I rather liked Guido Fawkes's recent characterisation of the Victoria Derbyshire show as wall-to-wall "nurses pay and preferred pronouns", and it certainly lived up to that reputation today.
This was how Victoria Derbyshire herself introduced the International Women's Day segment of the programme this morning:
Happy International Women's Day! Its goal is to achieve gender equality for all - at school, in our health service, in our workplaces, our home life and so. What's it like to be a woman in Britain in 2018? What's it like to be a girl in Britain in 2018? We've gathered nine women and girls from all walks of life to answer that question. Let me introduce you to Yewande Akinola, who has worked in construction for 11 years. Sam Spence, a health visitor for the NHS. Victoria Usher, she runs a global PR agency whose board is made up two-thirds women, most of them working mums. Charlotte Usher is Victoria's 11 year-old-daughter. Marchu Girma arrived to the UK as a refugee and now helps other female refugees. Sharon Spice, an actor and playwright who says she was once paid less than a white woman to do the same job. Michelle Russell says she appreciates women more than ever after she was recently involved in a sexual harassment case at work. She's here with her 15-year-old daughter, Esme. And Hayley Smith, who says International Women's day inspired her to set up a campaign to make sanitary products free for homeless women.
If these women represent "all walks of life" in Britain today then I'm a monkey's aunt!
Incidentally, if the VD show wanted nine females to represent Britain in 2018 they could have invited along our present head of state (HM the Queen) , our present prime minister (Theresa May), our present home secretary (Amber Rudd), the present first minister of Scotland (Nicola Sturgeon), the present director-general of the CBI (Carolyn Fairbairn), the present general secretary of the TUC (Frances O'Grady), the present commissioner of the Metropolitan Police (Cressida Dick), the present chair of the London Ambulance Service (Heather Lawrence) and the present commissioner of the London Fire Service (Dany Cotton).
Then on Radio 5 Live this morning the theme appeared to be that commercial organisations should submit to any demand from any woman, never mind how it impacted on their bottom line.
ReplyDeleteOne woman was enthusing about how the company she worked for had had a 100% female board until very recently as a matter of policy (isn't that illegal?).
Then we were treated to the presenter's tear-jerking story about expressing milk insufficiently so on the drive home her top was getting wet... I say tear jerking but my tears have not been jerked, given I recognise that thousands of men across the country are suffering physical discomfort at work but are just getting on with it without seeking a platform on Radio 5 Live to have a whinge.