A brave face for PM, Lucas Papademos

Not been paying attention to the news this week? We’ve helpfully rounded up the need-to-know events making the headlines in Europe of late…

Greece under pressure to hand over budget control

Greece is facing increasing pressure as its ability to manage its budgets is called into question. At the annual World Economic Forum, which took place from January 25 to 29 in Davos, Switzerland, Germany suggested that Greece be stripped of part of the power it holds over its fiscal policies. In particular, the appointment of an EU budget commissioner with veto powers was proposed. Greek officials angrily rejected the proposal.

Meanwhile, Greek Prime Minister Lucas Papademos continued to show an extremely brave face and continued with assurances that Greece is very close to signing a debt deal with private creditors. Over the past weeks Greek officials have repeatedly announced that deal was very close. This has, however, clashed with reality. Debt talks continue intermittently, with the Institute of International Finance (IIF), representing the creditors, refusing to agree with the government on the interest rate of the newly issued bonds, which should replace its current debt. The Greek situation does not seem likely to improve any time soon, especially after European inspectors announced the discovery of a new €15 billion black hole in the country’s finances on Thursday 2.

EU forms “fiscal compact”

Even though Germany’s plan to strip Greece of its financial independence has failed for now, a possibly greater achievement in terms of fiscal regulation was reached on Monday 30, when 25 out of 27 EU member states agreed to sign the new Treaty on Stability, Coordination and Governance in the Economic and Monetary Union. The agreement was reached during a summit held in Brussels and stipulates the creation of a “fiscal compact” with very strict rules in terms of budget deficit.

The Treaty is expected to be signed in March, and would give the European Court of Justice the power to monitor compliance with fiscal rules and to fine those countries who are found in breach of them. UK and the Czech Republic, however, refused to sign up.  British Prime Minister David Cameron said that the UK would take legal action if the treaty proved to threaten Britain’s interests. While the summit was taking place, Belgium was also hit by its first general strike in six years. People in the streets protested against the new austerity measures introduced by the government, which aim at saving €11.3 billion.

Death toll rises in cold snap

At least 220 people died since the arrival of a wave of freezing weather in Europe. The country with the highest number of victims so far is Ukraine (around 100), but many other are having to deal with subzero temperatures. In Poland the mercury went down to -38C, whilst about 11,000 people were trapped in Serbia’s remote villages due to heavy snowfalls. Romania, the Czech Republic and Croatia were also severely hit by the bad weather. Even Italy experienced some pretty harsh temperatures, with historical lows registered in Rome and other cities around Europe.

Sarkozy announces new financial transaction tax and other stories

French President Nicolas Sarkozy has recently launched a package of measures aimed at stimulating growth and the creation of new jobs, which is seen by many as a desperate move to increase his dwindling popularity – ahead of the presidential elections in May. The tax on financial transactions is part of the package and will be introduced in August. Later in the week Sarkozy had to face accusations that he had spent £30,000 of French taxpayers’ money to repatriate his son Pierre from the Ukraine, after he was admitted to hospital for food poisoning in Odessa. Elsewhere, Prime Minister Francois Fillon was forced to cut France’s growth forecasts for 2012 from 1% to 0.5%. However, Sarkozy has still the solid shoulder of German Chancellor Angela Merkel to cry on; Europe’s Iron Lady has pledged she will help the president in his campaign with joint appearances scheduled in spring.

Julian Assange appeals to Supreme Court against extradition

Wikileaks’ founder Julian Assange and his legal team went before Britain’s Supreme Court this week to appeal against his extradition to Sweden, where is wanted for questioning over sexual assault allegations. Assange has previously failed to convince a lower court that the cross border warrant for his arrest is invalid, since the prosecutor who issued it was not a valid judicial authority. The hearing started on Thursday 2 and ended the following days.  Seven judges of the Sumpreme Court decided to adjourn and Assange will now have to wait several weeks before finding out what fate awaits him.

To fly. To fail

It was a bad week for European airlines. On Monday 30 Spanair, Spain’s fourth largest airline, filed for bankruptcy. Two days earlier the company had left more than 20,000 passengers stranded, after it abruptly suspended all its flights. The company could now be fined €9m over the collapse for breaching rules on continuity of services and passengers’ rights. On Friday 3 it was Hungarian airline Malev’s turn. The decision to cease all its operations came after Malev was ordered by the European Commission to repay €130 million the company had received in state aid from 2007 to 2010.

Jennifer Robinson, the legal advisor for Julian Assange and Wikileaks gives an insight into proceedings the extradition proceedings

The Ten Commandments: wise counsel?

In the long grey winter months, it’s easy to be negative and hard to act cheery, but just as you are what you eat, so too you feel what you focus on. Choose to change your focus.

You can’t really argue with the Ten Commandments. I mean, as rules for happy and harmonious living go, they’re a pretty solid base: don’t kill; don’t cheat on your spouse; don’t steal; don’t lie. So far, I’m on board. Have a day of rest every week. Yep! Take care of your parents. Absolutely. Without wishing to labour the point, I don’t think many people would take exception to any of the above, whatever their religious leanings. Sadly, however, I have often felt that one commandment was missing.

Don’t get me wrong. Ten is a great figure – it’s even, pleasingly round, fits with our decimal currency, can be nicely spaced out into two five-item lists on a couple of handy stone tablets. I can totally see why Moses would get to the end of dictation, see a nice symmetrical pair of lists, and casually decide to leave commandment Number 11 at the top of the hill, but honestly, I really think he dropped the ball. Our lives would be infinitely more pleasant had he just added one last rule to the list:

Thou Shalt Not Whine

The addition of those four little words to that fateful list would have made such a difference, wouldn’t it? Whining is perhaps one of the least attractive traits in a person, and is certainly one of the most draining. I have an acquaintance – let’s call her Wendy – who, whenever I ask the innocent question, “How are you?” replies with some permutation of, “Oh, I’m so tired. Yep, really shattered – I worked until 10 o’ clock every evening last week. It’s just crazy.”

When I first knew Wendy I made the mistake of trying to help her with this apparent problem – suggesting she speak to her boss about her workload, asking whether she was eating properly, that sort of thing. Recently, however, I had an epiphany (I don’t know why I’m on such a religious theme today, I’m on a roll and I’m just going with it). I realised that Wendy isn’t actually asking for help, nor does she need to talk. The bottom line is: Wendy likes whining. And she particularly likes whining about being tired.

You Feel What You Focus On

I don’t actually know anyone who isn’t tired right now. In the bleak midwinter, it’s dark when you go to work, dark when you leave work. You’re trying to lose the Christmas bulge, keep that resolution to go to the gym, maybe even give up or cut down on something – cigarettes, chocolate, wine…

The post-Christmas winter months can feel grim at times, and yes, they’re tiring. But does saying you’re tired all the time help at all? If, every time someone asks me how I’m doing I answer, “Crikey, this rain is getting me down, I just can’t seem to get warm, and I have a splitting headache”, all I can think of by the end of the day is the rain and the cold and the headache and, lo and behold, it’s all actually worse than at the beginning of the day.

But if I reply, “I’m great, thanks! Looking forward to a quiet night in, that’s for sure”, miraculously, I can actually convince myself that I do indeed feel full of beans, and that quiet night has become a choice I’m making in order to take care of myself. I find that I feel what I talk about; which means that I don’t also choose to talk about what I feel.

We're ALL tired and a bit stressed now!

Accentuate The Positive

Now, I’m not suggesting we bottle up our feelings or lie, but unless mentioning aches, pains, gripes and groans will actually do some good, why go on about them? Now, whenever I see Wendy, I avoid asking how she is and instead pose very specific, fact-based questions: What did you do this weekend? Did you go jogging like you wanted?

It’s not that I don’t care, it’s just that not only does Wendy’s whining about being knackered exacerbate her own tiredness, it also exhausts me! If only she could take her focus off the negatives she’s feeling and concentrate on something – anything – positive, that good feeling would be increased instead of the bad.

The mind is like a magnifying glass – whatever we choose put under the lens is what our eyes will see enlarged; whatever feeling we choose to talk and think about is what we’ll feel magnified. Luckily, we get to pick what we train our lens on. So, it’s precisely when I’m tired and a bit hungry and maybe a little paranoid that I try hardest to remember to apply the 11th commandment and silently order myself not to whine.

Are you defined by your nine to five?

‘So, what do you do?’ It’s usually the first question we ask a new person when we meet them. It’s socially acceptable small talk and usually helps to spark a conversation. It’s more interesting than talking about the weather, more appropriate than launching into an interrogation about their personal life, and (usually) a safe option.

But if it’s the first thing we find out about a person, does that mean we form our judgement of them based on that answer? How important is somebody’s career in defining who they are as a person? Of course, it usually depends on who you ask. Some people feel that their career is their life, while others feel no attachment to their role at all, and view their nine to five simply as something they have to do to fund their five to nine.

Perhaps it comes down to a question of vocation versus paying the bills: for some people, their job is simply a means to an end, whilst for others, their job is an end in itself. This difference may depend on the role, rather than the person. Doctors, policemen, teachers: these are, generally speaking, the kind of roles that seem to extend beyond a career choice and into a lifestyle. Sarah, a 24-year old teacher, says that, although she definitely feels there is more to her life than teaching: ‘I think I am a constant teacher – I now find myself thinking about the way young cousins or friends children access the world, how I would support them to learn certain skills… The way I look at life in general is hugely influenced by my training and my career – not just other children I come into contact with, but a lot of my life choices are based on pedagogical factors that came on board during my teacher training.’

It’s true that people who take on certain careers may experience a certain amount of pressure to fulfill their roles even outside the workplace. As Sarah explained, a teacher may find that they are always teaching in some way or another. A doctor would be unlikely to walk past an injured person in the street without offering medical assistance, and a police officer is unlikely to ignore a crime just because they are off duty. This kind of social responsibility doesn’t always extend to other roles. I work as an editor and proofreader, and although I frequently spot misspellings and grammatical errors on signs in public places, I don’t feel any kind of duty to correct these errors (although, if they are particularly amusing, I may be tempted to take a photo).

If you feel that your job is something that you wish to be defined by, you may take a great deal of pleasure in telling people: ‘I am a writer,’ or ‘I work in fashion.’ But if it’s something that you do to pay the rent, it isn’t always something you want to share. Laura, who works as a PA in London, says: ‘I dislike how in this day and age if you aren’t in a ‘career’ type job people assume you aren’t interesting/driven/intelligent. And I find that so interesting because the best people I know, the most engaging and unique people, define themselves through what they do outside of the work place…. For me, I realize that the job I would actually love to do is sort of unachievable at the moment. And sometimes it proves you are more dedicated to make time for what you really care about in your own time. I do dislike telling people I’m a PA because you do get that ‘Oh, you’re stuck in a dead-end job’ look, but the fact is that that salary allows me to do all sorts of interesting things in my free time.’

A career with a sense of purpose?

So although many people thrive on their career and feel strongly defined by what they do, there are just as many out there who see their nine to five as something rather dull: perhaps even as something they dislike. With the jobs market moving more slowly than ever, plenty of us are stuck in roles we don’t really want, hoping that something better will come up.

If you fall into the first category, and feel your career is worthwhile and something that defines you, then you should feel free to warmly congratulate yourself on discovering a job that means something to you. If you fall into the second category, however, it shouldn’t be something to be ashamed of. Your job doesn’t have to mean everything. You don’t have to be defined by the desk you sit at, the salary you earn, or the room you spend 40 hours a week in. There are 128 other hours in the week to account for. And, as 25-year old electrician Joe points out: ‘I enjoy my job, but I’d much rather not be working. Even if I had the greatest job in the world I’m sure I’d rather be free to choose what I want to do with my day.’

So, next time somebody turns to you and asks: ‘So, what do you do?’ why not give them a smile, and reply: ‘What, between nine and five, or five and nine?’

Jealousy: got the green-eyed monster?

Of all negative emotions, jealousy is unequivocally the most toxic. Unlike anger, which does eventually blunt however searing in intensity to begin with, jealousy tends to compound over time. It can drive us to distraction, provoke obsessive behaviour, destroy relationships and erode our self-esteem… But it’s little short of masochism.

Where envy – which is similar – refers to the feeling of coveting something someone else has, jealousy cranks up the heat; it’s the presentation of hot resentment towards another in response to something they’ve acquired or achieved for which the jealous person firmly believes – rationally or, moreover, not – they are more deserving. Jealousy is a ‘second emotion’. Second emotions are symptomatic of ‘primary emotions’; that is to say, there’s actually a foundation negative (fear, for example) that presents as something else, and it’s because of this that second emotions are often referred to as irrational. But the critical thing that frequently underlies jealousy is insecurity or the self-imposed perception of inferiority: a catty remark about a beautiful girl or an undermining comment to a senior colleague about a peer in the workplace, for example.

Why and what for? Using the aforementioned examples, let’s break it down:

● On the surface, any attempt to undermine (or embarrass if you’re brazen enough to do it to their face) another in such a way is a reflex method to pitch oneself above them to other people. This is jealousy in its most basic form.

● Dig a little deeper and you’ll find that such comment or behaviour is in fact a quick fix method (albeit quite a futile one) of convincing oneself of one’s own self-worth, attractiveness or capabilities in other areas.

● Dig further still and the driver, simply speaking, is quite obvious: girl A snipes an unnecessary aside to an unwitting audience about girl B because girl B promotes girl A’s feelings of insecurity. It might be looks related, skills, talent, love life – whatever.

● But the bottom line is that girl A fears abandonment or loss of respect (or attention) from others in favour of girl B, who she perceives to be better than her. The Catch 22 is that she could well be making her own bed for abandonment by demonstrating hostile behaviour – no one really enjoys hanging out with bitchy people after all.

It’s true that some people are more prone to jealousy than others for the simple reason that some are more secure or confident in themselves than others. However, even the most self-assured people aren’t immune to the odd wave of green eye. Here are a few important points to bear in mind if ever you feel the caustic surge of jealousy encroaching:

● Remember that more often than not, feelings of jealousy actually rise out of relative ignorance: it’s often levelled at individuals we actually don’t know that well, if at all, or at an event we weren’t involved in. A simple and universal example of this is Facebook and its propensity toward glamorising the context of photos of friends or wall comments that drip through the newsfeed.

● With the relative ignorance aspect in mind, it’s very usually the case that in getting to know the person we’re jealous of (or on hearing about the party we weren’t invited to), all our prejudices are rendered impotent. Think about this: are you really, truly jealous of anyone you call a good friend? No? There you go. If you are, you’re clearly not all that close or your relationship isn’t particularly healthy to start with.

● It’s entirely possible to catch jealousy early on and temper it. Bear in mind that it’s a pretty rapacious emotion that can escalate quickly and promote obsessive behaviour or thoughts. If you find yourself squeezed by it, make every attempt to rationalise your mindset and, if possible, let go of any incriminating thoughts to concentrate on the positives in your life. A very good exercise is to ask yourself this; do you really want to be the person / people you’re jealous of? They’re human like you too, and more than likely have their fair share of grumbles, problems and insecurities.

● Finally, as with all negatives, put a positive skew on it. Where it’s not healthy to dwell on your feelings of jealousy, recognising how you feel from an objective vantage point is. Evaluate what’s made you feel the way you do, and what you can do to change it. Basically speaking, regard feelings of jealousy as a ‘signpost’ or a motivator to get on and get ahead: that could mean starting a project you’ve been ruminating over for a while, revising your image, getting going with a fitness routine, allotting time to concentrate on promoting your business, taking the initiative in asking someone out on a date or throwing a party – anything at all.

Just remember that there’s always a reason for experiencing negative feelings, and that it’s impossible to saunter through life without them from time to time. But also that there’s always the opportunity to turn them into positive angles that in the long run, can work to your personal advantage and self-development if you’re open-minded and honest enough with yourself to allow them the space to do so.

Old school jealousy at its most basic: Sophia Loren and Jayne Mansfield photographed at a party in Beverly Hills in 1957...

Mary McAleese and Mary Robinson

You can see the original version of this feature on Women’s Views On News.

Last December, Irish women were left with a bittersweet taste in their mouths after the release of a bill designed to get more women involved in politics. The historic Electoral (Amendment) (Political Funding) Bill 2011 designates mandatory targets for all political parties, stipulating that they run 30% women and 30% men in subsequent general elections or lose half their funding.

However, while redressing a long-standing imbalance, the bill comes only days after a slash and burn austerity budget which has targeted women, lone parents and women’s organisations. Indeed the National Women’s Council of Ireland, the watchdog for women’s rights in Ireland, has seen its budget cut by a savage 35%.

Despite the international attention and acclaim given to Mary Robinson and Mary McAleese (two of our former Heads of State), Irish women have been woefully under-represented at almost every level of politics. Only 91 women have ever been elected to the Dáil [lower house of the Irish parliament]. Of the 4,744 Dáil seats filled since 1918 only 260 have been filled by women (5.48%). The Dáil today is no different. It is an almost entirely male dominion: 85% of the members are men.

There are three main reasons why we need more women involved in politics. This injustice is the first – half of the population have been marginalised from political decision-making. The second is that women bring different experiences, skills and perspectives to politics. A more diverse set of experiences will create a different kind of Oireachtas – a parliament of all talents. Finally, a critical mass of women in politics can change the political agenda and, ultimately, change the kind of decisions being made. The recent budget is a further illustration of how excluded women are from the decision-making structures of Irish society.

In Norway this was called a “politics of care”. Women politicians ensured that the state absorbed its responsibility for balancing the role of women as mothers/carers and as full economic participants. The state provided better care facilities for children, it extended flexible working arrangements in both the private and public sector and, most radically, it provided arrangements for shared maternity and paternity leave after a child is born.

In Rwanda – top of the global league table for representation of women (at 53%) – politics has moved on from the 1994 genocide, where rape was used as a weapon of war. Today gender based violence is at the top of the political agenda. In these states – and in 17 of the top 20 countries for representation of women – some form of gender quota has been applied. This is because they work. Opponents of targets are long on criticism but question them and they are short on alternatives. Gender targets are a proven method of transforming politics.

A 2009 report by an Oireachtas (parliament) sub-committee on women’s participation in politics identified five barriers for women’s entry into politics (first identified in the 1970s in Trinity College, Dublin, but they apply internationally):

● Care – There is a noticeable dearth of young mothers in politics. There are some exceptions but most women at this age step away from politics to care for children. The lack of maternity leave for politicians doesn’t help the situation. Later, many older women often provide care for elderly relatives. As women do most of the caring in Irish society this limits their potential to get politically involved.

● Cash – Women earn on average 30% less than men and so have less money to spend fighting election campaigns and less wealthy networks of potential supporters to tap into.

● Culture – Irish adversarial politics, modelled on the Westminster style of our old colonial masters, is unappealing to women (and many men). The childish behaviour of many public representatives who prefer to heckle instead of holding meaningful debates on policy or process is deeply off-putting. Late night sittings of the Dáil and the necessity to combine national work with a clientelist local culture means that politics is, as one prominent woman politician put it, a “family-hostile” environment.

● Selection conferences – Political parties are the gatekeepers of the Irish political system. Selection by a political party in Ireland’s multi-seat constituency PR/STV [proportional representation/single transferable vote] electoral system is not a guarantee of election – unlike the UK system where “safe seats” exist. Nonetheless selection by a political party is of vital importance and selection processes – especially in more conservative rural Ireland – are often controlled by a coterie of men unwilling to allow women access to the political system.

● Confidence – Despite leading the way through every level of the education system, managing careers, children and organising the home, too many women still lack the confidence to enter politics, preferring to be asked than to actively seek out positions.

Each of these “5 Cs” applies in different ways to different women: a combination of hard (political reform) and soft (training and support programmes) are important for resolving them. Targets for the selection of women by political parties will help to eliminate some of these barriers and start to fix Ireland’s broken democracy.

Only 91 women have ever been elected to the Dáil. Of the 4,744 Dáil seats filled since 1918 only 260 have been filled by women...

Women’s Views On News is the women’s daily online news and current affairs service, operating on a ‘not for profit’ basis. The site provides up to date news on all the major national and international stories of the day, in much the same way as any newspaper or online news service, but the stories featured are always about women.

Are we living too fast these days?

2011 has seen us tackle subjects as diverse as corruption and quarter-life crises head on; offering advice and opinions along the way; we hope that we’ve made you think a little more carefully – and take a closer look at society, and yourselves, of course! Here’s our edit of the Social Butterfly must-reads of the year.

Live Fast, Die Young?

With over-eating and excessive consumption of alcohol, we’re told that our generation is storing up countless health problems for the future – what’s the reality, asks Katie Shellard.

Alpha Females: Europe’s Power Players

Ilaria Parogni takes a look at ten European female political leaders; Women are still underrepresented and discriminated. But it is good to know that somewhere they made it to the top…

How To Be… In A Relationship

Plum Woodard shares thoughts, tips and advice on keys to the mechanics of a happy, healthy relationship.

Press, Power and Profit

As media ownership concentrates further and journalists begin to break the law in search of a scoop, how much power is too much – and what effect is it having on the Fourth Estate? Sarah Gorman considers the situation today.

RIP Masculinity?

Negotiating masculine identity has never been harder. An onslaught of new roles has led men to think about themselves on different terms, writes Charlotte Briere-Edney.

Something Rotten in the State? Corruption in European Politics

People around the world believe they are living in more corrupt societies than three years ago, a poll by Transparency International suggests. So how corrupt really are European governments? Jade Wimbledon investigates…

The Quarter-Life Crisis

Colliding with a global economic recessions and the pressures of work, relationships and money; today’s twenty-somethings are frustrated, dissatisfied and finding life a struggle… Olivia Parker considers the quarter-life crisis.

How to… Advise

Serving up advice is one of those precarious things that can either be dished out idly with disproportionate consequences, or carefully considered over and above the call of duty only to be ignored…. Plum Woodard advises on… when to advise!

Hard Maths: Downturn, Development and Women

Is seeing women as a crucial part in solving the world’s worst poverty and health traps a net positive or negative? Sandra Smiley takes a closer look at aid, women and the financial downturn.

Life: Edited

Thanks to social networks, it has never been easier to see ‘real life’ as a constantly edited process. What impact does our ability to edit life have on our actually living it, wonders Rebecca Winson.

A New Era of Journalism?

The Wikileaks cable release shook the world media scene but will it have a lasting impact? Lauren Novak looks at life after Wikileaks…

The Outcasts of Europe

Persecuted, shunned, and evicted: can there be any future hope for gypsies, Europe’s pariahs, asks Olivia Parker.

Fashion's first lady: Samantha Cameron

Married to the Government: Political Wives

Smart, highly-educated and with successful careers of their own; Charlotte Briere-Edney considers today’s first ladies.

Dissecting Cognitive Behaviour

Each year, one in four people experience mental health problems; CBT is an opportunity to explore how you view yourself and how you feel the world views you. Plum Woodard takes a good, hard look at Cognitive Behavioural Therapy.

Reporting Discrimination: The Female Foreign Correspondent

They’ve been in the news rather than making it of late; should female foreign correspondents should take a step back and just let the men do the job, asks Ilaria Parogni.

Faith in Europe: Religion and Politics in Perspective

Ilaria Parogni  looks at the struggle to find a balance between secularism and religious identity in Europe and the relationship between religion and politics.

How To… Be Confident

Katie Shellard considers how, with some simple techniques, practice and commitment, you can turn down the volume on self-doubt and crank up the confidence.

Beyond the Erasmus Exchange

There is growing concern that too many European students aren’t straying far enough from home; is education in Europe too inward-looking? What about university beyond the continent? Lauren Novak tackles the crisis besetting the Erasmus Exchange today…

All About Anger

Where we’re rarely criticised for experiencing feelings of love or feel shame for being happy, why then are we told to ‘cool down’ or ‘get a grip’ when seized by our anger? Plum Woodard sums up the pros and cons of a controversial emotion.

Faith in Europe: Constitution and Controversies

Ilaria Parogni casts a critical eye over the questions and controversies governing religion and politics across the continent today.

Ayaan Hirsi Ali: Islam, Sharia Law and Contradictions

A fierce critic of Islam, a feminist activist and the resident scholar for a right wing think tank; how does Ayaan Hirsi Ali reconcile these apparently contradictory stances? Emine Dilek interviews the inspirational lady herself.

Girls and Gangs

Youth violence in the UK is a serious problem – and even more so due to the current economic downturn. Harri Sutherland-Kay takes a look at what’s being done to tackle the gendered impact of gangs.

Ayaan Hirsi Ali talking about her book Nomad and issues in Islam today

To-do lists make for an organised life...

If life is what happens while you’re busy making other plans, it’s wise to keep a few gaps in your diary…

I am definitely one of life’s planners. I like making a list, checking it twice, then typing it up and keeping it on file. I enjoy feeling organised and like things are under control, or at least as if I’m doing everything I can to make life run smoothly. In general, I think this a quality that usually serves me well. It means I show up on time, rarely forget appointments, keep on top of paperwork, and don’t often run around like a headless chicken. Organisation and planning – within reason – are undeniably Good Things.

‘Tis the season to be organised!

In the run up to Christmas (and the beloved’s birthday, which occurs the week before), my list-making takes on gargantuan proportions. Lists of things to get, things to do before I leave for wherever I’m going, people to contact, Christmas cards to write, appointments to make for the new year… I like to have it all written down so that I’m not permanently worrying I’ve forgotten something. Writing a to-do list frees the brain for higher activities – like watching Gremlins for the tenth time and working out the exact right recipe for mulled wine.

The best laid plans of mice and men

Funnily enough though, in recent years, Christmas has also served as a reminder to me that sometimes the best things in life are the things we don’t plan. A couple of years back, I was going home to England for Christmas, travelling with an American friend who was staying with me over the holidays. (When told that she was featuring in my latest column, the aforementioned friend wanted to choose her own pseudonym. At her own request, she shall henceforth be referred to as Peggy Sue.) A few days before we were due to leave Paris, the Eurostar stopped working. It just stopped. Apparently the winter was so cold that the trains were experiencing a thermal shock as they entered the tunnel, and the engines were seizing up. At first I didn’t actually believe that we wouldn’t be able to get on a train. I kept telling an increasingly worried Peggy Sue that the Eurostar was sure to be fixed somehow and that all would go according to plan. I guess everyone can see what’s coming.

A long coach journey into night

The date of our programmed departure came and went, and we couldn’t get a seat on a train, so we ended up catching an overnight coach from Paris to London. What ensued was one of the most memorable journeys I’ve ever taken. We had a leaky roof on our coach; a woman point blank refused to swap seats to let us sit together (her prerogative, of course, but who actually refuses that sort of request?); the man next to Peggy chatted to himself the entire journey; another chap was almost left behind every time we had to get off the coach and go through customs; one passenger was actually detained… It made The Odyssey look like a trip to the seaside. All this from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. in freezing and icy conditions. Now, I’m not going to suggest that Peg and I preferred this to whizzing under the Channel on the cosy Eurostar, but neither would I say I regret the trip. We had fits of giggles, took turns sleeping on the ferry, made up silly stories about our coach-mates. We were already friends when we left, but when we arrived, that epic night had made our bond even tighter.

Seizing the surprise

Thinking back, some of the best things that have occurred in my life indeed happened while I was busy making other plans. Like the time I intended to go to the cinema, take a walk then have an early night. Luckily I abandoned my plan when a charming chap I met while waiting for the film to start asked me to go for coffee with him. He turned out to be the love of my life.

Always seize upon those surprises...

Or the time I received a letter meant for a different Joanne Archibald offering a part in a play at university. I had made the decision not to audition for anything that term, but I phoned the director to tell her she’d got the wrong woman and ended up auditioning for and getting the lead (the other Joanne had already declined). Thanks to that role, I made friends I still cherish to this day, was given a part in another play after that one, and ended up directing something myself. Or the time I got lost in Paris, stumbled upon a volunteer bureau and ended up doing some great charity work.

Relishing the random

Planning is, for me, one of the keys to a calm, organised life; but the unexpected is always the source of the best fun. I won’t stop making lists (I suspect it’s actually an addiction, but I think it’s a pretty harmless one), but every Christmas I am now reminded to revel in whatever gets thrown at me. It’s the bumps and twists in the road that make the journey interesting. It’s the random encounters and chance events that make your life full of life rather than simply a slavish playing out of your day planner. Sometimes, as I discovered on a cold and leaky coach in Calais, it’s actually life’s hassles that prove to be the most entertaining, enriching and memorable experiences we share.

The predominately male coalition cabinet

‘Calm down, dear! Calm down!’ were the words uttered by David Cameron towards Labour MP Angela Eagle earlier this year during Prime Minister’s questions. A shocked Labour front bench were quick to ask for an apology and objections ensued over Cameron’s alleged ‘sexist’ attitude. Following on from this pompous outburst it comes with little surprise that female voters are quickly marching away from Cameron’s sniggering backbenchers and his predominately male cabinet. Can women expect their interests to be taken into consideration with only five women in the Conservative-Lib Dem coalition cabinet?

And of course women, who comprise 65% of public sector workers, are bound to question why planned cuts will affect them more than men in their workplaces. The House of Commons Library research highlighted just how disproportionate the cuts are, as figures showed George Osborne’s two-year 1% cap on public sector pay rises will affect 4.6 million women compared to 2.6 million men. Along with changes to the Sure Start maternity grants, the health in pregnancy grant and a freeze on child benefits, I’m surprised that the Conservative Party still feels that there is hope in winning back female voters.

Naturally every woman is different, and not all women will be affected by changes to benefits concerning children and families. Unfortunately these are not the only cutbacks that have been announced. Concerns have been raised in relation to cuts made to policing, street lighting and women’s support services. It was on International Day to Eliminate Violence Against Women, that the End Violence Against Women Coalition called on the government to step up its action against women at home and abroad. In a letter written to The Guardian newspaper, together with the Fawcett Society and other women’s groups, the EVAW Coalition warned the government that legal aid cuts will risk women’s safety.

Fortunately Cameron has recognised that he needs our votes and has been advised to hire a female special advisor. She will apparently look at government policies through a ‘woman’s eyes’ and I suppose state the obvious to Cameron; that women are NOT stupid and they HAVE noticed his budget cuts. Putting aside the fact that this latest venture is basically another gimmick thrown at women to keep them happy, I have to ask, what exactly is this woman supposed to achieve?

Within different demographics are also different women with different lives and different opinions; how can one woman represent every single one of Cameron’s potential female voters? It’s a patronising offer to women who comprise almost 50% of the workforce and yet are targeted differently to their male counterparts. Why is it assumed that all women have the same needs any more than all men? Are women’s interests really that different to men’s? Surely health, pensions and jobs are issues everyone cares about.

The government has always targeted women differently during election time with their baby hugging and mum-friendly antics. This makes even less sense now when the number of single women is increasing; not all women are concerned with childcare and maternity grants. And policies and legislation relating to families are surely of interest to men with children too. It seems that now we are being treated to what is essentially another addition to Cameron’s circle of ‘Tory Totty’. One can only imagine what he would do if he thought that he didn’t need our votes.

David Cameron telling MP Angela Eagle to ‘calm down, dear’

What does your status say about you?

These days, nearly everybody has a Facebook account, many of us are on Twitter, and social networking has become firmly entrenched in our everyday lives. Facebook may be a valuable tool for keeping track of events, remembering birthdays, and staying up to date with our friends, but what role does it play in our love lives?

Thanks to Facebook, it’s possible to find out all about potential partners, even before you’ve had your first date. The wonders of ‘facestalking’, as it has become known, mean that we can browse the pages of people we’re interested in, whether admiring their profile pictures or clicking through their interests to see if we’re compatible. And even when you’re well past the first date stage, Facebook makes it possible to find out far more about our partners than they may want to share. Rather than having the dreaded and often uncomfortable conversation about why their last relationship ended, we can open the ex-files on our own by browsing through their Facebook history: every photograph, every wall post, every loved-up status, is there to view.

One of the key ways social networking has changed modern relationships is Facebook’s relationship status tool. For many, changing your status has become a way of signifying the end of the ‘dating’ period and the start of the ‘relationship’. It’s a public declaration of your feelings that all your friends can view and, if they feel the need, comment on. Some people choose to hide their relationship status altogether: others declare themselves single and open to offers. Absurd US boyband Heart2Heart have recently taken the internet by storm with their so-cheesy-it-must-be-a-joke song ‘Facebook Official’, encouraging the girl of their dreams to ‘put a heart on [her] page.’

As well as opening the doors for people to make public commitments, the casual and detached nature of Facebook and Twitter make it all too easy to dabble in flirtatious banter – and easier still for your other half to find out. From finding out your partner has been ‘liking’ a few too many of someone’s photos to feeling jealous of their retweets, social networks are full of potential relationship problems. In recent years a number of celebrities have got into hot water over their online banter: Jason Manford, for example, famously disgraced himself by exchanging lewd messages with female fans over Twitter.

There’s no doubt that the advent of social networking has made all of us used to having an audience: our inner monologues have been replaced by tweets and status updates, and there is a general compulsion to over share. All too often this spills over into our love lives, making social networks a minefield of public displays of affection, from his ‘n’ hers profile pictures to excited tweets boasting about perfect dates. Isn’t it possible that things were more romantic when love was a little more private – when we penned love letters rather than ‘liking’ each other’s statuses and tweeting sweet nothings.

There are many though, who feel that the changes made to our love lives by social networks are positive. Lucy, who is in her forties, says: ‘I met my new partner online – a friend of a friend on Facebook. We both have failed marriages or relationships behind us and neither were looking for a relationship – it just happened.’ As well as opening the doors for new romance, many couples have made social networking a part of their relationship. Comedienne Caitlin Moran recently spoke of her enjoyment of watching television with her husband, while both tweeted away about what they were viewing.

It’s clear that social networks have changed our relationships to a certain extent, and it’s impossible to avoid that. They’ve altered the way we interact with our friends: perhaps it was inevitable that they would change the way we interacted with our partners, too. But when it comes to romantic dinners and first kisses, at least there’s no substitute for the real thing: at least, until someone invents an app for it.

Heart2Heart’s so-cheesy-it-must-be-a-joke song ‘Facebook Official’

Riots and violence on London's streets

You can see the original version of this feature on Women’s Views On News.

In November, UK Home Secretary Theresa May announced a new strategy on tackling gang and youth violence. The report, which May states is the first truly cross-governmental approach to tackling gang and youth related violence, was written as part of the government’s response to the UK riots in August.

The recommendations, which run up until April 2014, include establishing an Ending Gang and Youth Violence Team, distributing £10 million worth of funds to areas severely affected by gang and serious youth violence, plans for effective data sharing, new offending behaviour programmes and making more advice available to parents.

But what does it say about gender? Very little is the answer. There are no more than a few paragraphs on the gendered impact of gangs. The report does state that: “In focusing on the male perceptions and male victims of gang violence it can be easy to lose sight of the role that young women and girls may have in gang related activity… [This] shows the often hidden impact of serious youth violence on them.”

Carlene Firmin was a lead researcher of a report on the impact of serious youth and gang violence on women and girls by Race on the Agenda (Rota) published in 2010. Firmin wrote an article for The Guardian soon after May’s report was released, saying: “With girls seen as a prop rather than as integral to the causes and consequences of youth violence, some professionals and decision makers have focused activity on males who are perceived as ‘central’ to all solutions…But following […] Theresa May’s strategy […] it is evident that the tide could be changing.”

I have to admit that despite the accumulation of good and important work on girls’ involvement in gangs, I was sceptical when I read May’s report. This is partly down to the lack of space given to gender, which is very typical of the vast majority of government proposals. But it is mainly because I am unable to see how these proposals will be implemented effectively in a time of financial crisis when budgets will be dramatically reduced for the foreseeable future.

Lee Sprake, a youth worker based in Portsmouth, told me that cuts in youth services since the 1980s, police targeting of young people for anti-social behaviour and the criminalisation of youth (of which the London riots – the harbinger of the report – are an excellent example), the rise in youth unemployment, low rates of pay and the growth of insecure part time work have all led to an increase of anger in young people, especially in a time of mass inequality and gross commodification.

Catch 22, a charity that works with young people in 150 towns and cities across the UK, has been involved in various projects about gangs and serious youth violence. It is also involved in promoting campaigns throughout Europe on the importance of healthy relationships between young people; the aim is to reduce girls’ involvement in gangs.

In a series of recommendations put together in 2009, Catch 22 made the case for gender-specific programmes that would enable services to adapt in order to meet the needs of young women. Part of this should be an emphasis on building relationships rather than establishing rules. It highlighted the importance of taking family and peer groups into account when looking at young women’s offending behaviour, as well as the benefits of approaches that maximise young people’s self-esteem and sense of worth.

Rosie Chadwick, director of public affairs, policy and innovation at Catch 22, feels that these are incredibly important to consider. The combination of factors that surround girls in gangs is hugely complex, often including destructive interpersonal relationships in which violence is normalised, poverty and a lack of interest in school. There is still a lot more work that needs to be done on methods of intervention and pathways out of violence and, as Catch 22′s work states, it is critical that these methods respond to the young women’s personal experiences.

Chadwick notes that while there have been pockets of work done on girls’ involvement in gangs and serious youth violence, May’s proposals have finally brought the subject into the spotlight. And although there is still a lot more to be done, she says, May’s document is “a small but important step in the right direction.”

As much as May’s report does take some of Rota’s work into account and has, hopefully, begun the move towards gender-specific services for young people in gangs, I remain very critical. This stems from my own sense of terror at a great many of the policies of the coalition government, the increasing criminalisation of young people and the horrific treatment of young people on political demonstrations and during the riots.

Footage from during the London riots

This doesn’t even touch on my concerns about the move to “payment by results” services by the Ministry of Justice, which is reducing the funding and therefore the capacity for women’s organisations that, through their knowledge and expertise, are in a position to develop specialist services for young women. May’s report, though recommending that specialist services need to be put in place “for girls and young women suffering gang-related sexual exploitation and abuse”, still doesn’t address the intricacies of working with young people in gangs, with gender being more of an added consideration than anything else.

Despite the lack of mainstream media coverage, the involvement of girls and young women in gangs and serious youth violence seems to be a hot topic at the moment. The Greater London Authority has just commissioned an in-depth research project, which is being undertaken by the research arm of the Women’s Resource Centre. Before the Rota study there had been almost no gender and class analysis within reports on gang and serious youth violence. This new project will use this analysis and build on Rota’s work to develop a strategic framework to enable a more coordinated and consistent response to girls involved in gangs.

The only way we’re going to develop effective strategies of working with young women involved in serious youth violence is through research and funding projects that are able to holistically address their needs. With the current economic priorities being to cut back on the public sector, the voluntary sector and on education, with their criminal justice priorities, especially after the August riots, being to lock people up, I’m not particularly optimistic. There is a lot more to be done, but I do hope that this new interest in the topic and investment in research means that the tide really could be turning on how we work with young people and gang violence.

Women’s Views On News is the women’s daily online news and current affairs service, operating on a ‘not for profit’ basis. The site provides up to date news on all the major national and international stories of the day, in much the same way as any newspaper or online news service, but the stories featured are always about women.