Nadine Dorries - I'm a big fan but she's wrong on AWS

I have had a number of discussions with Conservatives about all women shortlists and I seem to be about the only person welcoming DC’s words yesterday.

Look, I don’t like the idea of AWS. Like everyone else, I think it smacks of discrimination. But people like Nadine Dorries, arguing on ConHome that AWS leads to “two-tier” female MPs and Jonathan Sheppard of Tory Radio, with whom I had a good discussion on Twitter yesterday, are missing the point.

Nadine argues that she got in without the need for AWS and that with only 30% of applications from women, only 30% wanted to be MPs. Not only is this statistically complete nonsense, it is also a judgement she is hardly in a position to make. I’m a big fan of hers but on this one she’s wrong.

Moreover, even if we were happy with 30% of the parliamentary party being female (that would do for a start!) we currently have nine percent and with only around 25% of candidates female we are not even selecting the proportion of those applying.

Jonathan and others believe the answer is to encourage more women to apply. Agreed. But that still doesn’ t solve the problem of them being selected by association members – male and female - which itself is probably linked to why they don’t apply in the first place. They think the Conservative Party is a male-dominated environment. They think their chances of selection in a winnable seat are small and they think that even if successful, they will have a small number of female colleagues. Look at the evidence – is this an unreasonable view?

So if we want women to apply to the party, we have to show that we are prepared to select them in winnable areas. We have to show that we are looking to provide a more women-friendly environment and we have to show that in parliament, successful candidates will have a proportional mix of people with whom to work. By saying that our paucity of females in Parliament is the fault of women themselves for not applying is a grotesque abdication of the reality.

AWS is the unfortunate consequence of years of inaction on this issue. We can all pull out exceptions to the rule – Baroness Thatcher etc – but I’m surprised that Nadine Dorries believes that pulling up the ladder to others just because she managed to clamber aboard benefits women or the Conservative Party.

Why is it we are bothered about women “only getting the job because they are a woman”? Does it not occur to people that many, many male MPs only got selected because they went to the right school or university, worked at the right companies, were central office wonks, advisors or former leaders of local authorities? We tolerate this discreet favouritism yet condemn positive action. It’s dreadful and sexist.

The fact is that the party needs its talented women in Parliament and if local associations won’t select them their hands need to be forced. As ever, the AWS women in Parliament will need to work twice as hard to prove themselves. But how condescending for us just to assume that they are not up to it.