Today we just had to look at a story which has just emerged from the Scottish capital, Edinburgh.
Using new powers just provided by the Scottish government, councillors in Edinburgh recently voted to shut down all 4 strip clubs in the Scottish capital.
This decision led to mass protests by strippers in the capital, with the United Sex Workers organisation raising £20,000 to fight the council under equality laws, asserting that shutting strip clubs would lead more women to underground and illegal sex work as they have no safe place to work in.
About 100 dancer’s jobs are in jeopardy as a result of the ruling but now in amazing twist those employed in the industry have now been told they can stay on in their jobs as long as they leave their clothes on!
Deputy leader of the Labour-run City of Edinburgh Council Mandy Watt now says that the adult venues can remain open as long as the women dance with their clothes on. And went on to say, “I understand concerns about people losing jobs but the venues could apply to stay open. All they need to do is not insist on women dancing naked. They don’t need to do that to operate. I wouldn’t go to these venues to meet them because that would be inappropriate for a councillor. I believe the ban was the right decision because these clubs disempower women. They are not helpful for the view society has of women and their place in the world. I want to see women being treated with respect.”
Meanwhile one of those affected by the decision, Georgie, a dancer from Edinburgh, responded, “I say this to feminists such as Mandy Watt… work is work and stripping is real work. Many people do labour for the sole purpose of being able to pay rent and buy food. Stripping is no different.”
As part of In their last-ditch attempt to keep the strip clubs open, The United Sex Workers (USW) union claim that a victory for them would be an example to local authorities in the rest of the UK that they cannot just close down their places of work.
In the second hour of today’s programme I was joined by Margaret Mills who reported on an award given to an Essex postman, Samuel Wyatt, on the occasion of his retirement.
Over a period of no less than 30 years he’d been daily covering a distance of 26 miles a day on foot to deliver the mail and over that entire period, had only been off work due to sickness for just 5 days.
Listen here to what Margaret told me about this remarkable man: –
Hope to see you again next week,
Scott
