Positive Inaction: London Lib Dems Day at the Races

Iain Dale lobs his fork across to a neighbouring glass house (rather than curry house, read on) at the Lib Dem list for the London Assembly elections. This is it seems very geographically skewed to South/SW London and has no Black and Ethnic Minority candidates in winnable positions. There is some interesting commentary in both places.

The LD list does have two women in the top three (though no more in the top six) whereas it may be that the Tories have no women at all on the LA after the next election. And many of us remember the toys flying out of the IDD pram when CCHQ announced some positive action which might marginally increase the female representation in the Tory MEP group ... from the current ONE.

Here's the CCHQ statement:

The Board of the Conservative Party has reached a decision in principle on the method for selection of candidates for the European Parliament for the 2009 election. Sitting MEPs who have been re-selected following a procedure similar to that laid down in the Party’s constitution for Westminster MPs will be placed in ranking order by party members in a postal ballot. Members will also be asked to place additional candidates in ranking order. In the wholly exceptional circumstances that there will be no sitting MEPs who are women seeking re-election, and for this selection process only, the top position in each region below any reselected sitting MEPs will be occupied by the woman candidate who gets the most votes in the postal ballot. Detailed arrangements will be developed in the coming weeks.

"In the wholly exceptional circumstances" etc incidentally was and is absolutely amazing double speak, absolutely effing amazing as Dale might say himself, as this is so exceptional that it seems to apply to ALL BUT ONE of the Regions! Tories have one woman MEP Nationwide. Yet the Tory Boy Bloggers are furious about men losing out.

Dale's conclusion: "Why any self respecting male would want to put themselves through this process is beyond me - not that I can see any attraction in being a Euro MP anyway." The comments from the "equality party" are priceless.