Mind of my own

MENOPAUSE LEAVE

Kemi Badenoch started out, as a politician from an ethnic minority, defending the rights of women and girls. At the age of 43 she’s now the Minister for Women and Equalities.

Which, on the surface, makes it strange that she has rejected a suggestion to start a trial of menopause leave (giving women paid leave from work, separate from sick pay) and refused to add it as a protected characteristic to the Equality Act.

If she had done, it would be illegal to discriminate against someone because of the menopause in much the same way it’s illegal to discriminate against someone on the basis of their race or sex. Her argument is that there is already legislation in place to protect the rights of menopausal women.

Where do you stand on it? Because while I don’t think any woman should be discriminated against because of the menopause, I also hate to give male employers more ammunition not to employ us in the first place.

IS CLARKSON CANCELLED?

It’s all a bit hypocritical if you ask me.

So who wants to be a millionaire so they can afford the best takeaway on a Saturday night?

No I haven’t gone mad but I am very confused this week. Here’s my dilemma. Maybe you can answer it? How come huge ITV star Jeremy Clarkson – host of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? – gets cancelled by society for writing a nasty column about the Duchess of Sussex, while fellow huge ITV star Ant McPartlin – co-presenter of Saturday Night Takeaway – has his career back on track after a drink-driving incident that saw him crash into a car with a mother and child on board. Both men apologised instantly. Both regularly top the ratings no matter what show they’re in.

Only, one man has had a statement issued about him by ITV telly boss Carolyn McCall saying there are ‘no future commitments’ to renew their contract after their current show finishes. And yes that man is of course Clarkson.

Clarkson quickly took to social media to deny he had been sacked, and an ITV spokesperson said, ‘As we have said for several weeks, ITV is contractually committed to a further series of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? (which has now been recorded). There are no further commissioning commitments beyond that currently as is typical with such shows where we make commissioning decisions on a series-by-series basis. Therefore for the avoidance of doubt neither Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? nor Jeremy Clarkson have been cancelled.’

Cancelled or not, the mere fact his future work is being discussed is enough.

Now l