All credit to Harriet Harman for using her position to advance the cause of gender balance significantly within the party and who now proposes a gender-balanced leadership which has been taken up by Peter Hain’s Refounding Labour to win. The solution proposed is electing Labour’s leader and deputy on a joint ticket with a deputy (of another gender), who would be nominated as a running mate by each leadership candidate, just as in the selection of US Presidential candidates.

It’s a proposal fraught with difficulties. Some, like Rob Marchant, will argue it’s a step too far; others that it weakens accountability and extends a leader’s patronage. Perhaps it will downgrade the post (if that’s possible) and the result would be all the more tokenistic.  But, if you want to ensure we don’t have an all-male leadership, which we’d certainly like to, it could be the least bad option. Continue reading →