All-female shortlists are insulting and demeaning (From Western Telegraph)

All-female shortlists are insulting and demeaning

DEAR EDITOR, - I see that yet another political candidate has come to grief because of sex! What's new there, many of your readers will ask. Well, interestingly enough, the story of Labour candidate, Peter Law, adds a new twist.

Peter Law became the victim of sex discrimination (which, apparently is politically correct, if you call it positive discrimination) when he found himself excluded from the Labour Party shortlist of candidates for Blaenau Gwent - because it was restricted to women only.

It appears that this is fast becoming the order of the day. Indeed, I understand that the present Labour candidate for Preseli Pembrokeshire, Ms Hayman, was carefully chosen - from a list of women - to replace her predecessor, another woman (Ms Lawrence).

It is insulting and demeaning to womankind, to perfectly deserving male candidates, and to the electorate, to 'sieve, and then spoonfeed' candidates in this way.

It conveys two messages: firstly that in Labour terms women need preferential favours in order to get ahead in politics, and secondly, that the electorate is neither deserving nor respected enough to be granted full freedom of choice.

Equality and democracy or discrimination and dictatorship?

MRS L. RICHARDS Plas Bach, Letterston.