"And think of how we challenged the idea of a male dominated Parliament with All-Women shortlists and made the cause of gender equality central to our government. We were right to do so"
About this Quote
The phrase “male dominated Parliament” sets up a villain that’s broad enough to be undeniable, but vague enough to avoid naming the men, factions, and gatekeeping practices that actually enforce that dominance. Then comes the pivot to “our government,” a possessive that folds party policy into state purpose, implying that Labour’s institutional choices were not just partisan but civic. “We were right to do so” is the clincher: not an argument, a verdict. It anticipates the usual criticisms - tokenism, discrimination, box-ticking - and closes the debate with moral certainty.
Context matters here: Miliband led Labour after 2010, when the party was rethinking how to look modern after losing power. All-Women shortlists were already associated with Labour’s gains in women MPs, but also with backlash and legal-political controversy. By reframing the policy as a challenge to an archaic Parliament, he casts the party as insurgent reformers inside the system they ran. It’s an attempt to claim the cultural high ground while sidestepping the messier question: equality of outcomes is being celebrated; equality of power - who decides, and how - stays politely offstage.
Quote Details
| Topic | Equality |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Miliband, Ed. (2026, January 17). And think of how we challenged the idea of a male dominated Parliament with All-Women shortlists and made the cause of gender equality central to our government. We were right to do so. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/and-think-of-how-we-challenged-the-idea-of-a-male-57256/
Chicago Style
Miliband, Ed. "And think of how we challenged the idea of a male dominated Parliament with All-Women shortlists and made the cause of gender equality central to our government. We were right to do so." FixQuotes. January 17, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/and-think-of-how-we-challenged-the-idea-of-a-male-57256/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"And think of how we challenged the idea of a male dominated Parliament with All-Women shortlists and made the cause of gender equality central to our government. We were right to do so." FixQuotes, 17 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/and-think-of-how-we-challenged-the-idea-of-a-male-57256/. Accessed 10 Feb. 2026.
