A one state solution ?

Over at rationalist Judaism, Rabbi Slifkin has noted that the recent conflict in Gaza has seriously called into question (at least presumably in Israel) of the 'one state solution' ,see his article here.

I have to admit a couple of years ago, in fact until recently I harboured a belief in the 2 state solution. My opinion is gradually changing toward a one state solution in which Israel officially annexes the West Bank, Gaza and Golan as the only possible solution. My rationale for this is in part based on Rabbi Slifkin's arguments in the article, but more widely that Israel simply cannot be secure without practically controlling the borders, airspace and a military presence in any Palestine state, ergo Palestine would be nothing other than a client state of Israel at best; at worst it would be seen as an 'occupation' by another method. The idea of a one state solution does create issues in itself, as I noted in the comments, to to which I will further add on this post  and  elaborate on, after  giving the matter some further thought  : 

• What will Israel do with the Arab population?

• Could the WB be given some form of self rule, but with Israel in control of the security and foreign policy ? (probably wouldn't work and would be decried as a 'Bantustan').

• Should the Arabs of the disputed territories be given, like those in 'Israel proper', full  Israeli citizenship? Logically this would make sense.

• If they are given full citizenship where will this leave the demographics of the world's only Jewish state? OK, even if the hereditary 'refugees' are  given citizenship of the countries they currently live in and granting Israeli citizenship only applied to people living in the 'disputed territories', that would still significantly reduce the Jewish majority. However, at present there is somewhat of a baby boom going on in Israel; as Israeli women are conscripted into the army and then have children later on in life,which plays havoc with traditional demographic predictions and of course Israel could soon see the arrival of 600,000 Jews from France. So whilst demographics are an issue, I don't see them as being  a total stumbling bloc to a one state solution.

• Would points 3 and 4  not lead to a Yugoslavia or Syrian situation, i.e. a permanent aggrieved minority, who have traditionally be taught to hate Israelis & eventually lead to the destruction of Israel being a homeland for Jews? 

• Alternatively, could the Arab population be given compensation and money to relocate in other Arab countries (again another logical choice) in which they would feel more comfortable with? Be reminded that after the Gulf war Kuwait unilaterally expelled 400,000 Palestinians from its territory, but without compensation or help to relocate. In this idea we would be talking about voluntarily relocation with cash and support. So the idea is not as horrendous as it sounds.

• Would this relocation work? 

•  Who will pay for this relocation? 

• How will Israel persuade its biggest ally, the USA, of the merits of this plan, given that the US is officially committed to the idea of a 2 state solution? 

• How will the other Arab states be induced to accept this plan? 

•  Am I wrong  to even consider this as a serious alternative to a 2 state solution? 

For the UNRWA, with love...

Judaism into the C of E?

David here, 

It seems to that my sister Hannah  has been thinking (always an interesting sign) about the possible reunification of Judaism and using the Church of England as a model (don't worry, she did ask me to post a response to these ideas)  : 

' the problem of a national state religion depends upon the culture you are in. I'll give my country, England, as an example; England has a national Church with Bishops in the Parliament, but we are hardly a theocracy like Iran. When Henry VIII created the Church of England and broke away from Rome there resulted about 100 years of war, strife and persecution on and off, back and forth between Catholicism and Protestantism . That was bad. But eventually the C of E became a giant moderated compromise of the different brands of Christianity (Catholic, Evangelical and Liberal) , because the English had had enough of extremist religion in the form of the Puritans of Cromwell. & of course, eventually, non Anglicans obtained tolerance and then political rights, Catholics got the vote and Jews re-entered the country after a decade of civil war in 1656. Today the Anglican or Episcopalian Church is seen as one of the most moderate brands of Christianity. Could not Judaism do the same? So, imagine if Sephardi, Orthodox, Conservative and Reform were all in one grouping .The problem with Israel is that Israel has surrendered the Rabbinicate to the worst excesses of Haredi Judaism- a distinct minority in Judaism. That is the problem, not religion per se.'

We can ignore the sweep of history here and also overlook the fact that the Anglican Church, precisely because it wields together numerous fractions into one body, often divisive fractions at that, it always seems somewhat incoherent & about to tear itself apart. 

But is she right or wrong? Should we put aside our various traditions for the sake of greater unity or just accept the current status quo of agree to disagree with our religious differences, but be united when it comes to defending the overall 'arch' of Judaism in respect to Israel, male circumcision, kosher slaughter and general Jewish welfare ?

I agree that SOME form of 'reformation' of the Israeli Rabbincate is required, but is this a step too far for Orthodoxy? Or is the idea of, say, restoring a Sanhedrin of  Orthodox, Reform, Conservative, Sephardi Rabbis & Sages too much to happen before the coming of Messiah? And to add to this, do we not have to wait until Messiah comes for a new Sanhedrin and then a new Temple in Jerusalem? Or should we at least seek to be more co-operative between Jewish traditions and denominations, even as we acknowledge in maturity our glaring theological differences?  

Reflections on Gaza, 20 days later

Are we under siege ? 

In the European diaspora with the pogroms in France, the increasing anti-semitic attacks in Britain, the feeling in Germany's Jews that' it is 1938 again', a brutal attack on a Rabbi in Morocco,the calling by elements of the Turkish press for Turkey's Jews to collectively 'apologise' for Gaza, along with their Prime Minister's (an apparent NATO ally) outrageous remarks about Israel, the media hostility toward Israel defending herself ...

In Israel there is  the diplomatic flurry for Israel to come to terms with terrorists who wish to see the destruction of the Jewish people, whilst  the brave men and women, Jews and non Jews alike of the IDF are fighting in fierce battles to stop the terrorism that has been the bane of the Children of Israel ever since Israel pulled out of Gaza nine years ago.

As for what happens now : we need to sit tight and realise we are all in the long haul of bringing the terrorists to book . We need to continue to pray and support Israel and the IDF as well as those in the diaspora community who feel that are under threat. We must also Daven for the very men and women, the young flowers of Israel who serve in the IDF, in doing what they have to do, namely defend the people of Israel against all harm and in so doing being willing to commit the ultimate sacrifice in their blood and possibly, their lives.We also need to find muster and a prayer for Israel and for our diaspora, that our leadership will model themselves on the Israeli leadership of Moses, the steadfastness of Deborah, the spiritual guidance of Samuel, the faithfulness of Hannah, the courage of Esther, the military prowess of David and the wisdom of Solomon.

Above all, we as a people need to continue to follow Hashem and pray that he will, via the brave men and women of the IDF, swiftly deliver the children of Israel from harm. May we be able to see the coming of Mashiach and the end of all wars & universal peace as it is said "The L-rd will be King over the whole earth. On that day there will be one L-rd, and His Name the only Name." [Zechariah 14:9].

Two other concluding thoughts. Firstly over at Esther's Place, she reminds us that Jews have used their wits and intelligence to defend ourselves in centuries before and that this is a key part of the equation today : 

"The one thing that we must remember is that we Jews have often had to defend ourselves and our religion, when we had no Israel and no IDF. We did so on the back of our wits, belief & sheer courage : does anyone remember the disputation of Barcelona? So today there is an Internet and yes it can be full of disturbing messages and arguments. 

We must regain that voice quickly and win the argument .It is not social media that is the problem, rather we must remind ourselves that we are Jews and we have never been afraid of defending our faith when necessary, often with the most powerful weapon of all: words, writing and debate. So today we must remember that whilst opponents have a voice so do we. Let us make them hear us. Let us win the argument once more. "

Secondly and finally, after gross hypocrisy of the latest UN resolution (where is their consideration for the ethnic cleansing of Iraq's Christian minority?) ,Ambassador Ron Prosor tells it how it is :

John Kerry as Odo?

David here,

Well it seems that the failing shambles that is the lame duck Obama Administration (see this Telegraph article) in the persona of  Secretary of State John Kerry, is upsetting even the uber liberal Israeli  Haartez newspaper or at least one of its correspondents who writes :

Kerry isn’t anti-Israeli; on the contrary, he's a true friend to Israel. But his conduct in recent days over the Gaza cease-fire raises serious doubts over his judgment and perception of regional events. It's as if he isn't the foreign minister of the world's most powerful nation, but an alien, who just disembarked his spaceship in the Mideast. For a few moments Friday one could not avoid recalling the things Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon said about Kerry, and admit that despite the fact that it wasn't appropriate, he may have had a point.

Ouch.

But some clearly already have sensed Kerry's other worldliness:

Ed Miliband: "We oppose the Israeli incursion into Gaza"

David here,

If there is any doubt as to whether or not I would ever vote for Labour or its leader Miliband,at the next general election, it has been removed following Miliband's decision to oppose Israel's military intervention in Gaza . At least Prime Minister Cameron has been as supportive, very supportive as he can be given the notorious pro-Arab Foreign Office Britain has always had . Why Miliband does this is unclear : what is the point about boasting (albeit incorrectly) that he would be 'the fist Jewish Prime Minister', when he decides to sock Israel in the balls during this most testing of times, that is war?  What is the point of him praising Israel and gushing about it when he comes up with statements like this, which are clearly pandering to the Islamic vote in the UK? 

So OK Miliband, before  you go criticising Israel,  answer these questions.

Explosive warheads are raining down on Birmingham.

Do you :

A. Get the British army to shoot back at the enemy positions

B.Seek out and destroy all the launch sites and the factories and warehouses where these rockets are being made and stored.

C.  Mobilise the full force of the British defence forces against this terrorism

Or  :

D. Show up at Birmingham with a white shirt that you're waving around like a white flag ( the favourite colour of the left) and demand everyone to stop it, because you might get to be a Prime Minister

E. Have a group hug with your supporters and pray for peace.

F. Roll over and go back to sleep & join the UN in calling Britain, which is defending itself against terrorism as being guilty of war crimes.

Shabbat Thread

Hi All,

Yes, another week is over and another Shabbat dawns. There is much to pray for this week for the Jewish community  & without : 

• Diaspora Jews, especially our brothers and sisters in France, Germany, Morocco and Turkey. Dare I say Britain as well? 
• Our brothers and sisters in Israel 
• The brave young men and women of the IDF 
• The war in Gaza
• Those who have died on all sides
• The victims of flight MH17
• The many unknown tradegies that aflict this world, but are not reported in the news or go unreported. 
• The hopes, fears, personal stresses and worries that we all have, which may seem small to the world, but are important to us and also to Hashem.

As usual this is a time for people to put their own prayers, thoughts, discussions on Torah & whatever else they wish to share. 

May Hashem bless us all. 

Finally a song  (I've put a video in the comments thread) :

Ani ma'amin, 

Be'emuna shelema

Beviat hamashiach ani ma'amin

Beviat hamashiach, ma'amin

Beviat hamashiach ani ma'amin

Beviat hamashiach, ma'amin

Veaf al pi sheyitmahmeha

Im kol zeh, achake loh

Veaf al pi sheyitmahmeha

Im kol zeh, achake loh

Im kol zeh, im kol zeh, achake loh

Achake bechol yom sheyavoh

Im kol zeh, im kol zeh, achake loh

Achake bechol yom sheyavoh

(sof)

Ani ma'amin

English version 

I believe with complete faith
In the coming of the Messiah,

I believe

I believe in the coming of the Messiah
In the coming of the Messiah, I believe
Believe in the coming of the Messiah

And even though he may tarry
Nonetheless I will wait for him
And even though he may tarry
Nonetheless I will wait for him

Nonetheless, I will wait for him
I will wait every day for him to come
Nonetheless, I will wait for him
I will wait every day for him to come

(Ending)
I believe

On a lighter note ....

All

David here.  The past few weeks have been intense and we've covered a lot of deep topics. But every so often we need the G-d given gift of laughter and humour, which can be as therapeutic as any drug. To keep our spirits up,  below are a selection of well known Jewish jokes. I post these, not to be frivolous, but to celebrate and recognise that we Jews DO have a G-d given sense of humour. Which we all need to reach out to now and again.

The Million-Dollar Question for God

A poor man walking in the forest feels close enough to God to ask, "God, what is a million years to you?
God replies, "My son, a million years to you is like a second to me."
The man asks, "God, what is a million dollars to you?"
God replies, "My son, a million dollars to you is less than a penny to me. It means almost nothing to me."The man asks, "So God, can I have a million dollars?"
And God replies, "In a second."


Public Toilets
Bloomberg, on a business trip, found himself having a public toilet. He had just made himself comfortable when he noticed that the toilet paper roll was empty. He called out to the next booth, "Excuse me, friend, but do you have any toilet paper in there?"
"No, I'm afraid there doesn't seem to be any here, either."
Bloomberg paused for a moment. "Listen, he said, do you happen to have a newspaper or a magazine with you?"
"Sorry, I don't."
Bloomberg paused again, and then said, "How about two fives for a ten?"

The Priest And The Rabbi
A priest and a rabbi were sharing a compartment on a train. After a while, the priest put down his book and said to the Rabbi, "I know that in your religion you're not supposed to eat pork... but have you really never ever tasted it?"
The rabbi closed his newspaper and replied, "I must tell you the truth. Yes I have, on the odd occasion."
The rabbi then had his turn to interrogate. He asked, "I know that in your religion you're supposed to be celibate... but..."
The priest interrupted, "Yes, I know what you are going to ask, and yes, I have succumbed to temptation once or twice."
The two continued with their reading and there was silence for a while.
Then the rabbi peeked around his newspaper and said, "Better than pork, isn't it?

Adam and Eve
One day, God and Adam were walking in the Garden of Eden.
God told Adam that it was time to populate the world. "Adam", he said, "you can start by kissing Eve".
"What’s a kiss?", asked Adam.
God explained and then Adam took Eve behind a bush and kissed her.
Adam returned with a big smile on his face and said, "Lord, that was great! What’s next?".
"Now you must caress Eve".
"What’s caress?", asked Adam.
God explained and then Adam took Eve behind a bush and lovingly caressed her.
Adam returned with a bigger smile and said, "Lord, that was even better than a kiss! What’s next?".
"Here is what gets the deed done. Now I want you to make love to Eve".
"What is make love?", asked Adam. 

God explained and then Adam took Eve behind the bush.
A few seconds later, Adam returned and asked, "Lord, what is a headache?".

Finally here is a clip from the British comedy duo 'Two Ronnies' about some one who wishes to insure himself against being Jewish : 

Enjoy and take these jokes in the spirit in which they are offered .

G-d bless you all. 

Father Gabriel Nadaf on the current conflict

David here,

Much to my interest and delight, one of the leaders of the Greek Orthodox Church in Israel, Father Gabriel Nadaf, penned the following on Monday, whose sentiments and views I can thoroughly concur with : 

"Edmond Burke, the 18th century Irish philosopher and political theorist, said, ‘The only thing necessary for evil to win is for good men to do nothing.’ Therefore, we are all brothers in the face of evil, with no regard to religion, race, and faith. The outcry about the atrocities we are crying out together. As the spiritual father of the Israeli Christians Forum, who encourages the recruitment of Israel Christians to the IDF and  full integration of Christians into the Israeli society, I would like to turn to you with a plea to support and back Israel, our Holy land, and its defense forces. The country is under fire and our soldiers are fighting against terrorist organizations, whose sole purpose and goal is to destroy the State of Israel. 

In the name of the Israeli Christians, I am crying out to the whole world: Wake up! Terrorism acts don’t allow any chance for peace. If Hamas doesn’t safeguard its own people, Israel cannot be held responsible for their safety. Hamas is supposed to be protecting its own people but unfortunately, like all the terrorist organizations, it does the opposite, takes advantage of the Civilian Gazan population, and sacrifices its people (women and children). Therefore, the death of the Palestinian civilians in Gaza is the sole responsibility of Hamas. 

They are the only ones to blame.Israel complied with Egypt’s offer of a cease fire, but Hamas refused. Israel cannot sit idle while the barrages of rockets are being fired on its civilians and it cannot allow the infiltration of terrorists into its space through tunnels whose sole purpose is killing Israeli civilians. The one big difference between Hamas and Israel is that the lives of Israeli civilians are very precious to the State and it will do everything in its power to protect them, regardless of religion. 

Since the takeover of Hamas of Gaza, it has done everything to force the Christians to disappear and flee from Gaza. They hate the Christians no less than they hate the Jews. Hamas is part of the Al-Qaida ideology and resolutions cannot be reached with them. Their refusal of the cease fire is a clear testimony to that. 

Instead of reinforcing the State of Israel and the security it provides for the Christians and all of its citizens, it’s being boycotted and there are continued attempts to weaken it, which will lead to us becoming an easy prey like all the countries around us. The State of Israel is at the forefront of the battle against the terrorism that is trying to swallow the whole world. The flame of terrorism is going to reach every corner of the world and no country will be immune from the terrorist attacks. What is happening in Syria, Iraq, and Gaza will be happening in your country if you continue to do nothing. 

Therefore, we all have to come together in unity and uproot terrorism. We should not be complacent and accept terrorism as a fact of life. We have to stop being indifferent about terrorists, who are exploiting our freedom and good spirit. I am calling on you, on behalf of the Israeli Christians, to support the IDF and the State of Israel in Operation ‘Protective Edge’ and to fight terrorism with us, in order to protect the Holy Land. For, if God forbid, our country falls in the hand of terrorists, a catastrophe will befall the entire world. May God bless you and bring justice and peace to the world. Amen!"

No distinction between converts and Jews by birth

Question: David why do Jews by birth not see Jews who convert as being fully Jewish? 

Answer : Any Jew by birth who sees a Jew who has converted to our people's faith as not being a Jew is speaking utter crap. Once a person has converted to Judaism, i.e. has the approval of a Beth Din, been immersed in a mikveh and if male circumcised (which can be done prior to conversion under General anesthetic by a professional medical practitioner) & is willing to accept the Jewish lifestyle then he or she is fully Jewish. There is no distinction between a Jew from birth and a Jew who has converted. Contrary to popular belief Jews are not a race, but a nation in a perpetual and unbreakable covenant between the Jewish people and God . The Torah is our Constitution and that is the responsibility that a potential convert is taking on. Here is what one of the Rabbinical Midrash says about converts and how loved they are by God : 

"Dearer to God than all of the Israelites who stood at Mount Sinai is the convert. Had the Israelites not witnessed the lightning, thunder, and quaking mountain, and had they not heard the sounds of the shofar, they would not have accepted the Torah. But the convert, who did not see or hear any of these things, surrendered to God and accepted the yoke of heaven. Can anyone be dearer to God than such a person".

Lech Lecha 6:32

Belated Happy Birthday !

Hi All, 

Hannah here .

All of us here are staunch Monarchists and we all love our royal family , especially our Queen[who is also Queen of 22 other countries as well!] and the Duke & Duchess of Cambridge. So on a slightly lighter note than other posts we'd all like to wish Prince George a very belated but  Happy Birthday ! 

New Dr Who post

Hi All,

Please bookmark the following link HERE or copy the link below, to go to my new Science fiction blog :

http://hannahskosherscifi.blogspot.co.uk/

I've got a post discussing the latest Dr Who show.

Hopefully thinking about otherworldly adventures, will provide a brief respite of the terrible horrors of this one .

H (:

So Much for Israeli 'apartheid'

One of the biggest lies that people say of Israel is that it is an 'apartheid state', which is of course utter rubbish, but a lie people believe.

 So here  positive examples of this myth busted : 

I. Muslim soldiers in the IDF, defending Israel's borders 

II. This is Colonel Raslan Alian who is Druze,  commander of the elite Golani  Brigade & one of the most decorated unit of the IDF. He was wounded during the current conflict and has lost 13 of his men in fierce fighting; whilst recovering in hospital he said that he wish to 'get back to his men' (as any good CO does). 

III. This is Monaliza Abdo  a Christian Arab, who volunteered to serve in the IDF, watch her story here .

 

May Hashem be with the brave soldiers of the IDF & may all stand shoulder to shoulder as   brethren as they seek to defend Israel from the harm of the terrorists.

Speaking out against Global Anti-semitism

All, 

David here. Our Haredi brothers have got this one right : 

"As Israel applies itself to the task of rooting out terrorists in Gaza, and destroying their tunnels and rocket launchers, there have been, as always when Israel acts to defend herself, condemnations of her effort to protect her citizens from an enemy bent on murdering them. 

Seizing on the tragic consequences of even as just a war as the one Israel is conducting against Hamas, the condemners vehemently protest Israel’s actions – and, in the time-honored tradition of Jew-hatred, wax violent against Jews, wherever they may be. 

And so, we have come to witness over recent weeks hatred and violence directed toward Jewish communities in France and other countries. Such incidents are reminiscent of an earlier, darker time in our history when hatred of Jews was openly and unabashedly expressed both verbally and physically. Witnessing these attacks today is a stark and chilling reminder that the scourge of anti-Semitism remains a malignant reality in the modern world. 

Without questioning the sentiments or actions of the French government, or of the other governments involved, the fact that these incidents have primarily taken place in Europe, where just decades ago many “ordinary citizens” were complicit in the persecution and extermination of Jews, is not lost on us. Neither is the fact that these incidents come at a time of sharply rising anti-Semitism among the European populace, as indicated in various polls and studies. 

The pretense that these attacks are not anti-Semitic, but merely a reaction to current events in the Middle East, is cynical and decidedly false. When a Paris mob besieges and throws bricks at a synagogue with 200 congregants inside, it is anti-Semitism. When a synagogue north of Paris is firebombed on Friday night and sustains damage, it is anti-Semitism. When a 17-year-old girl — referred to as a “dirty Jewess” — is assaulted on a Paris street by having her face pepper-sprayed, it is anti-Semitism. When a kosher grocery is torched in the Parisian suburb of Sarcelles, it is anti-Semitism. When a Moroccan rabbi is pummeled into unconsciousness as he is walking to synagogue, it is anti-Semitism. When anti-Israel demonstrations in France, Belgium, Holland, Germany, Spain, Turkey and other countries are accompanied with calls to “slaughter the Jews,” with chants of “death to the Jews,” with slogans like “Hitler was right,” it is anti-Semitism. Pure and simple. 

We have raised these concerns with our State Department and have been assured that these developments, and their grave implications, are being taken by our government with the utmost seriousness. We have every faith and confidence that the United States will not stand by idly and that these blatant manifestations of animus against Jews will be responded to in a meaningful and effective manner."

Small but significant

Hi All,

It's me, Hannah! 

Following the large demonstration on Saturday by the pro-Palestinian side, which such novel placards as'Israel: hitler would be proud' & the second weekend of pro-Palestinian &Jew hate fuelled violence in France. This is a picture from a peaceful counter pro-Israeli demo yesterday, attended by both Jews and Christians :

We might not be as large as the Islamic community, but our voice has a right to be heard and our voice stands with Israel & her people, right now, despite the upsurge in Anti-Semitism. As that placard says the loyalty and commitment of British Jews to Britain & her Queen has never been in doubt. We have contributed so much to British life, despite being a tiny minority.Our contributions have been positive and we have lived here as a group since 1658, maintaining our religion, whilst also integrating into wider society. 

Here is a link to of  British Jews who have significantly contributed to society.  You will note that when it comes to science , politics, writing &entertaining, these have their own pages, given the lists are so large.  All this from a minority which has never been more than 1% of the total British population!

Which is why, now more than ever, I am proud to describe myself as a Jew and a British  Jew of the Sephardim  in particular. 

G-d Save the Queen  !

G-d defend Israel ! 

New Tory women ?

All, 

Esther here.

One of the matters which none of us commented upon last week was the Prime Minister's Cabinet reshuffle; out went Hauge (worst foreign sec since the last one) and others, including Gove 'demoted',much to teaching union's delight  ( hasn't Cameron ever watched or read 'the house of cards'? and regardless didn't someone tell him about the 'black magic' of the Chief Whip?). But the real big news was the promotion of women. Of course this being Cameron, the decision has nothing to do with the merit or not of the women being promoted, but all to do with Cameron wanting to look modern and trendy by having women in high office. Which is great .Except, with all due respect, I don't want to think that women have got to where  they are because of being women. That is a constant smear that hangs over many a successful woman and Cameron is helping that along. 

Of course I shouldn't moan, because at least women are now in top jobs. Although whether this will do Cameron any good remains to be seen. This is no disrespect to the women being promoted, but I've noticed recently (from my forays into debating this with people) that there is a  new breed of Tory women who are thirty something, very confident, confrontational and super self confident, married into money or from money, which contrasts with those of us who have had to build everything from nothing, who are more down to earth, no less intelligent, who are folksy and know how to speak to people; modern Tory woman by contrast cannot understand that just because you have a triple first from Oxbridge doesn't mean to say you can treat lesser mortals with utter contempt.

New Tory woman doesn't get this and doesn't get that & has no experience of life outside of the rich upper middle class metropolitan way of doing things along with the attitude that comes with, i.e. rich or married in wealth, pushy, willing to trample on everyone to get what they want,  plum in the mouth, ignorant of life outside of London, but doubtless representing an area like ours in rural England, who are disparagingly called 'the turnip taliban' for holding traditional views (hyperbolic I know and perhaps hypocritical given that I went to public schools and Oxbridge, but hey I was a Sephardi working class Jew of  a third world immigrant family, who'd had to rebuild their businesses from scratch) . No wonder the Tory right is leaning toward UKIP. If you don't even care about your own constituency, why should the rest thing that you care about them? 

Half the population of this country are men and men require special handling; treating them with contempt or derision because they hold doors open for you is the stupidest idea that you can do; it is childish, rude and gets their backs up unnecessarily. Nor does a willingness to  tear your ideas apart if they are crap  make them sexist and we do need to make allowances for them in other areas . My own husband, for example, is utterly incapable of running a household, which is why it is part of my lot in life to do so, but he is at least good at handywork  around the house and with my (behind the scenes help) good at running businesses. So we all have our skill set. 

I just hope that the women promoted last week not only have the ability, but also the understanding of how to communicate to people (they are politicians afterall).  I also hope that they are not like the New Tory women I've mentioned above. 

Well, we'll see. Time will tell. It always does.