Is it me or is it my blue tie?

According to Anne Summers, Women should be aware Abbott's blue-tie brigade, we (does that include or exclude men?) should all be aware of men in blue ties. Come election time, September 14, we (does that still include or exclude men?) should vote for a woman simply because a woman can make sure we have more women in our Federal Parliament. You’ve got to love affirmative action.

Summers warns us that if we do not vote for a female PM just because she is female then “Australia will go from having one of the highest representations of women in government in the democratic world to a very ordinary presence when compared with similar countries.” Make sense? Sure it does!

Has Australia ever had an ordinary presence amongst other nations? Didn’t Summers represent the Hawke Labor Government in some sort of a position? I guess those were pretty ordinary times. Nothing was ever done or achieved for women because, of course, women couldn’t do anything or achieve anything by themselves (and, according to her, obviously still can’t). You go sister!

According to Summers, Gillard has four women in cabinet whereas Abbott only has two. But whose counting and why? 

Gillard knows that her days are numbered and is desperate to try anything and at any cost to the Australian people. If this Prime Minister truly cares about Australia and about women in Australia she would do as her Labor counterpart did in NSW (Kristina Keneally) and fight on policy and not on gender.

So does Anne Summers have me trembling at my knees Girls? Not quite! In theory “The ''blue ties'' [can] really empathise with, and develop relevant policies for, the female part of our population.” For all we know Girls your dad or brother could be one of them. Scared yet?

Summers states her final conclusions by bringing it down to two main points: “The Liberal Party website's dropdown menu on policies [which] does not include a women's policy” and that there are too many “blue ties” because “In this day and age, he [Abbott] has selected so few women for his leadership team.” The Liberals may want to bring up the dropdown menu with its IT department. However, if getting into a leadership team is based on whether you wear a blue tie or not then I’m definitely going to start wearing one!

Sadly I must conclude that men around Australia will soon be asking their wives, daughters, sisters, mothers, girlfriends, female colleagues and many more females in their lives: Is it me or is it my blue tie?

Rose Torossian is a freelance writer. She ran as the Liberal Federal Candidate for Fowler during the 2007 Federal election. She also has a Bachelor of Media degree, Master of Arts in International Communication and is currently studying Commercial Law at Macquarie University. She lives by the following quote: “Life isn’t meant to be easy, my child; but take courage – it can be delightful.”

 

Comments

[Jim Witt]

1.

I spent my entire working life in a very almost exclusive male dominated profession, but the best boss I ever had was female and one of the best co-workers I had was also female. My own sister is just retired from the military and is highly decorated from several postings to conflict areas throughout her career and was one year honoured as the non commissioned officer of the year for the entire branch of the service she was in. These women are all competent and possess the confidence, attitude and aptitude to professionally perform difficult jobs and are thus highly respected by myself and their peers, and on the odd occasion when I wear a tie, it is usually a blue one.
Gillard has lost the plot if she thinks she is under fire because of her sex. She is the leader of a party that is dysfunctional, does not represent the people it use to, and has done great damage to the finances of the nation. Any leader of the current Labor party irregardless of sex would be under the pump in this circumstance. This whole sex thing was started by Gillard and has been continuously pushed by her cabal of vipers as they cannot successfully attack Abbott on policies. They will continue to play the man rather than the ball right up to the election, hoping that Abbott will himself go off the rails if goaded enough.

[Allan]

2.

Excellent comment Jim.

I too have worked with competent women who achieved because they were talented and professional, not just because they were women. It is only foolish women such as Anne Summers who believe that women should advance in their chosen careers solely on the fact that they are women.

The requirements of membership to Emily's List is confirmation of the double standards and hypocracy employed by these foolish people who demand recognition and respect without effort.

[AlterEgo]

3.

The best manager that I ever had was a woman. Smartest person in the game.

The younger female professionals that I work with don't take a backward step - intimidated in a male dominated world - NOT.

[Ben]

4.

Nice post.

[Terry]

5.

I can understand why Gillard doesn't like blue ties. Why would she like something that she drew attention to so it could further strangle her useless government?

[jordan]

6.

Ann Summers is simply a man hater, nothing more, nothing less.

[oldskool]

7.

Why is it that Women's issues are so closely linked to Abortion rights?

Surely women have more to offer than being an opportunity to have an abortion?

I can't understand how emily's list has such an influence anywhere and is so entrenched in the ALP/greens

Ever considered that EMILY"S LIST is an irritant and not a help for women

ask a teen and you'll find abortion is on the nose

no longer trendy

[ibbit]

8.

Comment 7.

Maybe abortion symbolises the fact that women, with the strident encouragement of the sisterhood in the name of sexual freedom, have allowed themselves to become commodified as sex objects, and as such, the notion of pregnancy is never far from mind, even with the advent of reliable contraception.