Monday 19 November 2012

Not a good day for women in politics, or indeed women

Things that have riled me today:

1.  Mis-reporting of Julia Gillard's speech calling out Tony Abbott's misogyny - The speech did not begin with "I will not be lectured by this man..." at all, it began with "I will not be lectured about sexism and misogyny."  Reinvention to turn it into a personal attack on Abbott, as opposed to a statement opposing the systematic marginalisation and covert hatred of women in the Australian political environment is NOT HELPFUL.

2.  John Key forgetting that the Greens have two leaders.  Guess which one he forgot?  

3.  Invisible women at the Labour Party Conference too it seems, at least according to the vox pop TV3 News undertook on Saturday night (all Labour party fellas, not online) and the photos of Saturday from the Listener (which I must say are very good pics).

4.  No resolution to the funding crisis threatening Auckland's 24 Hour rape crisis helpline, despite repeated promises from this Government, year after year, that they will sort it.  I've had an Official Information Act request in for further info on how they have been working on this, made October 15th, but as yet haven't received any actual information as it bumps around between Government departments.  Unacceptable that yet again essential services that primarily assist women are cut.  I'm very very tempted to suggest we divert some men's sports funding to cover this one.  

Ok, that's enough of my grumpiness - what's getting your goat today?
"The only winner out of this will be [Greens leader] Russel Norman."

Read more: http://www.3news.co.nz/Keys-weighs-in-on-Labour-leadership-row/tabid/1607/articleID/277255/Default.aspx#ixzz2CdNAKwjN

6 comments:

Chris Miller said...

STUDENT ALLOWANCE CUTS TO POST-GRADS. Making it even harder for low and medium income people to get a leg up and royally fucking over everyone who's halfway through. Esp considering low income usually = ethnic minorities and women.

Giarne said...

Sounded like a great conference for women (and some awesome women voted into good positions) - however I totally agree that the media aren't covering women, unless to embroil them in the leadership machinations. Sigh!

Alison K said...

With respect to a positive analysis of Julia Gillard's speech, have you seen The Eloquent Woman (http://eloquentwoman.blogspot.co.nz/2012/10/famous-speech-friday-australias-julia.html)? - I was kind of feeling like the impact had passed, but sadly, clearly not, given how you started this post ...

I see Eloquent Woman as not overtly political or feminist, but doing really interesting work by supporting, promoting & celebrating women

K said...

I don't see why the hell we don't divert some of that sports funding.

Or the money promised to Warner Bro's - all 10,000,000 of it.

What would our future be like if all sexual abuse services received priority funding?

Anonymous said...

This:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10848889

"Sarah Cafferkey made a fatal mistake when she befriended Steven Hunter and kept in touch over Facebook."

It was obviously her own fault she got murdered. She should have checked his criminal history before friending him on Facebook.

Cara

Julie said...

Thanks for the link Alison K, interesting read. I'm not without criticism of Gillard, and that speech, however it does seem to have been a real breakthrough point for a lot of women saying "actually, yeah that isn't ok and it happens to me too." I've found myself increasingly angered by the everyday misogyny I face this year, particularly when I have the very real example right in front of me of the difference in treatment that my male partner and I receive in the exact same job.

I would have very much liked Gillard to be more explicit in her rejection of what the Speaker had done. I think there has been a lot of resonance of her carefully channelled anger at casual everyday blokey sexism. I wish I could be that eloquent when I encounter it.