for mothersand sowing the seeds of more flexibleworking has been introduced; new rightsfor carers and better pensions; betterchildcare; Sure Start – the list is truly animpressive one.

Until 1997 we had all-party parliamentarygroups on whisky and beer, but none ondomestic violence. This was promptlyrectified by Labour’s new intake ofwomen. So all women shortlists changednot only the Labour party but alsoparliament in a progressive and cross-party way. This influence has resulted nowin a fully worked-out cross governmentalpolicy that is making conviction fordomestic assault virtually a given, so that itis much more likely that the incidence ofthis appalling crime can start to diminish.A clear example of how Labour’s use ofAWS has changed parliament and thecountry for the better.5

The link is that our triumphant list ofachievements would have been less likelywithout the impact of Labour’s womenMPs: their presence and advocacy havebrought to the top of the agenda issuespreviously marginalised. Policy areas like

childcare and maternity leave are issueswhich affect us all. It has taken AWS tobalance Labour’s social policy, which wouldhave been quite different without theinflux of women in 1997. This in itselfwould have been unthinkable without ourradical policy on all women shortlists.

In terms of approaching parliamentarygender parity, we have seen progress incountries such as Rwanda where a quotasystem in the new constitution followingtheir awful genocide mandated for at least30% of political posts to be held bywomen. There are now 48.8% women inthe Rwandan chamber of deputies,following 15 women candidates alsowinning in seats with open candidates.

Norway, too, has increased the number ofwomen in its parliament, in their case viavoluntary quota systems utilised bypolitical parties. The Storting (NationalAssembly) now has around 38% women.Labour has had even stronger success inWales, where the Assembly - thanks toLabour’s positive action - now approachesgender parity. Surely we can emulate suchprogress internationally and within the UKin our national parliament?

In fact, we have instead slipped backsomewhat in the House of Commons.There are now fewer female Labour MPsthan before the 2005 general election.Moreover AWS seems to lack the supportthat should, by now, be firmly entrenchedthroughout the party. It has certainly notbeen employed as often as it might havebeen, especially in recent selections. Its useappears to have been timid in marginalseats.

It is true that in our recent by-electionswe have selected two excellent women –Tamsin Dunwoody and Margaret Curran –without using AWS. This is to beapplauded. But there remain parts of thecountry where we need to do more toget more women involved at local leveland at parliamentary level. In Redcar andCleveland council, there is gender parity in

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both the Labour group and our Labourcabinet. This puts paid to the notionproffered by some in the north east: wewould like more women candidates, butthey don’t have the interest. Interest canbe soon doused by sexism and thedurability of boys’ networks.

The Labour party is committed toincreasing women’s representation inparliament. It must remain for the NECand for local parties to decide when andwhere AWS is used. But given thepositive affect of AWS in the past and itsdynamite effect in Parliament, we do haveto insist on the truism that AWS is anelectoral asset and not a disadvantage, asis having female candidates wheneverpossible. 6

For Labour to be as strong as it might, itneeds the proportion of women in thePLP and of our candidates to be as closeto 50% as possible. In one study, 91% ofparliamentary candidates suggested thatmore could be done to achieve moregender balance in parliament. 76% ofwomen agree, as do 63% of men. 7

Labour is the only party that has evertaken a firm position on this topic. It is thisboldness which has similarly won us threesuccessive general election victories.

For the Tories’ offer on equalrepresentation is weak. Whatevermodernising pretensions Cameron mayhave had, these seem to have retreated inthe face of resistance from theassociations (see the ill-fated A-list). And,some eye-catching selections aside, itseems clear that after the next election,the Tories in parliament will beoverwhelmingly white and overwhelminglymale. Masters of indecision, gesturepolitics and the ‘light touch’, they havemade noises about better genderrepresentation but refuse to take action.That they have only 17 women out of 190MPs, with a smattering of new candidateson the way will surprise no one on theLeft. The Liberal Democrats are also

unrepresentative: they have only 9 femaleMPs.

So, it is up to Labour to changeinstitutions, change systems and changeattitudes. This is what Labour is all about:renewing Britain and making it fairer, AndBritain will not be truly fair until theHouse of Commons is properlyrepresentative. Greater use of AWS canachieve that – hopefully even before 2033.

Vera Baird QC is MP for Redcar andSolicitor General

References

1http://www2.essex.ac.uk/human_rights_centre/news/audit_essex.pdf p62 Fawcett/ Ipsos MORI briefing onwomen’s votes, September 20063 Ibid4 Ibid5http://www.fawcettsociety.org.uk/index.asp?PageID=3906http://www.fawcettsociety.org.uk/documents/Women_MPs_increase_turnout.pdf

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