The Labour Party is set to introduce a new rule under which electorates will be able to prevent men from seeking selection as a candidate by restricting it to women only.
A copy of the draft rules were leaked to blogger Whaleoil and include a provision: "An LEC [Labour Electorate Committee] may request that NZ Council determine that only women may nominate for the position of Labour candidate for their electorate."
Labour's secretary Tim Barnett confirmed the rule change was included in the changes the NZ Council hoped to get approved at the party's annual conference in November. The proposal was from a working party set up after last year's conference, at which the party had set a target of 50 per cent female representation.
"It's a mechanism to get a more equitable caucus in terms of gender. Caucus composition has been stuck between 35 and the low 40s for the past 20 years or so."
So the "inclusive" Labour Party is going to exclude one gender from standing for nomination as a candidate in certain elections. Surely they're joking; right?
If they aren't joking, this is amongst the worst tokenism that we have ever seen. Women don't need to be demeaned or patronised in this manner; they are perfectly capable of getting ahead on their own merits. Frankly, Labour Party women should be insulted by this proposal.
Where's Helen Clark when you need her?
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