Sandi Toksvig's forms a new political party

After reading your post Teetime I looked up the article and am as intrigued as you are. I for one am sorry she has left NQ as she has been a fantastic host and I had wondered why she wasn`t hosting 2 shows in the last series but nothing was said as to where/why she wasn`t there - is it possible she had already left and the BBC were playing it close to their chest?

As to setting up a new political party she certainly has the charisma but is that enough?

My initial reaction is that simply focusing on women's issues will not run.

Didn't esther Rantzen try something along similar lines? Or did she just stand as an MP ?

I agree with whitewave not enough to focus on womens issues at all.

Infact it annoys me that they even say "womens issues".

Here's the report. I'm in two minds about this and need to know more.

I can see that this party might be a good vehicle for highlighting those concerns that she has outlined. I doubt whether they would get elected MPs, but as a pressure group they could be very effective and help to bring inequalities to the fore.

I agree that women's issues is not a broad enough spectrum, but a pressure group type party might achieve things where the "big" parties have failed because they focus on other things first.

The Green Party started out like that. And the National Health Action Party.

gillybob, I'm with you I don't like this separating off stance, although of course there are issues that only affect women. Separatism is often divisive by it's very nature and smacks of exclusivity which under other guises most of us abhor. We are all part of the human race not a separate species.

I admire Sandi Toksvig and think she is erudite, very funny (without being crude or vulgar) and a terrific writer, journalist and panellist. I am not sure about a political party just about women's issues though, how would we feel if Jeremy Clarkson started a party focusing on 'bloke's issues'? I think she would be better starting a pressure group to bend the ear of the main political parties and hopefully get changes made that way.

Didn't John Major do rather better than expected? Beware of Polls because labour tend to say which way they intend to vote. Tories, traditionally, do not.

I'm going to start a party - the fluffy little black dog party. Only people with fluffy little black dogs can join.

Sorry, it's been one of those days.

Sandy Toksvig is a very sharp cookie. Even doing this could highlight and embarrass the other parties into giving more thought to women's issues. I've always been glad that we have the option of voting for independent candidates. They don't do very well in UK govt but we had a first class one as an MSP. Sadly she died but was mourned and missed by people of all political persuasions. So -Go Sandy!

Sandi (on Twitter) has invited anyone who wants to be kept up to date to e-mail her on womensequalitypartyu[email protected] for updates and information.

I notice she says nothing about how she would manage the country's economy, social services, NHS, foreign affairs, education, defence etc etc.

I am all for social equality of all people regardless of gender, age, ethnicity and any other heading you may choose, but what use is complete equality if we are an economic basket case like Greece with a crumbling health service, unable to educate children properly, with the unemployed and elderly starving in the streets.

But we were not like Greece when the Coalition took over, despite what Cameron said on Question Time.

fullfact.org/the-deficit-uk-and-greece/

Sorry, I wasn't clear. What I meant was; when deciding who to vote for in a general election we need far more information from a one issue party than just that issue.

What price the gender equality a party like that being set up by Sandi Toksvigs promises if, in the future, were she to get enough votes to form a government, or form part of a coalition, her party espoused policies that would, in my opinion, reduce us, for example, to being, economically a basket case like Greece etc etc (see my previous post). In those circumstances I would not vote for her, no matter how much I agreed with her on gender equality.

One of the problems UKIP has faced is that it was initially a one issue party, and they have found it very difficult to formulate policies on the economy, health, education etc because although its members all share a dislike of the EU and wish to get the UK out, beyond that they do not share a common view on other topics and Farage has often seemed to be formulating policy from speech to speech as he electioneers. Not that I need any more reasons for not voting UKIP, but being unsure about what their policies are apart from on Europe and immigration is certainly one of them.

I was not suggesting the UK was an economic basket case like Greece, we are not and never were.

But Cameron has twice said that we were forecast to have a budget deficit worse than Greece during the last six weeks. He made sure that the comparison was in people's minds.

Lots of people think the NHA is a single issue party because its title suggests it. It has a fully worked out policy on everything the other parties have, because so much affects and is affected by our health. Still seen as a single issue party by many, if it is recognised at all.

Sandy Toksvig has five years to work out her policies.

He is probably right in monetary terms but I do not think this monetary deficit would have reached the same percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as that of Greece. The UK is a far larger country with a far larger economy.

A deficit that would be twice the size of the GDP in Greece, may only be 40% of the UK GDP. The extent of a country's indebtedness as a % of GDP is what defines whether it is in trouble or not, plus confidence in the economic management of the country, not the monetary value of the deficit.

It is just Cameron up to election chicanery again.

I think it's a good idea. We no longer have a two party system so smaller parties stand a better chance of having an input. I don't think UKIP will ever run the country - in their present form. But they've certainly brought issues which the Cons and Labs had swept under the carpet to the fore.

I do not have a problem with one-issue parties, even if they do not have a full policy document on every issue. They act as pressure groups and draw the politicians attention to the fact that people are a lot about that issue.

Just got a reply from the e-mail I sent thanking me and saying they have been inundated with people interested in what ST is setting out to do- I think this will all be very interesting.

Just read this. George Galloway thinks he will have the casting vote in the next parliament.

www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/may/01/coalition-borgen-government

Careful what you wish for.

I agree with you, mishap, about single issue parties. Caroline Lucas did a lot of good in the last parliament working mainly in focus groups.

It is an interesting idea and if nobody ever tries it, then we will never know what could be achieved. We have just spent 5 years being governed by a cabinet that contains hardly any women. There's Teresa May and then, um, well... there was baroness Varsi who got fed up with them and left ...and um... oh yes how could I forget, Nicky Morgan brought in a few months ago to sideline Gove and 3 more in minor posts. I make that 5 women and 17 men.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cabinet_of_the_United_Kingdom

Women make up more than half the electorate and there are many issues that may engage their interest, issues that affect them more than men. e.g. women use the health service more, women are more often left trying to bring up children in poverty, women are more likely to be victims of domestic violence and some other crimes, protecting the environment for their children and grandchildren.
Young women seem to be waking up to these inequalities after several decades of ignoring them. Many of them are not that entranced by the existing parties so...?
It is obviously too early to see a whole list of policies - it would be daft for one person to decide all that - it would make it the Sandi Tosvig Party, wouldn't it and I'm sure that is not her aim.

I have joined their mailing list just to see how it develops.

I got an email, too, Teetime. Seems they've been inundated with enquiries and offers to help and now they need help to deal with the enquiries! A good start.