The Carlton Club and women

Louise Bagshawe on Conservative Home and TV's Iain Dale both take the view that the members of the Carlton Club should vote to allow women to become full members of that august body today.

Thankfully one of the few areas where our politically correct and malevolent equality legislation does not apply is in respect of our gentlemen's clubs. The smoking ban may have been imposed on them but, thus far at least, there is no legal compulsion for all-male clubs to accept women as full members (and for all-women clubs to accept men likewise).

I have never understood why the law should compel people to associate together. Believing as I do in freedom of association, surely it is a matter for those individuals who wish to associate together to decide whether they wish to do so - and not to be compelled to associate with those with whom they would rather not associate? If gays want to have a gay-only club, or muslims a muslim-only club, they should be free to do so. Likewise if Asians or blacks want to limit their clubs to Asians or blacks, that's up to them. The same should apply to whites, heterosexuals or males.

The decision tonight by the Carlton Club will probably go in favour of allowing women to become full members. In part this will be because the Carlton needs new members. In voting for change yet another bastion of tradition will succumb to the demands of those who place political correctness ahead of freedom of association. Were I a member of the Carlton I would vote no.

But I defend the right of the members of the Carlton to decide how they wish to run their club ahead of the rights of legislators to compel change.