One of the...shall we say interesting tendencies that some of the Conservative leadership has is to assume that they can appoint one person who will solve every problem they have. Then - because no-one can do everything - they decide that that isn't working so they find another flavour of the month and pin all their hopes on them. And - of course - they can't do everything either. And so it goes on.
I've written before about how unnecessary the problems over pensions for women born in 1953 and 1954 were.
This WEEK'S news that a woman is to be appointed in No 10 to woman-proof policy is a fundamental misunderstanding of the problem. It's patronising, and it's not the answer.
I don't claim to have all the answers but I do know that a single person cannot do everything. I also know that if we want to have a society where we are all treated equally, forcing a separate - and single - woman check is not the way to achieve it; in fact, it is counter-productive because it allows the institution to think, oh we have a woman so we can continue to think in the same unsuccessful way because she will sort it out (similarly, it will remove any incentive to broaden the recruitment pool for staff).
And finally, I think it is not very Conservative. If we accept - as Conservatives - that everyone is equal, then singling someone out for their gender alone is a serious step backwards.
What needs to happen is that the government - right through, right across, right down - thinks properly about how the policies they want to enact will affect everyone. I learnt a new word yesterday - egotropic. While it's usually used in a medical sense, it also has a sociological meaning which is that one does not see that others' experiences are not the same as one's own. That is not solved by designating one person to proof everything. It's solved by, among other things, a proper external relations programme to understand what the problems are. It's solved by listening to people outside the narrow political realm, and it's solved by ensuring that proper process is followed in formulating policy - particularly in identifying where you want to get to (and why).
So while I could shout, pick me, pick me for the post of women's adviser, I'd far rather the government did it's job properly and understood that it must keep its promises, understand voters' fears and their aspirations, and deliver what I voted for - a government that's working to make Britain the most family-friendly country in Europe. That backs the NHS. That raises standards in schools. That gets people off benefits and into work. That reforms policing, sentencing and prisons, and that commits us to a greener future.