Will there be no women candidates?

As we get more press coverage on the various mayoral candidates in Liverpool, both for political parties and independents, one unfortunate thing is becoming clear.

We may well have not a single female candidate.

Now I feel a bit guilty writing that as I could very well have made sure there was one.  I had to decide whether to try to be the Lib Dem candidate and I decided in the end to focus on my ward,Cressington.

I think this was the right decision for me.  I also think standing in two elections at once (unless its unavoidable) is wrong. 

That doesn't stop me worrying though about what we are saying about our City if the line up is completely male.

Don't get me wrong, there are some high calibre people already in the race and I will certainly be campaigning for the Lib Dem standard bearer Richard Kemp. He has already published some great stuff about the need to make Liverpool the Green Capital of Europe.  And he has launched a website at
http://www.kemp4mayor.org.uk/

But it doesn't help us encourage young women to think about politics as something that's "for them" if what they see is not "like them".

Now there may well be a woman somewhere who hasn't said anything yet but who is about to "declare".  But there are no signs of it yet.