International Women's Day.

To me it's interesting that such a thing as international women's day has to exist. All my life I've treated women as equals. In the past there have been very awkward moments when I've been on buisiness lunches with female colleagues and the " what will your wife say?" question came up.

In my head there never was a need because there was nothing overtly sexual about grabbing lunch together. The question wouldn't arise if it was two male colleagues out for lunch, so why should it for two colleagues of the opposite sex? And in the interests of fairness, I can disclose I've gone out for lunches with Gay colleagues and the question still didn't arise.

Even though feminism has made great strides forwards, it will take a long time, maybe a couple of generations of women to feel fully equal to men.

And when i mean equal, I mean fully equal on their own terms, not on arbitrary terms specified by someoune ho says they are a feminist.

A great excample is sexual fantasies: there are a great number of women that dream of being dominated by men. That they have the freedom to explore that side of their sexuality is good. It is not exploitative, or demeaning, it is what the woman chooses to do for excitement.

A feminist would have a fit trying to explain how submitting to a man is demeaning, disgraceful, etc. without understanding the wioman choosing to explore the fantasy has the power. She is making a choice and is exploring sexual desires she wants to explore.

In the BDSM commiunity there is a phrase "consensual non-consent" where the woman wants to be overpowered and wants it to feel real. That's not to say it is real, it's just a scanario she and the male she chooses to do the exploring with are working through.

One of the vocal feminists would not understand how empowering that is to a woman. I get fed up of feminists telling other women what they should and shouldn't do, how they should and shouldn't behave. What they are saying is that other women have to conform to their boundaries, conform to their standards of behaviour, which is just as bad as if a man was telling a woman the same thing.

Equality is freedom. It's having the freedom to choose any career you like, explore any lifestyle you like, with whom you like and where you like. It doesn't require the premission of anyone, including feminists to live your life the way you see fit.

But by the same token, you cannot expect (for instance) to have a level playing field with males if you don't play the game the same. If you take 5 or 10 years out of your career then don't expect to have the same wages as a male or female that hasn't taken time out of their career.

Equality and empowermant comes with responsibility and respect. Promoting one side of the coin whilst ignoring the other is just promoting a new inequality.

Where I wish feminists would turn their attention is to those countries that institutionally degrade women. Saudi Arabia and other Muslim countries where the rights of women just do not exist, where women are required by law to dress a certain way. They should condemn Sharia courts in the UK where communities treat women as second-class citizens against the law of the land. They should condemn traffickers that trade women like objects for real (not sexual fantasies) and bought and sold for cash and enslaved. They should condemn countries where the life of a girl is worth less than that of a boy and a girl can be killed with impunity.

Anyway, to all women everywhere, happy International Women's day.

Now when is International Men's Day? In the spirit of equality and promotion of man's rights you understand.....

W. T.F.

I'm bemused about fallout from the Presidents Club Dinner.

As far as I'm aware, it was a dinner arranged where men would be the diners and female waitresses were employed to wear skimpy cosutumes while serving.

Each side knew beforehand the sort of occasion that would be taking place. The waitreses were entitled to walk away and not to serve at that dinner if they felt at all intimidated by it. In days gone by women with a backbone would have attended and have given as good as they got. All taken in fun and with no fallout. Not the new puritans and the jelly-spined young women of today it seems.

So I'm staggered that some men are being castigated for being men and touching a couple of lady bottoms. I've seen Hen Parties do exactly the same at  mainly female parties. It's just what people of either gender get up to when the booze starts to flow freely. Lads and Ladettes are just as bad as each other, there is no inequality at all when it comes to the weekend.

I've even more staggered that men who attended the dinner and didn't touch any lady parts are tarred with the same brush and forced to resign/give up fees/whatever the new puritannical social media mob demands. I mean, you wouldn't convict a person of murder of someone else at the party shot someone would you?

What the fuck is going on?

Are men not allowed to act like men these days?

And I'm not talking about rape, predation or abuse of power before anyone gets on their high horse.

I'm talking about the honest banter and high-jinks that happens between sexes when the drink flows freely. It happens on both sides. If we're now saying that it's become a taboo subject, then God help the human race. If the between sexes social banter that goes on in pubs, clubs and cafes across the world is now taboo, then people will never find partners.

I feel sorry for the new puritans that think this is a bad thing. I feel sorry for them that they are so socially crippled that they fear such intercourse. I feel sorry that they will never experience flirtation, or if they do that they find it dangerous or are fearful of it.

They are in a minority and should stop trying to impose their social ineptitude on the rest of society.

I am a man, I am proud of it. I don't have one iota of shame from being born male. Nor do I feel superior because of it, I believe in equality. I'm a bit socially awkward, but I don't crow about it and demand the rest of the world changes to suit me.

In my younger days I've been flirted with quite seriously but missed the cues (just part of growing up), I've had my bum felt by ladies (probably because I missed all the other cues) and I didn't immediately demand they resign or issue a public apology. I took it as a compliment that I had a decent bum at the time. It's now sadly older and less desirable and married (as is the rest of me). My wife seems to fixate in my nipples every time she goes near me but I don't demand a divorce or a public apology because of it (although it is bloody annoying).

I think we need to get this back to an even keel and stop with the hysteria. Yes, rape, abuse of power, predation, under-age-sex and all those things are bad. Flirtation, high-jinks and between the sexes banter are not and should not be criminal offences and people should not be hauled over the coals for what after all is just human nature.

And can feminists start acting like adult women please and not like spoiled children?