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Being a ‘difficult’ woman is good – but it can disguise a ruthless authoritarianism Being a ‘difficult’ woman is good – but it can disguise a ruthless authoritarianism
(about 17 hours later)
The void at the heart of government – the leaderless vacuum – is sucking in all sorts of debris and spitting it out undigested and raw with apprehension. The news feels both huge and sometimes silly. In the past few hours I have heard repeated riffs on the Tory leadership contest that say: “The last man standing will be a woman.” I saw yet another panel of men debating which female politician would take over. I watched Iain Duncan Smith saying he would be fine with a woman leader as though this was a radical proposition.The void at the heart of government – the leaderless vacuum – is sucking in all sorts of debris and spitting it out undigested and raw with apprehension. The news feels both huge and sometimes silly. In the past few hours I have heard repeated riffs on the Tory leadership contest that say: “The last man standing will be a woman.” I saw yet another panel of men debating which female politician would take over. I watched Iain Duncan Smith saying he would be fine with a woman leader as though this was a radical proposition.
Self-awareness is in short supply lately so thank God for the fun of all sorts of women signing up to being “bloody difficult” on Twitter. Ken Clarke’s remark was surely a huge boost to Theresa May because of his reference to Thatcher. A symptom of how far right the atmosphere has become is that Clarke is our favourite Tory pet, seeming liberal and sensible with his hinterland and Hush Puppies. We ignore for now his links to the tobacco industry or that he introduced the “internal market” into the NHS.Self-awareness is in short supply lately so thank God for the fun of all sorts of women signing up to being “bloody difficult” on Twitter. Ken Clarke’s remark was surely a huge boost to Theresa May because of his reference to Thatcher. A symptom of how far right the atmosphere has become is that Clarke is our favourite Tory pet, seeming liberal and sensible with his hinterland and Hush Puppies. We ignore for now his links to the tobacco industry or that he introduced the “internal market” into the NHS.
I would love for a woman to appear quite so relaxed on TV while bitching about her colleagues and be lauded the way Clarke has been, for it’s not difficult to be a difficult woman. The bar is set low. If you speak up or assume any kind of power, you will be called that awful word “feisty” or just “impossible”. Your friends will buy you mugs with slogans on that say: “Well behaved women rarely make history” (a quote attributed to several, including Eleanor Roosevelt and Marilyn Monroe). People will keep telling you to go and watch Absolutely Fabulous, as you are firmly in this difficult demographic.I would love for a woman to appear quite so relaxed on TV while bitching about her colleagues and be lauded the way Clarke has been, for it’s not difficult to be a difficult woman. The bar is set low. If you speak up or assume any kind of power, you will be called that awful word “feisty” or just “impossible”. Your friends will buy you mugs with slogans on that say: “Well behaved women rarely make history” (a quote attributed to several, including Eleanor Roosevelt and Marilyn Monroe). People will keep telling you to go and watch Absolutely Fabulous, as you are firmly in this difficult demographic.
But this demographic is taking power and I like the word difficult, as it implies complication. With more and more female politicians coming to the fore, it is possible to see their differences as well as their similarities. Women such as Nicola Sturgeon and Angela Merkel offer an unflappable authority and long-term strategy. Just after the Brexit vote, everywhere I went I heard people wishing that Sturgeon was our PM. She had the steady hand and the straight talk.But this demographic is taking power and I like the word difficult, as it implies complication. With more and more female politicians coming to the fore, it is possible to see their differences as well as their similarities. Women such as Nicola Sturgeon and Angela Merkel offer an unflappable authority and long-term strategy. Just after the Brexit vote, everywhere I went I heard people wishing that Sturgeon was our PM. She had the steady hand and the straight talk.
As the political class crumbles and so much doubt and duplicity has been exposed, honesty is at a premium. Straight talk is necessary after the hyperbole of the referendum claims. Reality dawns as people who have never looked at charts of plunging stocks begin to connect things. Who will tell us what’s what?As the political class crumbles and so much doubt and duplicity has been exposed, honesty is at a premium. Straight talk is necessary after the hyperbole of the referendum claims. Reality dawns as people who have never looked at charts of plunging stocks begin to connect things. Who will tell us what’s what?
For there is discomfort around women and power that is not just expressed by a loose-lipped grandee, but by a fundamental denial about the state of play. The Tories are about to give us a second female prime minister while much of the left will say gender is an irrelevance or that there are many more important things to deal with. Women, know your limits!For there is discomfort around women and power that is not just expressed by a loose-lipped grandee, but by a fundamental denial about the state of play. The Tories are about to give us a second female prime minister while much of the left will say gender is an irrelevance or that there are many more important things to deal with. Women, know your limits!
There are always more important things to deal with. The unrepresentative nature of representative democracy is not top of the list right now. Instead we talk about “elites” and we don’t go into much detail. It was pretty boring to have to again point out the lack of female voices in the referendum discussion because for the past 10 years I have been complaining about the way women have been sidelined into being silent trophy wives in so much political coverage. We have gone backwards – and it’s not just a conservative issue. The “sofa cabinet” – that deadly clique around Blair that bonded over football and squabbling over which trousers Blair should wear – consciously or unconsciously kept women out of power.There are always more important things to deal with. The unrepresentative nature of representative democracy is not top of the list right now. Instead we talk about “elites” and we don’t go into much detail. It was pretty boring to have to again point out the lack of female voices in the referendum discussion because for the past 10 years I have been complaining about the way women have been sidelined into being silent trophy wives in so much political coverage. We have gone backwards – and it’s not just a conservative issue. The “sofa cabinet” – that deadly clique around Blair that bonded over football and squabbling over which trousers Blair should wear – consciously or unconsciously kept women out of power.
Yet the Tories manage to produce these potential leaders. May increasingly looks to be taking over the reins while Andrea Leadsom is a strong contender. Neither of these women is liberal, despite May’s late conversion to gay marriage and Leadsom’s concerns about mother/baby bonding. They are extremely rightwing and May has repeatedly used fear of immigration to ramp up her own leadership bid. The fact remains that Leadsom, with her overdeveloped CV, reluctance to publish her tax returns, the backing of Arron Banks and previous remarks on the total deregulation of small businesses so that workers might lose many of their rights, including maternity leave, is even worse Yet the Tories manage to produce these potential leaders. May increasingly looks to be taking over the reins while Andrea Leadsom is a strong contender. Neither of these women is liberal, despite May’s late conversion to gay marriage and Leadsom’s concerns about mother/baby bonding. They are extremely rightwing and May has repeatedly used fear of immigration to ramp up her own leadership bid. The fact remains that Leadsom, with her overdeveloped CV, reluctance to publish her tax returns, the backing of Arron Banks and previous remarks on the total deregulation of small businesses so that workers might lose many of their rights, including maternity leave, is even worse.
Both of these women present as Thatcher MK II. The right of their own party see Brexit as a way to enact the final stages of Thatcher’s project – the corporate tax cuts were just the beginning – the aim being to turn us into a sunless Dubai. For this reason it is important to understand how Thatcher used her gender, instead of pretending it was irrelevant. Much left analysis at the time refused to acknowledge her incredibly skilled performances of femininity.Both of these women present as Thatcher MK II. The right of their own party see Brexit as a way to enact the final stages of Thatcher’s project – the corporate tax cuts were just the beginning – the aim being to turn us into a sunless Dubai. For this reason it is important to understand how Thatcher used her gender, instead of pretending it was irrelevant. Much left analysis at the time refused to acknowledge her incredibly skilled performances of femininity.
May does not yet have her range. But her self-restraint will be attractive after the emotional excesses of the men. Being “difficult” will be a boon in complex negotiations. Having lived through the Thatcher years I’m afraid to say that her gender was never irrelevant in the way she exercised power. No, of course these women might not be feminists but they absolutely know how to run rings around patriarchal structures.May does not yet have her range. But her self-restraint will be attractive after the emotional excesses of the men. Being “difficult” will be a boon in complex negotiations. Having lived through the Thatcher years I’m afraid to say that her gender was never irrelevant in the way she exercised power. No, of course these women might not be feminists but they absolutely know how to run rings around patriarchal structures.
If you don’t understand something, you are doomed to repeat it. If you don’t understand this ruthless combination of authoritarianism and stern femininity, it will be very difficult to challenge. But perhaps only difficult women now realise that.If you don’t understand something, you are doomed to repeat it. If you don’t understand this ruthless combination of authoritarianism and stern femininity, it will be very difficult to challenge. But perhaps only difficult women now realise that.