I have questioned Ms Harman’s intellect previously, most notably here and here.  Now, following the introduction of her Equalities Bill, it has been confirmed that she is a bit dim.

The main headline grabber from the bill has been that

employers should be able to choose a women over a man of equal ability – or vice versa.

This is actually something that also extends to ethnic minorities and I would assume any other minority type group.  However, is it something that really needs to be enshrined in a new bill and will it be helpful?

The simple answer is ‘no’.

The one helpful thing that this bill will do is place all the equalities legislation in one place rather than across a whole raft of bills and regulations which employers must currently sift through.  I think the course that Ms Harman has chosen is actually a very dangerous one from an equal opportunities point-of-view.

It strikes me that this new ‘rule’ will provide a carte blanche for unethical and discriminatory employers to refuse employment to one or more groups of people, something that existing legislation aggressively acts to prevent.  It is an undoing of a key principle.  That principle being that you DON’T discriminate on grounds of gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or religion … it’s just something that you DON’T DO.

Stating that such a rule would only apply to equal candidates is a nonsense, it’s for an employer to show this and a canny employer can show pretty much whatever they wish within the confines of their erstwhile entirely legislatively compliant recruitment and selection policies and procedures.

The other thing this Bill attempts to tackle is age discrimnation in the provision of products and services … I wonder if we can all expect to get a free bus pass then?  Perhaps benefits restricted by age will become available to all?  Maybe they’ll liberalise the age restrictions on the sale of tobacco and alcohol?  Provisional driving licences from birth? 

No. 

I didn’t think so.

Maybe, this last part is just aimed at winning more support from the elderly … our fastest growing demographic.  Maybe I’m being too cynical.