On Friday 7th June, Conservative Party candidate and activist Virginia Crosbie spoke to 25 people at the Political and Feminism Societies on the title of ‘Promoting female representation in Parliament today.’ Mrs Crosbie started her talk outlining the historical context of this underrepresentation and, building on from the 100th anniversary of Nancy Astor taking her seat as the first woman MP, it was clear that today’s conditions still aren’t entirely equal. The talk raised further questions on the legitimacy of ‘all-women shortlists’ in promoting opportunity, but Mrs Crosbie rejected them on the grounds that the original Suffragettes wanted equality of opportunity rather than special privileges. She concluded speaking to an all-male audience that it was the role of us to also help address this crucial issue. Mrs Crosbie’s talk was the 15th and final meeting of the Political Society for the 2018/9 academic year, so many thanks to PSS as our Master-in-Charge for his work in helping to run it.
Rupert Walker and Rahul Weston
