Duke-Duchess- Duke-ling and my vote.

I am sufficiently unconnected to Dukes and Duchesses to assume that a Duchess would produce a Duke-ling. Wrong!  It's a Prince. #Prince George http://www.telegraph.co.uk/. 

But I am so glad.....so glad that that the mass media -  mass hysteria is over. 

And really, ott doesn't cut it!
All those pronouncements by the world press before, during and after.
You could almost tell when a media-bod had a screech go off in their ear to s...l....o............w down since nothing was happening or h'r'i'up since something was, and then it was...switch to the door! 

It was almost as if that hospital door was being interviewed, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/

I wonder if it has its own f/b page?
Or Blogspot even?
Am I that door?

No. seriously, being born into a life of privilege, is like being born into a family with a particular, religious persuasion...it's an accident that occurs at birth. Equally, most of us have a certain amount of privilege in our lives....all depending how you define privilege. 

One definition for me is the privilege of having a vote. 
2013 marks 100 years since the death of suffragette Emily Davison, who died under the hooves of the King's horse at the Epsom Derby. http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/suffragettes.htm.

A century on from the Epsom Derby, I have the right to vote, Emily didn't.

But what has that and other sacrifices, hard and bitterly won seen, in actual voting and voting by women?

A scoping of statistics (boring, but productive) shows that prior to 1979 fewer women than men voted in most UK elections.

Subsequently, the voting gap at general, regional and local elections has lessened and may actually be reversing. In 1997 an estimated 80.1% of women voted compared with around 76.9%

of men. However, the gap between men and women’s turnout at the 2001 general election

was not statistically significant. In regional and local elections the traditional

voting gap may also have lessened and possibly reversed. 2003 & Scottish Parliament contest saw 57% of women reported voting compared to 56% of men.

Despite this reduction in the overall voting gap between men and women, reported turnout at the 2001 general election suggests that women from ethnic minorities were significantly less likely to vote than their male counterparts.

Who says? http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/_ 2004.

Updates and closer to home indicate:

'Turnout varies considerably with election type. In the last general election around two thirds of the electorate voted, and just over half of those eligible took part in the Scottish general election of 2011.'

http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2012/jul/06/politics-democracy-decline-audit-data

So where does that leave us now, and very importantly for the referendum next year?

A 49%-51% outcome, whichever way, will in all probability leave a festering sore.

What will it say if we have a low turn out? If 32%, 38%  or 49% of the voting population actually vote.....won't that be far worse than a festering sore?

Will it say we couldn't be bothered? We weren't interested? We don't care?

Surely not? Don't we care sufficiently for our families, our children, and grandchildren in the first instance to vote?  But let's be honest, &  no false hand wringing..don't we care enough about ourselves to go out and vote?

So the turn out and getting that turn out can't be left to chance, and again, searching for groups, for and against,  they are out there. Just two being:

http://bettertogether.net/blog/entry/better-together-women-launches-on-international-womens-day

and

http://www.womenforindependence.org/

So are they for me, either group or another? 

I honestly don't know, I haven't joined. 

But I do know that I specifically met up with other women last week, to explore views and opinions: non-party specific, and most definitely, not seeking to convert any of us to one way or the other.

And these were not 'the usual suspects' since names had to be exchanged! You know, that old - fashioned tag line...bring a friend.

And maybe that is one way forward....the ripple effect of informal groups, talking to one another, de-mystifying the stats, moving on from the brave heart chest beating, & the belief of some that the historical wrongs of the past need to be righted.
But it was the re-affirmation that my vote will count just as much next year as it did in the past years. 

And that I will use it....and I want to make sure in whatever small way I can that as many other women as possible use their vote, too.

So I don't waste the privilege I was born into....and that Emily Davison and others didn't have.