Oh Dear They Are Certainly Out To Get Ukip.

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-23710890

So women may not do as well as men at poker, bridge and chess as men, big deal, but is that being sexist?

/// Explaining his comments on BBC Radio 4's The World at One, he said: "I pointed out that in certain areas, women did not do as well as men, and then I cited poker, bridge and chess. ///

/// "My point is that there are some things that men are better than women at, some things that women are better than men at, and you don't necessarily want to impose a minimum of either sex at the top of any profession or at the top of any board." ///

[FredPuli43]

The Bar was once so concerned about minorities in the profession that every chambers was required to complete a questionnaire, to discover whether each had appropriate representation. One of our members had converted to Judaism, so we put her down twice; female and a minority; and another was born in the States,legally of dual citizenship, so we put her down twice too; one immigrant and one woman. Goodness knows what the survey showed , given that!

[emmie]

tell that to Victoria Coren, and any woman who has played those games, he is another twerp from the land of twerpdom

[mikey4444]

I'm not sure that this is relevant but can you imagine how the shoe and handbag industry of this country would manage without the Memsahibs ?

I have never felt the need to own a handbag but, like most men, I seem to manage quite nicely on one new pair of shoes each year.

[youngmafbog]

My my, a right little lefty love-in we have going on here.

The man makes a good point, badly put but a good point. I can assure you that outside the walls of this right-on site many will agree with him.

Mickey, why do you have to resort to name calling?

I wouldn't vote for them but I can see why many may.

[LazyGun]

@YMB Ignoring your predictable rant against perceived left wing contributions, which means your disapproval of posts from anyone left of attila the hun - What is the good point that you believe he is making, badly put or otherwise?

[ChillDoubt]

What is the good point that you believe he is making, badly put or otherwise?
---------------------
I'd hazard a guess that he's pointing out that women who excel at poker, bridge and chess are fairly unique and are certainly not part of 'the norm'.
I've never understood quota systems in such areas, surely the idea is to get the right person for the job, regardless of gender.
Quota's are not appreciated in other area's either, even by the top people:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/23713530

Just more PC idiocy.

[friedgreentomato]

What a complete arse! Of course he was being sexist, by implying that women are no good at poker he was also saying that women cannot do top jobs.

[Eve]

I wonder if it refers more to some of the more underhand, ruthless competitive natures of some (and I mean some) top businesses and what is seen as needed to get the job done, even things like high level sales and working in the (mainly gutter) press.

I achieved a lot by being good at my job, studying and working hard in what was a male dominated profession, but I would never go into anything like top politics or want to be in a top company boardroom. I'm just not into the ruthlessness, I'm not competitive (except with myself) and just don't want to get involved in all that.

Doesn't mean to say there are women who aren't though but, like anything, there are some things in which men are naturally better at than women and, in saying that, not all men.

[sp1814]

I read on Huffington Post that UKIP are currently playing a massive game of 'Bigot Bingo'.

In the past week, they've done a bit of racism, and now a bit of sexism.

All they need is another elderly spokesman (and it's always a man for some reason), to have a dig at the gays and then wheelchair users...and they'll have a full house.

Hoorah for UKIP.

They're like dodgy old uncles that everyone tries to keep from talking to guests at family parties.

[jim360]

I don't think he does have a point. Given how women have been kept in the home as child-bearers and housewives for most of history, that they aren't good at mind games in particular may just be a hangover of lack of opportunity. Here's a related cartoon exploring a similar idea for racial differences:

http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/wp-content/blogs.dir/470/files/2012/04/i-56483a6e9716d73ba0369eb27a275548-sci_racism.jpg

[jno]

sp1814, it was probably before your time but there was uproar among Tories (no Ukip in those days) back in the 80s over claims that a council had given a grant to a lesbian hopscotch group. They really thought it was for gay women to jump around chalked squares on the stret. In fact Hopscotch was a charity to help the unemployed; I believe some of its customers may have been gay women.

[woofgang]

This sounds to me that a good point (the essential uselessness of quotas and tokens) has been flitered through what passes for the brain.

[Hypognosis]

I've always been of the opinion that quotas are just as racist/sexist as the very kind of discrimination they were intended to do away with. To have a quota system is tacit acceptance of the fact that the positions are being filled -grudgingly-.

Actually, the more I think about it, the more I realise that part of the 'aptitude test' for board membership is the ability to survive the beggar-thy-neighbour game of upper tier management.

(I know I wouldn't. I am still held back by my own sense of 'fair play').

[vetuste_ennemi]

We all love Vicky Coren, but, talking of women and poker, I must mention Jennifer Tilly.

[woofgang]

Hypognosis, I had a chance to move up beyond middle management in the NHS. Two things put me off, the first, like you was the political aspect and the second was the fact that at the time, there were no set working hours either in amount or schedule and I like my real life which is NOT work!

[Eve]

I also had some issues with quotas. When full representation is needed for a good reason then ok but when it leads to minorities getting special rather than equal rights then the boundaries tend to get a bit skewed.

I remember compiling an interview list once, blind screening, I had no interest in names or perceived ethnicities or anything like that. In any event, just because someone has a foreign sounding name in no way means they aren't as British as I am and all that. I looked at qualifications, experience, standard of literacy (important for that job) and such.

I was told that my interview selection list did not look PC enough so I should try to revise it. I wasn't impressed.

I wouldn't want to get an interview or a job because I'm a woman or I'm disabled etc... unless the position benefitted from either in some way.

[FredPuli43]

What's your name?

Quinn, sir

How are you spelling that?

C-O-H-E-N, sir.

End of application.

This gem from a joke book of the 1920s, shows there is nothing new in discrimination, but the object of it has shifted. It must be human nature !

[Zacs-Master]

I think UKIP are doing a good job of discrediting themselves with ridiculous comments such as this. 'They' don't need anybody to 'get' them.

[brionon]

mikey4444 Couldn't agree more,mate !