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No female MPs on vital Cabinet Committees
Ahead of this afternoon’s backbench business debate to mark international women’s day, the Hansard Society has compiled a Briefing Paper, Women at the Top 2011: Politics and public life in the UK highlighting some current issues and statistics.
Key facts include:
• The machinery of government has been reorganised by the Coalition government but there are no women on the new Coalition Committee or the Coalition Operation & Strategic Planning Group
• Of 184 Cabinet Committee and Sub-Committee seats, just 32 are occupied by women
• There are no women at all on the Economic Affairs Committee, the Banking Reform Committee and the Public Expenditure Committee
Dr Ruth Fox, Director of the Hansard Society’s Parliament & Government programme and joint author of Women at the Top 2011: Politics and public life, commented:
‘When the country is facing enormous economic challenges it is very worrying that women are completely absent from the Cabinet committees that are making vital decisions about economic and banking reform and public expenditure. How the economy is shaped for the future will impact on the lives of women across the country yet the voice of women is not being heard around the decision-making table.’
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Editorship of Parliamentary Affairs: Call for
Applications
The Hansard Society is seeking to
recruit a new editor(s) for its journal, Parliamentary Affairs. Founded
in 1947, Parliamentary Affairs is a peer-reviewed academic quarterly
journal of representative politics covering all aspects of politics and
government directly or indirectly connected with Parliament and parliamentary
systems in Britain
and throughout the world.
It has a long-standing reputation
for providing well-written, non-technical surveys of developments in politics
and government that are accessible to a broad range of audiences including
specialist researchers, practitioners, politics students and teachers as well
as readers with a general interest in British and comparative politics.
The editorship provides a unique
opportunity for an academic(s) to work collaboratively with the Hansard Society
and Oxford Journals to develop this highly regarded journal in the future,
particularly focusing on its commitment to reach beyond the boundaries of
academia to engage more widely with those working in and interested in
politics, Parliament and the democratic process nationally and internationally.
The deadline for applications
is noon on Friday 15 April 2011.
Applicants will be informed as to
whether they are to be shortlisted for interview by Friday 6 May.
Interviews will take place on
Monday 16 May in Oxford.
For further information and details
about how to apply, download the Call for Editors.
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The first of this year’s HeadsUp forums will take place from Monday 7 - Friday 25 March. To register your class, a year group or even the whole school visit www.headsup.org.uk
The HeadsUp forums give 11-18 year olds the opportunity to discuss and debate topical political issues, supporting the citizenship curriculum, but offering opportunitites for other subjects too.This forum will focus on Foreign Affairs and issues surrounding defence, international aid, the conflict in Afghanistan, and Britain’s relationships with it's allies. Are Britain’s policies on these issues making a difference to people around the world?
The forum is not only a chance for students to discuss issues with their peers up and down the country, but is also a chance to debate with influential decision-makers. Listening in and taking part in this debate will be: Foreign Affairs Select Committee member, Bob Ainsworth MP; former Ambassador to South Africa, Lord Boateng; Vickie Hawkins, of Medecins Sans Frontiere; Andrew Millar, from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office; the Shadow Secretary for Defence, Jim Murphy MP; and the UK Conservative Foreign Affairs Spokesman in the European Parliament, Dr Charles Tannock MEP. We hope to annouce more decision-makers soon...
Anyone can view the debate as it happens [visit this link from the 7 March] and a report will be produced at the end to be sent to a broad range of relevant decision-makers so they know what young people think about foreign affairs. If you know any young people that would like to take part please send them here to register.
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Wednesday, March 16, 6.30pm, Grand Committee Room, Parliament, Westminster
Alongside the Hansard Society's Michael Raftery - Director of the Citizenship Education programme, a distinguished panel of speakers comprising Rt Hon David Blunkett MP - MP for Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough and former Education Secretary, Craig Whittaker MP, member of the Education Select Committee, Laurie Penny - Journalist and Blogger, Aaron Porter - President of the NUS and Adam Crabb, campaigner, Bite the Ballot will debate a wide variety of issues affecting young people and their relationship with politics and the political system, including:
Are politicians and young people talking at each other rather than listening to each other?
Have politicians just paid lip service to the idea of getting young people enthused and knowledgeable about politics?
Do we need more imaginative and entertaining political literacy education in schools and colleges?
For further details please contact the Events Coordinator, Gillian Reeves:
E: hans_admin@hansard.lse.ac.uk
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If you’re interested in taking part in a unique political internship in the Houses of Parliament, a UK government department, a campaign organisation or the media, as well as studying courses in British politics taught in association with the London School of Economics & Political Science, you can now apply for the Summer 2011 Hansard Scholars and Research Scholars Programmes.
Summer 2011 really will be a fascinating time to be involved in British politics and you can be a part of this – witnessing the debates, decisions and developments first hand as they emerge.
