Watch Stella Creasy MP trounce Austin Mitchell MP in a debate on the “feminisation of politics”
As I explained in this posting, when Austin Mitchell was first selected as a Parliamentary candidate for the Labour Party in 1977, I was the runner-up at the selection conference. I immediately forgave him: he was a local television personality who was more likely to win the forthcoming tough bye-election than me – and he did. In the course of the next 37 years, he has been an MP of idiosyncratic views and never became a minister.
As I explained in this posting, I first came across Stella Creasy, Labour MP got Walthamstow, three and a half years ago and i was so impressed that I immediately called her “a possible future party leader”. Since then, she has become a more and more important political figure, not least as a fierce campaigner against the practices of pay day loan companies and an articulate advocate of the cause of feminism.
BBC television’s “Newsnight” programme had Austin Mitchell on last night to defend his bizarre “Mail on Sunday” article, in which he attacked the Labour party’s “obsession” with all-women shortlists. Stella Creasy took him to task for his views. For some reason, the clip seems to have been removed from YouTube by “Newsnight” but, thanks to the “New Statesman”, you can watch it here – enjoy.