(edit title) Left Party seizes the Feminist Initiative Options

[The Local]

Left Party seizes the Feminist Initiative

The ailing Left Party has proposed a series of equality-related initiatives in an attempt to prise the issue the from the hands of the Feminist Initiative.

The party is suggesting the establishment of a Ministry for Equality and a state agency to oversee equality issues. The Left Party is also demanding that all organisations which receive state funding have a "gender power perspective" regarding distribution.

But those policies will seem strangely familiar to the Feminist Initiative - which recently proposed a Minister for Equality with his or her own department, a subordinate agency and a parliamentary equality committee.

The Left Party did not go so far as to demand the parliamentary group but said it wanted to see an "equality audit" of parliamentary affairs.

However, the party proposed a "national cost calculation" of men's violence against women, as well as a treatment programme to encourage men to take responsibility for their violence.

The "gender perspective" requirements placed on organisations and associations depending upon state financing would mean that any money received and work carried out would have to be divided equally between men and women.

The Left Party also said it wants a survey of the real value of Sweden's pornography market, and the link between pornography and sexualised violence against women. Limiting the spread of pornography was also included in the proposals.

Just like the Feminist Initiative - which is led by the former leader of the Left Party, Gudrun Schyman - the Left Party said it wants gender-neutral partnership legislation and a change to the name law to make the choice of name independent of sex.

Listed and state-owned companies should have boards where neither sex accounts for less than 40% of the members. And female innovators and entrepreneurs should be given the same opportunities as their male counterparts.

[*August Niclason*]

My feeling is that legislation will be written in words and phrases that will allow no definite agreement as to what the original intent was. Like many laws, the wording will cause argument and frustration and little good will come of all the effort expended.

It is my hope that "gender power perspective" will have more meaning in Swedish than it has in English.

[Evil Pundit]

Regardless of the wording, I guarantee that any feminist legislation will discriminate against men.

[Joel Che]

Equality is as important to the short term prospects of Sweden as gay marriage was to America during the American elections. Politicians are playing with the small issues because they cannot deal with the big ones. Setting up an equality ministry is easy. Just as saying No to gay marriage was easy to Bush. Tackling unemployment is not so easy just as tackling the budget deficit etc wasn't easy for Bush.

The voters should be not be conned by this. They should try and see through this pandering to easy popular causes without tacking the big issues.

[Mike]

There already is a "Ministry for Equality" (I don't remember the actual name) that was involved in a scandal recently. Apparently they've been working very hard for a couple years doing nothing. They took the funding from the government, gave it to their employees and did nothing. Not a single report has been produced, and they have nothing to show for 2 years of work.

Am I the only one who remembers this?

[*Nigel E.j. Griffiths*]

Mike is right, nothing in two years, other than spending money on parties and new furniture.

Joel Che: I like your post, I have said before, that the Swedish government is good at pandering to the masses on stuff like, female equality and gay rights. Which in essence, is the easy way out of dealing with the big issues. But then again, both the gays and the feminists have not picked up on the fact, that. They are just being pandered too and all the time there is FI, women will not get the equality they crave for. Equality does not come on a plate, its not free, it has to be earned, not given. However, it does now show that all the parties here are "falling back" on the old chesnuts, like equality and gay rights. nothing wrong with that though, if they addressing the big ticket items first. :twisted:

[*08adele*]

Agree with you Nigel that while there is FI there will not be equality for women. And while I will not have anything to do with any person, company or organisation that does not treat me as an equal to me, reading this article made me fear for Sweden's future.

The Lefts and FI are so narrowly focused on ironing out the differences bewteen men and women that it feels like they won't be happy until we are all one. The only men who fit into their vision of the future are the weak ones.

Equality doesn't mean we all have to be the same - but if that's what they have in mind then I'll take a strong-minded male chauvinist who I can lock horns with but who opens doors for me over a limp wet cloth of a man who gets depressed because he can't breast feed any day.

[Agatutza]

08adele: right on spot.

[*Nigel E.j. Griffiths*]

08adele: another good post and it shows, you do not have a problem with feeling equal or not. As they say, it comes with the terrority, if only there where more, who would "lock horns" with us man. It would be more comfortable for both sexes, as we do like assertive women, real women that is, not the kind who have kicked their feminity out of the window so to speak. :twisted:

[Gustav Gustavson]

Dealing with the big issues.
What are they ?
In my mind:
The coming of a World War.
A New Order of the World.
A new Cashless Society.
A devastating One World Religion.

How do we deal with that ?
We probably can't.

We are left with the petty and the picayune.

[Mike]

Everyone should have equal opportunity, but the notion of trying to make everyone equal is just ridiculous.