" British politics has become. Gordon Brown deserves to lose the General Election because, like the ass-headed character of Bottom, his comparisons are often odious. I'm thinking of his latest podcast which compares economic recovery with the convalescence of footballer Wayne Rooney from minor injury (a sprained ankle).Therefore, let us all rejoice, as Mrs Thatcher might have said, that the Prime Minister will today ask the Queen (image courtesy of Wikipedia) for the dissolution of Parliament. The burden is already lifting as far as I'm concerned !
However, Her Majesty aside, British politics is short of "Herd Matriarchs" these days and much the worse for this. In New Labour's case, they appear to have been pretty much "Folletted". Barbara Follett - yes She of the recent expenses scandal despite being married to a millionaire - some may remember was creator of the so-called "Blaire Babe", a sort of political Barbie Doll, now unfortunately somewhat the worse for wear !
Where is the Angela Merkel or Nancy Pelosi of British politics I ask myself ? There are undoubtedly women of talent in all the main political parties, and the Greens have a very able female leader, but I don't seen the New Mrs Thatcher on our political horizon. Quite the opposite in fact, when David Cameron described himself as "probably not" a feminist, I think we all knew that this meant. Personally, I don't look to the New Politics for a resurgence of feminism, as all our male party leaders would be easily upstaged by a serious female contender for power, and will, therefore, do their utmost to ensure that such a woman does not emerge.
In the meantime, British politics has become a "Boys's Game" from which mature women are significantly sidelined, albeit that some younger "cheer leaders" are allowed centre stage from time to time to help rally the crowd, along with the leaders's wives, of course. The media have been their prime allies in this, with market research apparently conveying the view that Jo Public does not like to see women of a certain age on screen, and only then when they have been heavily made over to look like the "Living Dolls" identified by contemporary feminists.
How did this New Old Lad Culture, with its odious comparison of footballer Wayne Rooney's injury to the parlous state of the British economy , arise ? I partly blame New Labour's State Nannies like Harriett Harman and Tessa Jowell, who have eschewed Herd Matriarchy for male approval and the Living Doll look themselves. However, the problem goes much deeper than this, and the "feminised" contemporary British Man with his football joke and similar comfort blankets, has ultimately turned out to be the main obstacle to modern feminism and the substantial exclusion of the Herd Matriarch from British politics. Just look at the sorry state of play we're in as a consequence !
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