Quote of the Day - 8 July 2013

Given Michael Laws' views on political correctness and the like, it's no surprise that he is not a fan of Labour's proposed Man-Ban. 

And just because this is something written by Laws, it would not be a good idea for the Labour Party mandarins to simply dismiss it. Under the heading Labour's sexist suicide mission Laws opines:

This past week though, one of this country's most significant policy-makers - the Labour Party - decided to make discrimination overt. To be fair, that is the intent of their leadership, rather than their membership. But the implications are clear.
To impose a strict gender balance upon their parliamentary caucus, Labour wants to have women-only contests for electorate nominations. Should a male apply, the plan is to reject them. Even if they are gay, brown or disabled.
At first sight, the policy seems patently absurd. At second, third and fourth sight, it gets worse. It would not only be illegal under human rights legislation, but it sends the clearest of political messages: that talent, experience and intelligence is irrelevant in New Zealand, and political correctness is everything.
And if this is the thinking of the Labour Party leadership in Opposition, you can imagine such thinking will spread across the public sector when Labour is returned to government. The prospect of women-only jobs and appointments looms large. An unofficial prejudice made official.
If Labour wants to know why it is stuck in a polling wasteland, and John Key seems destined to repeat Helen Clark's three-term administration, this policy proposal explains all. Five years in Opposition has taught them absolutely nothing.
Such sexist suicide sends shudders through us all, even women. If Labour's logic is applied, professions they dominate - teaching, nursing, the media - will require reverse quotas. And let's ensure strict gender quotas for specialist undergraduate schools like law and medicine because women also dominate tertiary education these days. 
Which is the really odd thing about Labour's policy: it fails to recognise the massive societal change under way. It is actually young men who are under-achieving in the new currency of learning. And that will have massive implications for the next generation.
But obviously men aren't under-achieving enough for the Labour Party hierarchy. Some artificial nobbling is also required.
Especially, it would seem, of their party's electoral chances next year. 

"Sexist suicide"; we can see that line slipping into the political vernacular as easily as the expression Man-Ban already has. And epithets such as that will continue to haunt Labour in the months ahead.

So they should; tokenistic policies which are demeaning to women have no place in politics.