Despite the off-putting title (I am woman - hear me roar - puh-leeese!) the Equality South West Womens' Day conference was well-organised.
The speakers were a mixed bag - from traditional militant to downtrodden. Mainnly unprepared and poor communicators.
Frankly, the delegates were a lot more informed and intelligent than the supposed experts.
Tracy Smith (above) was a last-minute replacement,and at least she had a personality and spoke movingly about being a child of alcoholic parents.
However, I can't help thinking that this sort of special pleading is outdated and in many ways counter-productive.
The real benefit of 20th Century feminism has been to give us choice.
Not to make us feel guilty if we want to be a wife and mother rather than run a merchant bank.
Though, perhaps more common sense and less hubris would have prevailed if women HAD been running merchant banks...
Oh dear - I seem to have caught the "superiority of women" vibe.
As I always say, pick the best person for the job. Not the whitest, blackest, gayest or most female!
Positive discrimination leads to mediocrity and mediocrity gives us the likes of Hazel Blears in a Cabinet position. Case closed.
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