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Females in front LQD - with petition

by A swedish kind of death Mon Sep 22nd, 2008 at 04:09:12 PM EST

Recently learnt about Females in front. I will just quote them:

Females in front

250 million women in the EU. Not a single one good enough?
 
During the coming 12 months, four politicians will be appointed as leaders of the European Union. For fifty years now, the picture of European political leadership has remained the same. It is time for a change. International top posts should always go to the most competent candidate. There are 250 million women in Europe; it should not be too hard to find qualified candidates among all these.


Considering our petition to stop Blair, I figured this would interest you all. This one actually sets their sights at one million. I don't know if it will reach so high, but they have got my signature anyway.

Follow the link to sign the petition.

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Jon Worth » Women not unified on EU leadership effort?

Females in Front, the petition I've signed, pointedly asks: with 250 million women in Europe surely one is good enough?

But when it comes to petitions to campaign on the issue it seems that one is absolutely not good enough, as I discovered today via Mary Honeyball MEP's blog - there's a rival poll with a similar theme at send2women.eu.

Most strange is that the politician most outspoken on this issue - Margot Wallström - is not listed as a supporter of either initiative. What's going on here?


Joe Hennon (who works for Commissioner Wallström), in the comments:

Jon Worth » Women not unified on EU leadership effort?

Margot has signed the send2women campaign. The only reason she has not signed the Females in Front one is that it says it will be addressed to the Commission based on the citizens initiative provided for in the Lisbon Treaty. Quite apart from the fact that the question of when or if the Lisbon Treaty will come into force remains open, the Commission is not in a position to do anything with such a petition since appointing people to the posts in question does not fall within its competence.

Margot has also been fully involved in the network of female MEPs which has recently been created.

The European Womens Lobby will launch a campaign on 16 September which Margot fully endorses and she will speak at the launch. This campaign is endorsed by a large number of prominent politicians and others, including Yves Leterne, Simone Veil, Mary Robinson and many more.

See http://www.5050democracy.eu (active from 16 September) for full details.


So many petitions...
by nanne (zwaerdenmaecker@gmail.com) on Tue Sep 23rd, 2008 at 04:00:27 AM EST
Envious: "Females in front" already has more signatures than Stop Blair!... No totals displayed for send2women.

*Lunatic*, n.
One whose delusions are out of fashion.
by DoDo on Tue Sep 23rd, 2008 at 04:30:47 AM EST
[ Parent ]
The females in front petition still has some modicum of sense to it if the Lisbon Treaty does not pass. The 50/50 petition, meanwhile, has 1,358 signatures - but it's only been active for a week.
by nanne (zwaerdenmaecker@gmail.com) on Tue Sep 23rd, 2008 at 04:49:54 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Where have I missed the display of that figure?

*Lunatic*, n.
One whose delusions are out of fashion.
by DoDo on Tue Sep 23rd, 2008 at 05:37:53 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Scrap that - sloppy reading on my part, didn't see the last link is to a third petition...

*Lunatic*, n.
One whose delusions are out of fashion.
by DoDo on Tue Sep 23rd, 2008 at 05:43:10 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Now 1372.

From Slovenia, PM-to-be Borut Pahor, who promised a 50/50 cabinet after the election victory, signed too.

From France, I see Delanoë scooped both Royal and Aubry - but not Buffet.

From Germany, re recent discussion with Martin, Kohl's former pitbull, Heiner Geißler of the CDU among the signatories. Federal minister for Family, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth, and Merkel confidante, Ursula von der Leyen shows her colours too.

I see some countries still have to hear from it, like the Czech Republic - for which Vladimír Špidla signed it! (Not bothering about the accents like I do, BTW.)

The largest number of signatories seem to come from Turkey.

*Lunatic*, n.
One whose delusions are out of fashion.

by DoDo on Tue Sep 23rd, 2008 at 06:10:16 AM EST
[ Parent ]
From The bigger picture by Migeru (10 February 2008):
European Tribune - The bigger picture

One of the problems with the European Council is that it represents the political class only. This explains partly why the Council is the least trusted European Institution (source: Eurobarometer). The situation is so bad that Commissioner Wallström even accused this political elite of being a male chauvinist clique.

EUobserver.com: Margot Wallström fed up with EU 'reign of old men' (08.02.2008)

EU communications commissioner Margot Wallstrom has said she is fed up with the "reign of old men" in Brussels corridors, saying public opinion in Europe will not take lightly to the backroom scheming between EU hot-shots.


*Lunatic*, n.
One whose delusions are out of fashion.
by DoDo on Tue Sep 23rd, 2008 at 04:16:27 AM EST
Are there any ALIVE progressives in the ´send2women´ candidates list?  

I know few names and not enough to recommend them:

  1.  Kroes may ´know´ the system, but may also be  contaminated by the inertia.
  2.  The EPP and Labour parties are out...


Our knowledge has surpassed our wisdom. -Charu Saxena.
by metavision on Sun Sep 28th, 2008 at 06:22:52 AM EST


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