by Patricia Daniel
Immediate reactions to Gordon Brown’s new cabinet have enthusiastically heralded a revolution in government. However, there is always a different perspective.
Brown has reduced the number of women cabinet ministers from five to four out of twenty-two members (less than 20%) and black members from one to zero. He has appointed Jacqui Smith as home secretary in order to expedite the introduction of identity cards and further restrict citizens’ rights. Unfortunately these right-wing women who rise to the top do the rest of us no favours.
Brown has sacked Margaret Beckett who, despite her unexpected and inappropriate appointment as foreign secretary at a particularly difficult time in the middle East (none of which could be said to her fault) has given effective lifelong service to her party without ever becoming a political clone. As minister for the environment she won respect from civil society and politicians at home and overseas and continued to highlight the relationship between climate change and conflict.
Indeed, in his indiscrete memoirs former British ambassador to the United States Christopher Meyer suggested that women cabinet ministers such as Beckett and Clare Short, who had real command of their subject, were those who commanded real respect on Capitol Hill – while most of their male colleagues were considered intellectual pygmies.
Harriet Harman is still in the cabinet, juggling three part-time portfolios instead of two, including that of minister for women – which is now reduced from one-half to one-third of a job. While she is busy multi-tasking, let’s hope that Harriet has time to address the fact that the British government still does not comply with its international commitments on gender equality especially as regards the continuing problem of violence against women which openDemocracy’s 50.50 projects have highlighted.
Meanwhile, Brown has made two anti-Iraq appointments in an attempt to distance himself from a war in which, as a member of government, he has always been complicit. He has offended the British military by reducing the defence portfolio to a part-time job, while British soldiers are still serving in the ever-unravelling situation in Iraq. Nevertheless I predict that, under the new ministry for business, the British taxpayer will continue to subsidise the British arms industry and the export of sophisticated weaponry to existing and potential conflict zones. That is not going to reduce the threat of terrorism in the world nor will it improve the life of women and children in those countries where conflict continues to impede development and undermine basic human rights.
However, I do see one light on the horizon: the appointment of Mark Malloch Brown to the new post of minister for Africa, Asia and the United Nations. MMB does know what he’s talking about and he’s not afraid to challenge those in power. Perhaps we can hope that, through his influence, the British government will ensure that the G8 commitment to Africa is honoured, especially as regards women and HIV/AIDS.
And maybe MMB can also bring to the attention of Gordon Brown the fact that it is a small African country that leads the world in terms of women in government. Rwanda has a 50.50 parliament and held the first international women parliamentarians conference earlier in the year to promote gender equality as a tool for nation-building.
Until that happens here, I’m sorry, but: Revolution? All I hear is the turntable playing the same old record.
