Should there be candidate quota legislation to bring more women into politics?

No. If women want to enter politics, they can do it. There are no laws prohibiting it. We don't need affirmative action.

This really annoys me. It annoyed me when Labour did it. Cameron's U-turn has REALLY annoyed me.

I can't stand affirmative action - which, basically, is exactly positive discrimination. So, we bring more women in under a far from meritocratic system to make it more representative. Then what? More Muslims, Sikhs, LGBT? Where does it end?

I get the point that if we start off with this quota, eventually we can get rid of it and things would have evened out by then. But, politics is really a MAN's game. The women in politics do not represent what may be considered women's interests; they don't demonstrate femininity. They act according to a masculine gender role when in politics - or they don't survive. So what's the point?

Jacqui Smith also annoyed me - saying she is PROUD to be where she is because of such affirmative action. Shut up.

The way to get more women into politics is not through quotas, it is through making politics more attractive to women so that more women want to get into it, and then we may have stronger and better female MPs coming though in time.

The only way to do that would be to discriminate against other qualified candidates in the process. So no, I don't think so.

You mean female candidates like Failin' Palin?

no. Tiz an open competition you have it in you, then you fight your way for it just like anybody else.

No. The system we have now is more or less fair and open to all...

Absolutely not! No quotas for anyone! Haven't we learned enough about sacrificing quality for quantity? I think so.

The only good quota is a quota of zero crooks and idiots. After that, let the best man OR woman win.

That would be the same as affirmative action, more or less - which is sanctioned discrimination. I'm calling bullshit on that one.

No...no quotas, but I would like to see more intelligent women in politics instead of the republican bimbos they stick up in front of the cameras who are supposed to be pretty, but look like hamburger with a Halloween costume glued to the head.

Yes. As long as they're hot.

No.

No, but I would like to see more women in politics.

There is just no way that an upper-class white man has my best interests in mind, or that he can really sympathize with the plight of being "poor," or being a woman and being expected to bear & raise children in lieu of a career. Men are never expected to sacrifice their careers to raise children. I bet there would be more female politicians out there if men shared equal responsibility towards child-rearing though.

Just a brief tangent.

We have too much affirmative action as it is. Don't worry though, liberal progressives will continue to keep nominated unqualified minority candidates in order to ease their consciences. Hey, that's how we got our new President.