Good to see that the MSM has finally rallied from the coma and started acknowledging this week’s vote to extend legal abortion to Northern Ireland - I’ve seen Guardian, Times and Independent articles on the subject now. The Beeb ain’t exactly going mad with coverage, but am quietly confident that they’re getting round to it…
Even so, these articles feel like a kind of tokenism - a (very) distant second in significance to banking dramas, US elections, Gordon’s renaissance, Rooney’s rebirth, and endless other masculine priorities (although I admit I was kind of impressed by Rooney. At least he delivers from time to time, if only with his feet).
Anyway - SIGH. If only our issues generated even half of the ongoing, repeated coverage of the above stories, and a quarter of the hysteria (which I thought would have been endlessly doable on a topic like abortion. The fact that it isn’t says a great deal in my view).
Things might pick up for a bit, given that votes on Abortion Act amendments will be held this week,
but I ain’t holding my breath for coverage in an ongoing way.
I noted this week - as I was trawling through one of the mighty Iain Dale’s mighty, if endless, reader-analysis lists - that a staggering 86% of his readers are male. Suppose that shouldn’t have been a surprise over there, but it was.
Eighty-six percent is a great gender majority, even if you are a Tory. It even occurred to me, while I was over at Iain’s, that I could probably name, individually, every one of the few women who read him.
Then, I wondered if I ought to be feeling superior. Would our numbers be any better, I wonder? Is there anyone here, apart from Jennie, Laurie and me (great women all - just a rather small group)? Can you let us know if you’re female and here?
Still - on with the show, even if we sometimes wonder if anybody’s watching it.
As I say, the vote on the pro and anti choice Abortion Act amendments takes place this week, on 22 October.
This is the report stage of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill - probably our last chance to change the law to improve access to abortion and to extend abortion rights to Northern Ireland, where rights are badly required. David Cameron may yet make prime minister, and I’d bet his last million that he won’t preside over a pro choice parliament. There’s still time for you to email your MP to ask for support for those all-important pro choice amendments, and a cold shoulder for the anti choice ones.
There will also be a pro choice lobby outside parliament on 21 October from 5.30pm, so there’s still plenty of time to organise to get your butt to that.
In the meantime, cast your eye over some of the excellent male and female coverage of the abortion issue that has appeared this year on LC: proof, in my view, that LC has done better than anyone on the issue - and we can’t do it without each other. If I can put it that way.
Northern Ireland women speak on their fight for abortion rights
Report from 7 October Abortion Rights lobby
Report from 7 October Abortion Rights lobby
Has Gordon Brown shagged us all with an anti abortion deal with the DUP?
LC work on Nadine Dorries hypocrisy makes news
Sins of Omission - delusions of the anti choice lobby
Gearing up for report stage of Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill
LC complaint against Nadine Dorries upheld
Saving women’s lives with Sarah Palin
Female and here, I read every day.
Excellent. That is good.
Are there more?
I’m female and I’ve got you on my Bloglines feed. I mostly read the daily blog-roundup and posts by women. I started off trying to keep up with the rest, but life’s too short for the same-old same-old.
Female reporting for duty as a reader of the best blog on the net!
Still here 
I’m also female and also read every day, via my RSS feed.
This is excellent. We’re doing better than Iain Dale already!
1. I am not a woman… I just like to wear the uniform.
2. Iain’s poll of his readers totally undermines his Total Politics poll, which has been passed off as a widely-representative poll when it should instead be labelled a poll of (male) Conservative voters.
Compare the top ten in these two lists; they’re almost identical, and they’d be even closer to identical if Iain’s blog appeared in both:
http://iaindale.blogspot.com/2008/10/blogs-you-read-every-day.html
http://iaindale.blogspot.com/2008/09/total-politics-top-100-uk-political.html
In a shocking coincidence, Iain Dale’s readership turns out to be a totally reliable sample of the wider political blogosphere.
It therefore follows that 86% of the blog-reading population is male. Oh, and 70% vote Conservative and have done so for years:
http://iaindale.blogspot.com/2008/10/how-you-vote.html
3. A quick word on Nadine Dorries; I’m writing a special little something about her shortly, and would appreciate input from fembloggers (even if no woman is ever going to read the item, because my blog totally oozes testosterone). Drop me a line via email if you’d like to pitch in.
(Psst! It’s your only chance to have a say, ladies. Blogs are for boys!)
‘1. I am not a woman… I just like to wear the uniform.’
Any pictures…?
Oh, yes.
But releasing photos of myself wearing nothing but lacy panties will compel me to express a political opinion on Page 3 of The Sun, and I’m just not ready for that.
Well - how about just a picture of the panties?
And stifle your imagination? Never!
Timbles - rest assured that no picture of your frilly drawers is going to stifle my imagination. Quite the reverse. My mind will race for days.
C’mon. Let’s see them.
Even just one of the leg-holes…?
Or the gusset…?
Or even just the label…?
Kate,
I’m sorry but you’re objectifying Tim. I find this very offensive.
He’s a person y’know? Not just a piece of meat.
Women(!). *sighs*
* really doesn’t need to see the word “gusset” first thing in the morning *
Really?
It’s usually one of the first things that run through my mind.
A few seconds after “cheeseburger”.
gussets and cheeseburgers first thing?
…. may God help us, Aaron - who are you!!!!????
May I also just make the point that Tim in his frilly knickers would indeed be an object - an object of wonder and glory, of course, but certainly an object.
can’t wait.
maybe i’ll do a drawing while i wait
…. may God help us, Aaron - who are you!!!!????
I suppose the obvious answer would be a fat pervert, but I’d like to think I’m neither. ;o)
Actually, I must admit to using conservative y-frontish cotton for the most fundamental undergarment; I wanted support I could count on if I was going to go on stage.
Can you let us know if you’re female and here?
Well, I might be.
(That’s the wonder of the internet.)
‘I wanted support I could count on if I was going to go on stage.’
Well - I was thinking more that you could just give us a quick flash in a bus stop somewhere so I could get my picture, but hell - you’re right. Let’s make a night of it and get some music going, and a round in. Just let’s know when and where.
I’m female and I lurk via a rss reader.
Brill, Hazel - this is really good.
I’m female and I read every day!!
Ten points to Jo.
It’ll be even more worth your while coming back very soon, what with the upcoming pictures of Tim & all
Female, read every day, occasionally comment on posts about abortion rights or the green party.
Ten points to Pippa
and shit sorry cath i meant to include you in the original lineup and then got totally distracted by the tim ireland lacey smalls narrative
i trust you’ll be back when he is…?
Hehehe
I wouldn’t miss it for the world Kate 
… thought maybe we could rent out a pub for the night - we need something that’ll cater for the whole act…
And a sound system. I’ll be damned if I’m going to dig my knickers out for anything less than a full set.
(That’s three songs, girls… and no f**king ABBA.)
Ok.
How about this for a set:
great balls of fire
rocket man
losing my religion
dream on
touch me
still haven’t found what im looking for
you can have great balls first, just in case you need a bit of a booster…?
altho
can’t we have dancing queen…?
ireland,
you are a disgrace to your home nation.
abba the movie was made in oz
muriel’s wedding - ode to abba - was made in oz
oz is the home of abba
much much more so than sweden
it’s in yr blood bro
give yrself over 2 it
oz is the home of abba
Yet another good reason to leave. I’ll add it to the list along with redbacks, funnelwebs, venomous snakes, sharks, box jellyfish, and blue-ringed octopii.
I follow LC through an RSS feed, so I don’t comment much. But I’m reading!
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Alice