Cambridge student sit in and tuition fees"

www.wpradio.co.uk caught up with two student protestors in the sit-in at Cambridge Old School's Combination Room, and asked 25-year-old Phd student "Polly" ( a pseudonym) and 22-year-old history student Rachel to review the past year in politics and to look forward to 2011. They both said they felt "betrayed" by politics and the "Big Society" and their new Liberal Democrat MP Julian Huppert, however the Conservative students in Cambridge are supporting him and the doubling in fees to £6,000  year or more. Boni Sones spoke to them both.

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Esther McVey MP for Wirral West launches "If Chloe Can"

The new Conservative MP for Wirral West, Esther McVey, has just written an inspirational careers "bookazine" aimed at 11-13 year olds on Merseyside.We asked her why and caught up with the "real Chloe" from her local Belvedere Academy. But first the www.wpradio.co.uk round table debate also spoke to: Debbie Moore – First Female to set up a PLC Pineapple; Lucinda Ellery – Inspirational Businesswoman; Rona Cant – Adventurer; Gillian McDonald – First UK Female Whisky Distiller; Lisa Pover – Cabbie turned Yachtsman and founder of the Lisa Pover Charitable Trust; Louise Greenhalgh – First UK Female Bomb Disposal Officer in Afghanistan.

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The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Rt Hon Iain Duncan Smith MP founder of the Centre for Social Justice, was also at the launch. He told Boni Sones OBE, Executive Producer of Women's Parliamentary Radio that young women needed new role models to help them form successful careers. We then spoke to The RT Hon John Hayes MP - Minister for State for Further Education, Skills and Lifelong Learning who will soon be launching more apprenticeships for young women.

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You can read our press release here...

Two at the top - Lynne Featherstone MP the new Equalities Minister

Lynne Featherstone MP for Hornsey and Wood Green is the new Equalities Minister. Alongside Theresa May MP the Home Secretary and Minister for Women & Equalities she will be spearheading the coalition government's equalities plans. Lynne "loves" coalition government, thinks "thrashing out" compromises is a good way to work and says she's looking forward to implementing the Labour government's Equalities Act, which she says is a "three party" success story. She's pledged to narrow the gender pay gap and wants all teenagers to see the film "Made in Dagenham"! Lynne and Theresa are busy progressing their own equalities agenda too including flexible working, a Transgender Action Plan, kite marking air-brushing in magazines, more women in the Boardrooms, and moving the civil partnership agenda forward. Boni Sones OBE our Executive Producer, wanted to know more.

NB: This interview was conducted before the government announced it will drop Labour's proposed new socio-economic Equality law duty requiring councils to tackle social deprivation.

You can read our press release here...

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Caroline Flint MP - On The Frontline

Caroline Flint MP for Don Valley, is Shadow Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government in Ed Miliband's Shadow Cabinet. New rules meant MPs had to choose at least six female MPs but ended up giving them eight of the 19 elected places. Caroline in now on the front-line attacking coalition plans to reform housing benefit, even though she thinks some reform is needed and is leading the charge for a programme of building new affordable homes. She also told Boni Sones OBE, Executive Producer of www.wpradio.co.uk she was no longer a token woman in a Labour cabinet line-up but was now a "first among equals".

You can read our press release here...

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The Big Society in conversation - Lynne Berry CEO of WRVS

Lynne Berry, the CEO of the WRVS, has told wpradio that the voluntary sector can fill gaps in services but it is not a free option. The “Big Society” builds on the tradition of people getting involved in their communities but, she says, it is not a replacement for public services.

The WRVS has over 45,000 volunteers offering practical help to older people, and has celebrated its 70th anniversary. Lynne told our reporter Linda Fairbrother that if the services of the third-sector are to expand to create the “Big Society” then more funding will be needed to professionally develop and back up volunteers with training and support. The corporate sector is already responding to the rallying cry!

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Eleanor Laing MP for Epping Forest - Constitutional Reform

Eleanor Laing the MP for Epping Forest is Chairman of the Conservative Home Affairs and Constitutional Affairs Committee. She also sits on the Select Committee on Constitutional Affairs and is examining the new "Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill" currently going through Parliament. Eleanor is against voting reform and the suggested system of AV, thinks the 5th May date for the referendum is flawed, and believes a wholly elected House of Lords would be a mistake, but she does agree with larger constituencies and reducing the number of MPs from 650 to 600. In this special interview Boni Sones, our Executive Producer, begun by asking her why she opposed voting reform at this point in time?

You can read our press release here...

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Women's Parliamentary Radio at the Conservative Party Conference – The Fringe and women!!

Juliet Lyon CBE, Director of the Prison Reform Trust, spoke at a fringe event at the Conservative Party Conference on “Should there be fewer people in prison”? She believes that the numbers of women in prisons could be cut in half, without risking public safety.

Juliet says the new Women's Centres, set up by the last Labour government after the "Corston review of women in prisons" , are “one of the most attractive and cheap solutions” compared to the cost of putting a woman in prison, upwards of £45,000 a year. Boni Sones spoke to her. 

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The Conservative Women's Organisation teamed up with ActionAid UK to look at the issue of “On the Frontline: Women, Peace and Conflict”. They are calling for the Conservative government to appoint an International Violence against Women Minister.

 Our reporter Linda Fairbrother first spoke to panellist Nicola Blackwood MP, Chair of the All- Party Parliamentary Group on Women and Conflict, then Bobby Middleton of the European Union Women's Organisation, Matilda Parker, from Liberia, and Dorcas Erskin, of ActionAid. Finally she caught up with Pauline Lucas, Chairman of Conservative Women's Organisation.

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The Immigration Minister, Damian Green MP, told a “Big Brother Watch” fringe that the government would not be banning the Burka. He said he thought such a ban would be “Un-British”. Our reporter Linda Fairbrother, managed to ask him why as he walked to his next talk?

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You can read our press release here...

VSO "Women & Development": In debate Noreine Kaleeba of Uganda and Marg Mayne, CEO VSO

What is the best way to embark on empowering the lives of women and girls in developing economies? Here VSO's Chief Executive, Marg Mayne talks to Noreine Kaleeba a patron and founder of The AIDS Support Organisation (TASO) in Uganda, and Deputy Chair of Uganda National Health Research Organisation. They tell wpradio.co.uk reporter, Linda Fairbrother, that the education of girls and women's involvement in politics is key to lifting women out of poverty and enabling their participation in the economy. VSO now works with partners across a range of programmes in the developing world.

You can read our press release here...

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"Prostitution Regimes in Europe" the Liberal Democrat Dr Belinda Brooks-Gordon, fights back!

Concern over the last Labour government’s so called “wash-up” legislation is growing. Critics believe some of the laws passed in the last year to further equality and help women, are detrimental to those they seek to help. Already the Conservative-Liberal Democrat government has dropped moves to remove anonymity for rape complainants, after protests from the Labour ranks, but now some Liberal Democrat’s want to see Labour’s prostitution laws reformed, they had made it an offence to buy sex from individuals who were “procured for gain”. At Birkbeck College, the University of London, academics from all over Europe met to discuss “Prostitution Policy Regimes in Europe”. Boni Sones, our Executive Producer, spoke to Dr Belinda Brooks-Gordon, a leading Liberal Democrat and Reader in Pscyhology and Social Policy at Birkbeck, Daniela Danna Reader in Sociology at the University of Milan, and Marjan Wijers a Human Rights lawyer from the Netherlands.

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Rachel Reeves MP and Fawcett's challenge to the Budget

Rachel Reeves, the new Labour MP for Leeds West, is supporting attempts to force the government to analyse the impact of George Osborne’s budget on low income households, particularly the regressive effects of the VAT increases. As a former economist with the Bank of England she is backing the Fawcett Society’s judicial review of the budget and its impact on women. Boni Sones asked her why?

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wpradio.co.uk - our listeners!

www.wpradio.co.uk latest web stats show that in May 2010 we had our highest audience ever with 3,913 visitors, there were over 1,000 more visitors in June and July too compared to last year and even August increased. We don't share our content with others in order to inflate our stats, you have to visit our website to listen to our content. Thanks for listening in. Boni.

wpradio.co.uk - our listeners!

In July wpradio.co.uk had 2,652 visitors!! For the first time we are publishing our Top Ten podcasts for that month. The top 8 all had over 100 downloads per podcast. Clearly Shirley Williams is hugely popular with 777 listeners to one podcast with her! The Oona King diaries are proving popular too.

Voting reform and more women in Westminster

MPs will vote on the government's plans for a referendum on AV the first day back after their summer break. Critics say our “First-Past-The-Post” voting system lets down female candidates because of the advantages it hands to incumbents. In the UK just one in five of our MPs is female. So will the new AV (“alternative vote”) system be any better?

Our Executive Producer Boni Sones OBE, asked three women MPs if changing the voting system would help further women’s representation.

Here Jo Swinson LD MP East Dunbartonshire, Angela Eagle Labour MP for Wallasey, and Margot James Conservative MP for Stourbridge give you their verdict.

Jo Swinson MP

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Angela Eagle MP

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Margot James MP

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AV allows voters to rank candidates in their constituency in order of preference. Anyone getting more than 50% of first-choice votes in the first round is elected, otherwise the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated and their backers' second choices allocated to those remaining. This process continues until a winner emerges.

You can read our press release here...

You can also listen to our 2008 ERS round table debate on electoral reform chaired by Jackie Ashley, our Chair, here….. with Chris Huhne MP LD, Caroline Spelman MP Cons, and Labour’s Stephen Pound MP.

Monstrous Regiment

WP Radio will be opening a new historic audio archive jointly with the British Library on August 20th 2010. The Harman/Shephard archive will contain the full audio of 81 of the 83 cross party interviews conducted by five women journalists for the book "Women In Parliament: The New Suffragettes" published in October 2005.

If you would like access to this embargoed archive email us... Access is by permission only.

You can hear extracts from this audio in Jackie Ashley's one hour BBC radio documentary "A Monstrous Regiment" . It tells the story of how in 1997 the number of women in Parliament doubled from 60 to 120 when 101 new Labour women MPs were elected but interviews women of all parties including Gillian Shephard and Theresa May. It's a great listen and chimes nicely with the Tricycle Theatre plays "Women, Power and Politics."

On publication of the book in September 2005, Roy Greenslade wrote a supportive article in the media Guardian apologising for his previous portrayal of women in Westminster:

Roy Greenslade's article in the media Guardian

Boni Sone's adjoining article in the media Guardian

Jackie Ashley’s article in Dec 04 trailing the book

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You can listen to Boni talking about the British Library Audio Archive on the Today Programme here:

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Women’s Parliamentary Radio goes to the Tricycle for “Women Power and Politics”.

Women’s Parliamentary Radio interviews are on display and can be heard in a new exhibition at the Tricycle Theatre in London at the “Women Power and Politics” programme of events.

Ten interviews by Linda Fairbrother, Anne Garvey, and Boni Sones OBE, can be heard through headphones along one wall of the exhibition . Boni performed readings from her book: "Women in Parliament: The New Suffragettes" at the opening of the exhibition. The book can be purchased from www.wpradio.co.uk books.

Here wpradio.co.uk talks to the Assistant Director, Amy Hodge and the Director Indhu Rubasingham, about the nine plays that are being performed in two parts.

Indhu Rubashingham, whose family are Tamils from Sri Lanka, which has a strong tradition of women in politics, having elected the first female Prime Minister in the world in 1960, laughed when asked if she was a “feminist”. Amy Hodge owned up to that "f" word". Do listen and do go see the Plays, they're fabulous.

You can read our press release here.

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Speaking out and speaking up:
The class of May 2010 – the new Conservative women MPs

The Queen’s speech –
Flexible working, equal pay and changes to the rape laws.

Their Maiden Speeches and the issues to be fought for -
the local economy and protecting local business.

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The new faces on the block!

Helen Grant MP Conservative and Rushanara Ali MP Labour.

Helen Grant the Conservative MP for Maidstone & The Weald and Rushanara Ali the Labour MP for Bethnal Green & Bow are two of the new faces at Westminster. Helen is the first black female MP for the Conservative Party and Rushanara Ali is the first Bangladeshi MP.

They are two of the 142 women MPs in Westminster, an increase of 16, just 22 per cent of the total, and both have already compiled a "list" of the issues they will champion on behalf of other women and their constituencies. Boni Sones OBE, Executive Producer, spoke to them shortly after they attened a photocall in Westminster Hall of all the new faces.

Helen Grant MP

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Rushanara Ali MP

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Caroline Lucas, Green Party and the 2010 Election result for women

Congratulations to Caroline Lucas the first Green MP to be elected to Westminster for Brighton Pavilion and the only woman leader of a party in Britain.

You can listen to our in depth report with Caroline here, interviewed by Anne Garvey and Boni Sones OBE.

There are now 142 women MPs in Westminster, 22 per cent of the total of 649, an increase of 16. The number of female Conservative MPs went from 18 to 48. Labour now has 81 women MPs, down 13, and the Lib Dems have 7, down 2. Congratulations to Labour's first three Muslim women Shabana Mahmood, Yasmin Qureshi and Rushanara Ali and Chi Onwurah the first woman of African descent to win a seat. For the Conservative's Helen Grant is the first black female MP, and congratulations too to Priti Patel, the daughter of a Ugandan refugee.

A Day in the Life of a CEO and Town Clerk on Election day

They're off. It's the day of the General Election and Antoinette Jackson is the Chief Executive of Cambridge City Council, one of a few women who run councils in Britain. She's spent months planning the fine detail of getting voters registered, staffing the 42 polling booths and getting volunteers to count the votes after the polls close at 10 pm. The results will be declared about 2.30 to 3am in the morning. Accuracy, says Ms Jackson, is essential. And there's local elections too. She spoke to our Executive Producer of wpradio.co.uk, Boni Sones OBE.

And eight-year-old Imogen Rodgers, has managed to read ALL the election literature that has come through her door. Boni caught up with Imogen at the Good Shepherd Church Hall.

The candidates in Cambridge are: Martin Booth, Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition; Peter Burkinshaw, UK Independence Party; Nick Hillman, Conservative; Julian Huppert, Liberal Democrat; Tony Juniper, Green Party; Holborn Old, Independent; Daniel Zeichner, Labour.

Antoinette Jackson

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Imogen Rodgers

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Four women PPCs fighting for one seat - Brighton Pavilion!

There’s one seat that in all likelihood is going to return a woman MP. Brighton Pavilion has four women PPCs contesting the seat and one man.

Linda Fairbrother our www.wpradio.co.uk reporter cycled off in search of these four women Prospective Parliamentary Candidates. First she stood by the sea and talked to LD Bernadette Millam and then Nancy Platts for Labour, who is fighting to retain the seat for her Party.

Linda then cycled up the hill to talk to Charlotte Vere Conservative, and Caroline Lucas, the Green Party Candidate and the Leader of her party, standing in a seat the Greens hope to win.

Nigel Carter is also standing for UKIP.

Part 1
Linda talks to Lib Dem and Labour,
Bernie and Nancy.

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Part 2
Linda talks to Conservative and
Greens, Charolotte and Caroline.

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What they did for us! The Labour women's fight for equality

The dissolution of Parliament brings to a halt thirteen years of a Labour government. It began in 1997 with Tony Blair and those historic 101 Labour women, many selected by the device of All Women-Shortlists. It meant in total Westminster had the highest number of women MPs ever, 120 and also Betty Boothroyd the Speaker.

This special two part documentary series looks at the Labour women's achievements.

Vera Baird QC MP

Vera Baird QC MP for Redcar talks to our reporter Linda Fairbrother about the Labour women's Equality Bill, which she has just steered through Parliament.

It was a hard fought for piece of legislation that has eventually won the backing of all parties.

It sets out to create a fairer society for all combating discrimination on the grounds of age, disability, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity.

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Ann Cryer MP

Ann Cryer MP for Keighley, who is stepping down from Westminster aged 70, has gained a reputation for plain speaking and doggedness. Her husband, Bob, was an MP and when he died she decided to stand too, she was then followed into Westminster by her son John, becoming the first mother and son MP team in Westminster.

Here Ann tells Executive Producer Boni Sones about her suffragette grandmother, the roots of her political passions, and her much acclaimed work on Forced Marriages and now first cousin marriages.

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Wow! look at our jump in listeners:

In March monthly visits jumped to 3,847 visitors, and 73,796 hits. That's over double the same period last year. Page views have increased by a corresponding amount. And February 2010 had the highest ever bandwidth usage with 120 Gigabytes downloaded. Here's the web stats for the past 12 months. As ever THANKS to the team! Boni.

The Liberal Democrat:
"The Body Image Debate"

Two Liberal Democrat MPs, Jo Swinson and Lynne Featherstone have launched a "Real Women:The Body Image Debate" on International Women's Day.

Jo is the MP for East Dunbartonshire and Lynne the MP for Hornsey and Woodgreen. They believe that the constant bombardment of perfect images of women in the media are leading to all kinds of mental health disorders such as depression, anxiety, lack of self esteem, eating disorders to name but a few. They are campaigning for adverts which have been "air-brushed" to be labelled as such. Their suggestions also include "health certificates" for models, more sport and "image" education in schools. This campaign has won the backing of academics, doctors and clinical psychologists worldwide.

Our wpradio.co.uk reporter Linda Fairbrother brushed up her body image with a bike ride to the train station to interview Lynne. It's a campaign we are supporting.

Read our press release here.

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Shirley Williams, Baroness Williams of Crosby

Rt. Hon. Professor Shirley Williams is Co-Founder of the Liberal Democrats and is a Member of the UK House of Lords, where she was Leader of the party from 2001 to 2004. She is Professor Emeritus of Elective Politics at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and advises the Prime Minister on issues of nuclear proliferation. She has written many books and is regarded as an "elder stateswoman" of British politics.

Baroness Williams recently gave a talk to the "Institute of Government" on reforming politics after the expenses saga. Here Linda Fairbrother, our wpradio.co.uk reporter, asked her why she thought politics was "broke" and how we could go about "fixing it", including more women MPs in Westminster. Do listen!

Read our press release here.

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Theresa May MP
Co-founder Women2Win

Theresa May MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and Shadow Minister for Women is contemplating an increase in the number of Conservative women MPs, should her party win the next General Election.

The numbers could rise from 18 now, just 9 per cent of the Parliamentary Party, to a possible 55 to 60, should the Tory Party get an overall majority.

This week another A List candidate, Joanne Cash in Westminster North, found themselves in the hot seat as she offered to resign amid a row with a senior local party member.

The Women2Win campaign was founded in November 2005 and the A-list was announced a month later, having first been suggested by Theresa May and Andrew Lansley in 2001. The roots of the Women2Win campaign pre-date Cameron but with the party leader's conversion to All Women-Shortlists, following the publication of the Speaker's Conference Report, the party is moving forward its progressive agenda. Research has shown that a women candidate can add 1 per cent to a party’s vote.

Boni Sones, Executive Producer of Women's Parliamentary Radio, spoke to Theresa May MP about the history of the Women2Win campaign, her aspirations for future women MPs, and the issues they would be likely to champion.

You can read what Theresa May MP said in our press release.

A feature article on the foundations of the Women2Win Campaign after it began reaching out to the regions in autumn 2006 can be read here.

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The Chilcot Inquiry on Iraq

For eight years Oona King was the popular Labour MP for Bethnal Green and Bow in East London until she lost her seat to George Galloway of Respect, her defeat being attributed to the Iraq war.

A year after becoming an MP, in 1998, she founded the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on the Great Lakes Region and Genocide Prevention. She initially opposed military action but eventually supported going to war in Iraq and while reading from her diaries "House Music" in part 2 she told Boni Sones, why she still thought that decision was right. However, she regrets the lack of post conflict planning. She was appalled by the genocide of children in Iraq. Do listen >>>

"The Hustings" Exclusive
The Cambridge Liberal Democrat Hustings

Women's Parliamentary Radio wants to thank the Cambridge Liberal Democrat Party for allowing us to watch its "Hustings" where three men and three women competed to be the next Prospective Parliamentary Candidate. The popular sitting MP David Howarth is standing down. Here we interviewed the six candidates but you will have to listen in to find out who won (don't cheat!). And it seems the winner wanted to thank "the cat" for all the help it had given! It's rare to be allowed into a "Hustings".

The candidates were:
Julian Huppert, Belinda Brooks-Gordon, Julie Smith, Rod Cantrill, Sian Reid, Tim Bick.

Boni Sones, Executive Producer, asked how they had each prepared for "The Hustings" and what issues they were choosing to focus on. The Party's Gender Balance Taskforce wants to select more women MPs.

An article on David Howarth MPs first year in Westminster can be read here. It tells of the work David did and the causes he championed. Written in September 2006: "Valuing our political institutions and the role of the media as the fourth estate of government", has been written by Boni Sones OBE.

David and Boni also wrote: "The Little Book of Liberal Values ": A conversation between David Howarth the LD MP for Cambridge and Boni Sones OBE, journalist. First published in September 2006: You can read here why first times voters should use their vote in the forthcoming election.

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The Hustings:
Claire Ward MP Minister in Ministry of Justice team

Claire Ward, has been the Labour MP for Watford since 1997, one of the new 101 "revolution" of women who came in with that new Labour government, many on all women-shortlists although Claire was not one of these. Just 24, she was the youngest ever Labour female MP and is now a Minister in the Ministry of Justice team. She's managed to juggle the job of an MP, with a new family, and ministerial responsibilities.

Claire welcomes the Speakers' Conference report which wants all parties to do more to get women and ethnic minorities into Parliament. She tells Prospective Parliamentary Candidates it is a hard slog to get selected for a seat and that the job is "a way of life" but when you achieve success it is a "rewarding job". She applauds the planned new creche announced by Speaker Bercow but now says there needs to be further reform of the hours of the Commons.

She is proud of her government's many achievements for women, which she says, still go largely unreported in a media which treats women MPs differently form male colleagues. Claire talks to Executive Producer, Boni Sones:

If you want to read what Claire says go to our press release.

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The Hustings:
Maria Miller MP Shadow Minister for the Family

Maria Miller, has been the Conservative MP for Basingstoke since 2005. As Shadow Minister for Women she has been championing a better work life balance for men and women and their families and says she would support a further reform of hours in the Commons. She thinks the planned new creche facilities announced by Speaker Bercow will benefit staff as much as MPs themselves.

Maria, who has a family and fought one seat in 2001 before being successful in Basingstoke, says the support of her husband and family was vital in helping her as a PPC to gain her seat, as well as helping her to bear the cost of it all. She says the Conservative Party could increase its number of women MPs from 17 to over 50 in the next Parliament if the Conservatives get a clear majority and that its Leader, David Cameron MP has always wanted to see more women MPs in Westminster and in the government.

Maria thinks that some of the new women MPs could find themselves with ministerial responsibilities fairly quickly, she gained her shadow cabinet role after just six months in Westminster. She names Penny Mourdant, Margot James and Harriet Baldwin as candidates to watch. Executive Producer Boni Sones spoke to her.

If you want to read what Maria says go to our press release.

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The Hustings:
Jo Swinson MP East Dunbartonshire

Women's Parliamentary Radio is beginning the New Year with a new series on "The Hustings!" We are interviewing all parties on how they are encouraging women to become Prospective Parliamentary Candidates in the forthcoming election.

We begin with Jo Swinson MP, for the Liberal Democrats' who was the youngest MP in Westminster and who personally has done much to encourage women candidates. She gained her East Dunbartonshire seat in May 2005 and it was third time lucky for her.

Jo says the problem for the Liberal Democrat's is not in the selection procedures, but in getting enough women to come forward. In Cambridge there are three men and three women, all local, going forward to the hustings on January 15th to replace the sitting MP David Howarth.

If you want to read what Jo says go to our press release.

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