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  The actual word used was 'consider' - clearly ITV were not careful enough to reflect the truth but for once the BBC was.
  
  I really cannot see the sense in such a policy.
  
  If 50% of people wanting to be candidates were women but only, say 10%, were selected then there would be a serious problem.
  
  But that is not the case as there are far fewer women wanting to be candidates. As a result even a 50% women shortlist, with just 25% of those on the candidates list being women is wrong and does the women a disservice. Clearly if you are artificially creating a fixed proportion of women on a short list out of a lower proportion on the 'long list', then the men who manage to get onto the short list would be seen as exceptional to start with, while the women will be seen to be second rate, there only because of their gender not merit. This would be even more so if an all woman shortlist were required, its patronising and demeaning for those women of high ability who see themselves as equal or better than any man. We simply must not go down that dangerous road because all it will do is leave us with a bunch of second raters like the Blair babes getting selected only because they are female. All selection should be on merit only regardless of gender, race or any other factor, that is the way Conservatives do things and we must not pander to discrimination.

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