Institutional Misogyny, Bullying in Parliament, Women Magicians
Woman's Hour
BBC
4.1 • 3K Ratings
🗓️ 4 October 2021
⏱️ 58 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Is the Police institutionally misogynistic? It's the question that's been raised now that a police WhatsApp group has come to light which Wayne Couzens was part of. It contained offensive messages. We also know that another police officer called PC David Carrick has been charged with rape. Plus there have been reports of 26 Metropolitan police officers committing sex crimes since 2016. Janet Hills, who's just retired as the Chair of the Metropolitan Black Police Association joins us to discuss, and we go to the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester to speak to MP Laura Farris.
We hear from Jenny McCullough who used to work as a clerk in The House of Commons. It was her dream job but she made complaints about Keith Vaz who used to be the Chair of Home Affairs Select Committee. Feeling bullied and undermined, she eventually resigned from her job but a fortnight ago a House of Common's Independent Expert Panel upheld her complaints. She explains why that's significant, both personally and for the culture of Parliament.
The Magic Circle appointed its first female president last week: the first in its 116 year history. But who are the women who paved the way? Academic and magician Dr Naomi Paxton shares the stories of female magicians throughout history and reflects on the challenges facing them today.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | BBC Sounds, Music, Radio, Podcasts |
| 0:05.2 | Hello, I'm Emma Barnett and welcome to Woman's Hour from BBC Radio 4. |
| 0:10.4 | Hello and welcome to today's programme. |
| 0:12.9 | As the country continues to reel from the sentencing of a working police officer |
| 0:17.1 | falsely arresting, kidnapping, raping and murdering a woman, Sarah Everard off the streets. |
| 0:22.9 | Senior figures, including the former Met Commissioner, Lord Blair, |
| 0:26.2 | have described this as a so-em moment, |
| 0:29.0 | comparing the murder of Sarah Everard by a Met Police Officer |
| 0:32.4 | to the overhaul of childcare vetting that followed the murders of Hollywood and Jessica Chapman |
| 0:37.4 | by the school caretaker Ian Huntley in Soam, Cambridge, in 2002. |
| 0:42.2 | There have been calls for an Everard inquiry, similar to that conducted by Sir William McPherson |
| 0:47.6 | in the wake of Stephen Lawrence's murder in 1993. That review eventually found the police |
| 0:52.9 | to be institutionally racist. Over the weekend, women's campaign groups |
| 0:57.6 | have accused the police of institutional sexism and questioned its response to violence against |
| 1:03.2 | women and the low number of rape prosecutions. So far, the Prime Minister who's been given |
| 1:08.3 | giving interviews at the start of the annual Conservative Party conference in Manchester |
| 1:12.4 | has stopped short of calling for such an inquiry and has backed the Met Commissioner, Crescida Dick. |
| 1:18.4 | But he did concede that the police are not taking reports of violence against women and |
| 1:22.5 | girls seriously enough, calling it infuriating. Do you think Sarah Everard's murder should be |
| 1:28.9 | such a moment for major police reform? Should such a review be commissioned? |
| 1:33.6 | You'll hear from a retired Met Police Officer shortly, but I want to hear from you. |
| 1:37.6 | You can text me here at Woman's R on 84844, text will be charged as always at your standard |
... |
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