We need a woman’s voice in the Labour leadership tomorrow

We may be about to see the first policy reversal of the new government on plans to give anonymity to men accused of rape. As a barrister I worked on cases involving rape and understand the enormous stigma involved and the barrier that it presents to achieving convictions.

This would be a backward step in an area that is already a real worry.

If David Cameron accepts it was a mistake we should give him some credit: being able to admit that you are wrong is a sign of strength not weakness. But there are also wider lessons that we should draw from this episode too.
continue reading… »

We should have open primaries for elections

I think the Obama-McCain contest means that we have the chance to see the best of America in this election year.

During these last few months, as I spent time in Chicago and Wisconsin in February during parliamentary recess and then on the doorstep in Crewe and across Greater London in April and May, I have spent a lot of time thinking about what, if anything connects these events. What do they have in common? What direction do they point us in for the future?

There is something about these two outsider candidates that connects with people, whether that is with rural communities in Iowa, casino workers in Nevada or students in Wisconsin.
continue reading… »