Breaking into a man's world

Political activist Margaret Meling tells Sarah Foster how home rule could benefit women.

WITH her soft voice and pastel-coloured top, Margaret Meling seems about as far removed from a hard-nosed politician as is possible. A mother-of-two, she first developed a taste for politics as a child. With both parents working as public servants - her mother for the health service and her father for the local authority - dinner table conversation revolved around the social issues of the day. While neither parent was politically active, they embraced what politicians are supposed to care about - how people's lives could be improved. The young Margaret eagerly absorbed their views and, combining them with romantic ideas of her grandfather, who she says "literally saved the constitution" as a London fireman in the war, was set for a political career.

But coming from a non-political background, and being a woman, Margaret says this was far from obvious to her at first. "I was starting from a low base in terms of political naivety," she says. "I became the youngest councillor in the region, when I was elected to South Tyneside Council in 1973, when I was in my mid 20s. They didn't really know what to do with me or why I was there. I think they got round it by basically ignoring me. I was able to do lots of things because of that."

Margaret's greatest achievement as a councillor was winning an urban aid grant to set up South Tyneside Women's Aid and a women's refuge, yet despite her success, when her seat was up for re-election, in 1980, she declined to stand. "In 1980, I got married, and decided not to stand again," she explains ruefully. "Hopefully, that wouldn't occur to young women now."

It wasn't long before Margaret, who had served as an independent councillor, realised that despite her family commitments, she could not give up her political career. She became South Tyneside representative on the SDP's governing council, helping to formulate policy. A further change in allegiances followed in 1990, when she joined the Labour Party. For Margaret, from Cleadon Village, near Sunderland, this is easily explained - she simply went along with whoever's policies most closely matched her own socialist agenda.

Now the holder of several Labour Party positions at ward, constituency and regional level, she supports Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott's idea of directly elected regional assemblies for the same reason. As the TUC's delegate to the existing unelected North-East Regional Assembly, she already has experience of regional government. While some have criticised the proposals for home rule as weak, with a budget of only £350m out of the £12bn spent annually on the region being controlled by an elected assembly, Margaret believes the principal is sound. Like other supporters of the Campaign for a North-East Assembly, of which she is an executive member, she reasons that they can build on what is on offer.

As a woman who has fought for her place in the male-dominated political world, she believes the current system is grossly unfair to her sex. According to figures compiled by the North-East Constitutional Convention Women's Forum, of which Margaret is a member, the number of women in key regional decision making posts is pitiful. It notes, for example, that there are only two female council leaders and four MPs - with women making up only 26 per cent of the region's government across the board. Margaret believes that while progress is being made to redress this imbalance, through all-female lists of parliamentary candidates among other things, what is needed is an entire culture change.

"It's a hugely undemocratic system," she says. "Men think that women are wives, mothers, and sweethearts, not politicians, and even if there are equal male and female candidates, people won't vote for women. We need women bringing their expertise, their experience, and most of all their perspective."

Margaret believes this could be achieved through a directly elected assembly. She argues that the proposed system of proportional representation would give everyone a better chance of gaining a seat, whatever their sex or political beliefs. But most significantly for women, she believes the shake-up could open the way for the sea-change needed for them to play an active role in government. "It's not going to happen overnight, but the Women's Forum is going to offer training in public policy awareness and public speaking," says Margaret. "The assembly could devise family friendly working arrangements, and we will hopefully ensure that it has proper facilities to assist men and women in the conduct of their family relationships. I think if the whole thing is more family friendly, more women will become involved." Written into the assembly's constitution would be the concept of civic forums, encouraging people at grass roots level to contribute, which Margaret also believes would be attractive to women.

BUT as she herself concedes, Margaret, who is head of Sunderland Local Education Authority's English as an additional language service, is unusual in being a politically aware woman. Local politics leaves the majority of men and women cold, and if recent surveys is anything to go by, few care one way or another about a home rule referendum. So in a general climate of apathy, how will women be persuaded to make their voices heard if there is an elected assembly? "All it does is give the opportunity," Margaret admits. "There's no way you can make women change. Young women are more likely to say, 'I'm not going to have someone run my life.'"

If Margaret had her way, a shining example would be set by appointing Joyce Quin, who is standing down as Gateshead East and Washington West MP, as the elected assembly's leader. But even if this happened, she would probably be a lone female voice among a vast majority of male members. And much as she supports the pro-assembly campaign, Margaret would not wish to join them. "I've had an ambition to be an MP since I was a little girl, and the region will still need strong voices in Westminster," she says. It seems hard to imagine that her vision for women taking their rightful place in politics will be achieved simply by establishing a directly elected assembly. But if the reforms she hopes for are realised, the region may be among the first to take a tentative step to equality.