Thanks Curby!
Here, a story has blown up - something i was unaware of - i'm shocked!
The Open 2013: Nick Clegg condemns men-only membership at Muirfield
Thursday 18 Jul 2013 12:51 pm
Deputy prime minister Nick Clegg has hit out against the exclusive Muirfield golf club for its male-only membership policy as the 142nd Open Championship got underway.
The Scottish club, which is hosting the Open for the 16th time, has come under fire after it refused to lift the ban on female members.
Mr Clegg said he was ‘dismayed and incredibly surprised to hear this still goes on in this day and age’, calling the gender inequality ‘inexplicable’ and ‘anachronistic’.
Speaking on his weekly LBC 97.3 phone-in show, the Liberal Democrat leader said: ‘I find it so out of step with everything else that’s happening in the rest of society.
BLOG: The Royal & Ancient must act to end Open discrimination
‘It just seems so old fashioned and so anachronistic to just have a golf club saying that just because you are a woman you can’t be a member of that club.
‘I think many people will just shake their head and say “how on earth is this still possible in this day and age?”.’
Nick Clegg says the male-only membership at Muirfield is ‘inexplicable’
Women are allowed to play the course at the 269-year-old club, but are not allowed to become members.
Muirfield R&A chief executive Peter Dawson said the club was finding the topic ‘increasingly difficult’ but defended the policy.
‘They’re perfectly legal. In our view they don’t do anyone any harm and we think the right of freedom of association is important. We think they have no material adverse effect on participation,’ he said at a media conference.
Despite this, Scotland’s first Minister Alex Salmond and Culture, Media and Sport secretary Maria Miller are boycotting the Open over the East Lothian golf club’s single-sex policy.
Nadine Moze and skier Lindsey Vonn, who is dating Tiger Woods, are not allowed to become members at Muirfield
Mr Salmond told the BBC: ‘I don’t think it helps the game to have the suggestion of bias against women and the greatest tournament on arguably the greatest links golf course [giving] this impression that ladies, women, should be second-class citizens.’
Muirfield is not the only club to still abide by its traditional rules. Royal Troon on Scotland’s west coast and Royal St George’s in Kent are also men-only golf clubs.
St Andrews based Royal and Ancient Golf Club, which will host the British Women’s Open next month, still refuses female membership.
Source- Metro - Golf, Nick Clegg, The Open 2013
