Isn't today's Internet. International Women's Day did time's up in me to mean this is the best time in history to be a woman or do you think women are still stuck I made before we even started that's made me out to believe it or not and runs a news radio station. B.b.c. Radio Mangia. News at 7 o'clock I'm Christian Good morning it's being reported a whole strobes the one year old with brain damage at the center of a court fight over his long term care has died the little boy's father has told The Sun he passed away last night after doctors switched off his ventilator yesterday as parents had 4 to the high courts to stop doctors from ending his life support and European judges throughout their last ditch appeal earlier this week counterterrorism officers are trying to identify the source of a nerve agent used to poison a former Russian spy and his daughter in Salzburg so gay and you yes cripple of being critically ill in hospitals and being found unconscious on a bench in Salzburg a policeman who went to help is also in intensive care so Tony Brenton is a former British ambassador to Moscow as the evidence has accumulated over the last 2 days particularly this conclusion this was a sophisticated of age and it points more and more clearly to Russian state action they have both motivation that the victim was already been accused person by person actually being a traitor and they are one of the very few agencies in the world who deployed this sort of poison actually is a matter of routine Thames Water says it's dealing with a major burst in the Herne Hill area this morning they've been working through the night it would say some residents in the se $24.00 area may still be within the running water or experiencing low pressure as being localized outages across London since the weekend including in Marlow been Stratham hell and tooting yesterday. Detectives investigating the fatal stabbing of a 20 year old man in Albert Road in Croydon on Monday have charged a man with his murder 19 year old Tyrone son from South Norwood will appear before Croydon Magistrates Court this morning a 15 year old boy has been bailed in connection with the offense domestic abusers could be banned from drinking alcohol and electronically tagged as part of new government plans to crack down on the problem the Home Office has outlined measures including the 1st statutory definition of this kind of abuse as well as new domestic abuse protection orders Casey goes is the chief executive of the charity Women's Aid which supports victims of abuse in Africa it's an epidemic we just have . Women and. Children who are invested you know. Crying and that needs to be recognised by the police and the criminal justice important domestic everyone person there and Saudi Arabia have announced plans for a 65000000000 pound trade and investment package during series of May's meeting with the country's crown prince to reason may and Mohamed bin Salmond's talks a Downing Street also touched on the Yemen crisis which Saudi Arabia is still involved in yesterday demonstrators took part in protests over Saudi Arabia's human rights record or there's a warning that many councils in England will become financially unsustainable if they continue to rely on their savings to help fund the increasing demands of social care the National Audit Office says the money councils receive from central government has been cut by nearly 50 percent since 2010 he believes that if local authorities keep using their reserves to make ends meet then one in 10 will run out of money within 3 years Eileen Murphy is from the n.a.o. What we're seeing is demand pressures in social care the number of people 65 and over is growing in the population so that in the month pressures on local authorities. And the records precious to the national living wage increases and national trends contributions and so on so they've got less money they've got more to do with it because of demand pressures and cost pressures as well the Liberal Democrat leader and m.p. For talking observance Cable has the prime minister to take a tougher stance with the European Union over the treatment of Gibraltar in the BRICs and negotiations Brussels has given Spain the power to block any deal between the e.u. And the u.k. On the fate of the territory where a large number of financial services companies are based sport and the top the Baltimore Patino says he believed they were the better side last night as they were knocked out of the Champions League in the last 16 which adventures came back from a goal down at Wembley to reach the quarterfinals for Siri on aggregate winning 21 on the Knights in the 2nd leg and now with a look at London's weather Here's Elizabeth with Seanie roll the damp under foot to start this morning we had quite a bit of rain last night in the early rain is clearing is late eastwards by the time we get to say 9 o'clock then it should be a dry picture right across the capital and it will start to brighten up but it will feel quite windy today some gusts of wind through the middle part of the morning perhaps reaching 30 to 40 miles an hour say sunny spells and the chilled some want to see showers as we head through the afternoon perhaps but of hail involved in some of the a showers as well particular out towards western areas temperatures a little bit cooler than they were yesterday between $8.11 degrees Celsius every night tonight much lighter winds clear skies temperatures will drop plenty enough to get a Touch of Frost particularly in the more rural spots maybe a few early mist patches forming to see tomorrow day for most of us a nice bright starts and sunshine 3 the morning but rain by Friday evening b.b.c. Radio London it's 5 minutes past 7. Hours about London's right for show on London's radio station weekday mornings from 7 b.b.c. Radio is International Women's Day to Day Do we have cause to celebrate what do we want for our daughters and our granddaughter is how much. Potential have we fulfilled will be a debate in the Commons later on gender equality and you see his dump today women's pay day they say this is the day women start getting paid day $67.00 of the year compared with male colleagues who get paid on day one this is the most press for progress and ties in with movements like me 2 in Time's up this morning I'll be joined live in the studio by glittering a ray of inspirational women a baronet an entrepreneur a novelist a documentary filmmaker and a Grammy award winner but I really want to hear from you about life in London and how it's in any way to change for women who have been the inspirational women in your life and. 7 224-2000 Also this morning the government's on new measures to crack down on domestic abuses the domestic abuse bill proposes tougher sentences when children are affected by abuse and for the very 1st time it will include economic abuse that means when a partner withholds a victim's money. From walking in the running music faith the enemy is appearing in print for the last time this week recently it's been distributed as a free magazine and from now on it'll be available on time your memories and thoughts and. $7.00 to $2.00 for 2000. More ning to you bid you a very warm welcome to today's b.b.c. Radio London breakfast say I'm Vanessa Feltz the time is 7 minutes past 7 It's Thursday the date to March and I'm absolutely sure the not the last time today you will hear that today's International Women's Day And what we're asking really on the program is what does that mean to you if and I think 2 things important to recognize women recognize women's achievement to promote the success of women to make sure and monitor women's progress and that women all purpose you know appropriately paid to pay. We recognize the most important given the chance to realize that potential our potential I'm a woman I should say out there shouldn't I that's what we're discussing this morning International Women's Day and what it means to you and what it means for all of us to have 72242000 is the number and the getting way of different women from all different walks of life coming in to talk about their path that career parlous their feelings about being a woman in 2018 and what that means in terms of fulfilling your potential now we have a new story for you this morning domestic abuses could be banned from drinking alcohol and electronically tagged this is all is part of new plans to crack down on the problem economic abuse when someone stops a partner from working or forces them to take out a loan for example will also be made a criminal offense for the 1st time Katie goes is chief executive of the charity Women's Aid which supports victims of abuse and she told month Forest earlier she welcomed the proposals I think but it may. Be a Power Point and bring about a step change in how as a society we respond to domestic peace and to give you an example we know that many by that they way you feel able to report to the place. They are trying desperately to access specialist support services to get the help they need We've heard about the the criminal justice measures and we welcome many and I'm joined in the studio by Katie ways to leverage a book about her experiences in an abusive relationship it's called How to Leave a bully a step by step guide Welcome to the studio so nice to meet you thank you for coming morning I mean gosh haven't you been through a terribly difficult time but it was a difficult time for me it was a while ago. But I was able to. Capture some of my experience in my book and hopefully help people who will say trapped in the domestic abuse cycle some people wonder how women in particular we know some men are in a domestic vs relationships as well of course but the predominant number of victims are women and some who wonder how one enters into that kind of relationship in the 1st place so maybe you'll give us an example you are an example Firstly it can happen to anybody all walks of life. You don't realize it's going to happen to you you think it isn't and you often in a situation is you fall in love with somebody but there's some personality traits that you're aware of but you believe you can change them and obviously you can't win your case what were the jealousy probably the main thing. He. He was he was a bully I suffered from psychological abuse not physical abuse but whilst it's not life threatening it can be the victim so unsure of yourself lacking in self-confidence you know self-confidence and you end up after a long period of time and then t. Shall Lily I mean Nigella Lawson talked about psychological abuse didn't she other after she left Charles Saatchi of those photographs of him with his hands around her throat yes I'm a fair she then said that she had been the victim of psychological abuse not some people hadn't heard of that it didn't really know what that meant so you say that you were bullied psychologically and you give a couple of examples of the way in which you have and I can I at 1st I would say it's quite difficult and I discuss this a lot I do work with women Sade. For women also suffering from domestic abuse and we often say that the examples that you give sound very very trivial to other people they sound futile you know in a normal relationship these examples wouldn't cause an issue but in a bullying relationship they are a big deal so for instance if you said the wrong type of dinner if you have the wrong friends and if you say you like a certain t.v. Program they sound very very trivial but they can cause such. Such sort of devastating effect on on you and the relationship and in my situation for example I might say I like to certain t.v. Presenter Yeah that would cause maybe a week of not not being spoken to not being looked at not being acknowledged or an interrogation as to why I like that particular person did I fancy them what was wrong. Me. I would be forced to analyze my own actions and obviously I haven't done anything wrong so you just carry on analyzing me you never find anything because that's the point you make you lose the essence of yourself because next time you felt like saying something you just change you know you continually change itself it never gets better because the laws be something else that comes up but you continually undermining your own personality in order to stop the this horrible wave of. Bullying did you have children in the relation Yes I have 2 girls fantastic they're in their twenty's and I mean I'm I mean people listening will just wonder you know you say oh I like such and such on the tie like Alan Titchmarsh something or like you know I I really like this new format of the news and then your husband won't speak to you cause your thought mercilessly interrogated makes life absolutely hellish for you makes you question your very identity your intelligence your competent Yes makes you feel lacking in every possible way people will wonder why would you stay in that relationship with somebody who could inflict that level of emotional suffering or you know how could you like that person how could you fancy that person certainly how could you love that person when you could see how unloving they were being to you and why would you know without a credit card in the car just think well I don't like you're making my love horrible and I'm leaving Why not take a well firstly obviously they've undermined your own logical thinking you don't think you love the person and you want to hold on to the relationship and you fundamentally believe that it will get better you continually think it will get better this will go away if I change if I do this it will get better very often when I speak to women in the same situation we've got told you want to protect the children you want you want this idea of this happy family you're able to present that to the outside world you've got to present a glossy image everything's fine you know you can hold down a successful job but at home is complete. Be different and you don't want anyone to see that and so you become enormously protective of what you've got is wrong is working against Yes And what was the turning point for me I was with my husband for 10 years and it was the same thing throughout the whole 10 years from beginning to end I was poorly a lot I I had tonsilitis have such a lot which I think is a result of of being under this stress over time and I had my tonsils out and I was in hospital and I had a moment of peace or hamsters very noisy The television was on all the time. And I wasn't able to have space in my own head to think my own thoughts 3 and I have heard I think it is true that Nigella Lawson used to have to take a taxi to read a book oh quite probably it may not be true and I didn't inject ability literally understand I have a low enough piece to read a book because I've heard it yes yes yes that sounds quite plausible. So for me I had I was in hospital I'd had my tonsils out and I was lying there in this very very peaceful room and it was a real lightbulb moment I just thought I can go it was almost like seeing gates open in front main and literally 2 weeks later I left I had had counselling prior to that 3 years before but that was not with the intention of leaving and have you been able to lead a life that has been peaceful since oh my gosh yes lady you would you know. Immediately his situation was weak which surprised me I wasn't expecting that I couldn't imagine when I was with him and life on the other side I thought he would be worse. But immediately his situation was weaker and I was so much stronger and I took strength every day from how I was feeling and over time you have to give yourself time I began to find myself again and I found a way of dealing with him he died 10 years after I left him and that was in 2012 so while ago now but that's how I came to write the book because everything. Had been through our to blocked it away had a great time we married had a son. But everything that happened to me came back to me when when he died and it was lack of a wave of emotion and I had to find a way of dealing with that I'm so interested now when you have to say and I know they'll be many people listening who will be very very keen indeed to have a look at the book in the book is called How to Leave a bully a step by step guide and it's by my guest Katie waste a very good luck to thank you very much like Sharon yet you told it absolutely in lightning actually really with real charm and real very very vivid way thank you so much it's a this is a new law in domestic abuse if you want to give us a call on that and I we're aware that when we discuss a subject sometimes people can't get to the phone because they don't want to be out by the partner so we're aware of that if you want to give your real name of course that's absolutely fine otu are 72242000 will be straight back to after the travel. On the enter the 5 cars traffic remains slow heading out of junction 291 to 7 following this morning's accident a barrier damage was involved I think all the anger open up but delays continue to the south of the entrance the 5 Raggett Hill is closed at beach road following an accident in the pub so delays between right gate and junction a to the entrance of our itself in Finchley eastbound lanes continue on the North Circular and this corner the junction with the a one following a collision congestion here back to the m one now at Staples corner and heading towards the oval comparable new road down to one then northbound up Brixton Road on the breakdown this marks church congestion here back to Campbell green the perspex b.b.c. Ready in London the next travel 730 this is longer session in the studio flat in 1970 in Belsize would be 2 pounds 50 a week. Straight to 2 is the key to this ridiculous heritage of there being tears at every juncture they are quite possible suspects are bad ever done. In my life is from the Americans that is God It would. Be just a job I mean it was this Islam. Is b.b.c. Radio London. We love to listen welcome to b.b.c. Radio London's breakfast stay with me Vanessa Feltz It's International Women's Day today what does that mean to you if anything do you think it's very important to acknowledge the achievements of women to promote the achievements of women to claim that the gender pay gap to make sure that your daughters your granddaughters and great granddaughters fulfil their potential do you think it's extremely important to have a day like International Women's Day would you think the whole thing is just lost in the. Last of different days International poll I week international tail tipping week or whatever it is maybe think there are too many of these things you're not really into it doesn't do it for you well we are celebrating International Women's Day today in the company of a galaxy really of illustrious women in all different walks of life from all different backgrounds and we kick off with barrenness Altman roles all women financial expert she was pensions minister under David Cameron 2015 to 2016 press the progress is the has been used for International Women's Day today one of the themes will be the gender pay gap the 2 you see according to day women's pay day saying the 18 percent pay gap means women start getting paid today day $67.00 of the year compared with the average male employee who gets paid on day one of the barn assortment joins me on the line good morning good morning Vanessa how do you feel about International Women's Day I'm really proud that we're celebrating it and I think also it's fantastic for us to remind ourselves how much progress women have made I know there's further to go but when you think that 100 years ago women were fighting just to get a vote. In our elections and if you look at what's happened subsequently women have made huge strides but as we both know. There's plenty more progress to make certainly in in my specialist area on pensions women tend to lose out relative to men further to go and helping women with finances but in terms of the way women support each other feel that they deserve if you like to be treated equally I mean it's not that long ago when most women seem to accept being subservient to their husband or you know just not being as important as men in national life. You know I mean other countries still around the world today of course women don't have the kind of rights that women in our country have I mean I talk to you about financial topics pensions topics political topics you know I did a I'd like to be a little bit more puzzle if you don't mind my doing that in 2 I don't you know how how you'll do your your life but Dad and whether it was expected that you would be this finance and pensions expert or whether your parents had a very different idea of how your life would turn out well I think. When I when I was younger my mother was at home she wasn't working my dad did will do all the money earning work yes and it never really occurred to me then that I would go into an independent career as I started getting older and going through school I went to an all girls grammar school and it was at school that the teachers started just you know help us see that why should you not be able to have a good career why should you not be able to aspire to work in the way that you might want and was it female teachers but to Kili saying this to you it was it was you know I think women need to support each other and that's very important how did your parents react to the idea that you might want to go on further academically Oh my parents were very very supportive they believed that you know academic life was something that was very valuable education was really important for women and again you know around the world there's lots of women who don't get those opportunities but I think you know you look look how much you've achieved in your life as well Vanessa you know you you're such a wonderful example one time women say to me if I'm telling the truth about there's no point doing this if I don't well my parents were really concerned about was was my getting married that's what they really and I did about they wanted me to be sort of literate made they were they were happy for me to get university but they didn't cad that much about walk or careers what they really want to do is me to get a university in and getting gauged to somebody I suppose affluent or influential that was what they really minded about and I felt under enormous pressure not to have a career at all but to get married I don't know whether your parents were the same or not actually no they weren't I think my my parents' parents had come in as as refugees and they knew how important it might be for women to be able to my mom would always say to me Look if anything. Happens to. The partner that you know your husband it was assumed that I would have always assumed you would have a husband that was yeah exactly but that you it would be really really important for you to see if you could have your own source of income so they did encourage me in that way and I was very lucky I know that a lot of my friends at the time. Were just encouraged to find a good husband and my mom when she was growing up her father was not interested in education at all she never had the chance to go to university and her father said What does a woman need to go to university for you know you come into and find a husband and then you'll be looked up did you sense that your mother felt that she had been stifled that you know had you she did you did you say said you'd miss it yes she did she said look I would I would have loved to go on to university to have a career she actually ended up as a very talented artist but that was many years later you know that when when she was growing up she felt that she was not treated to the kind of education her brothers got you know and she felt very. You know in a way deprived and wanted her she only had 2 daughters and wanted to make sure that her daughters had those opportunities what was your 1st job. Well my 1st job was when I was still in school earning money as a temporary secretary I knew myself to type and that was actually very very good education for me to see you know how you were and how you earn a living what different types of offices were like. And then I went home to university and carried on doing temporary secretarial work and of course again in those days the secretaries were always women and you were subservient to the men boss yeah I remember that come I was once in jail where as a 10 percent g. Myself where where the boss called out thingy come in with your pad. And there I was old thing you coming in with my pads I remember that very clearly but what was it how did you kind of segue into into pensions as your area of expertise. Well that was a little bit of a coincidence I certainly can't. Say that I was always burning to do pensions. When I was younger. I did an economics degree then I went off to Harvard and the professor that I was working with had just found a new database to analyze which looked at pension income for people in the chaos across the board which had never been looked at before this was in the 1970 s. And pensions are quite a new idea. And. He said Why don't you come back and do a Ph d. Looking at this data base it's you know really interesting and just taking in that your mother didn't at this point they thought too clever no one will ever marry you say For God's sake they did it he went to Harvard and did anything at all intelligent because I had that kind of stuff coming from my end definitely no no I didn't have that I was more of the you know my mom my mother was so proud of boasting that everyone you know that. They sort of joke. What what's the definition of a genius tell me a child of average intelligence with a Jewish mother. So how did you get from Harvard to ending up because obviously we're going to have to whizzed through this rather rose this distinguished career how did you end up as as pensions minister because I mean I know that it wasn't all that you dreamed it would be but certainly incredibly impressive to onlookers the job our Knesset Melinde pensions minister so so how did it happen I think there's a lot in life about being in the right place at the right time. I had a fantastic career in the city as a fund manager managing money running Chase's international equity operation in London then when I had my 1st child I decided that I was going to retire from the city and spend time with the kids which I did then I went back as an independent advisor to government and industry on pensions issues and ended up if you like getting you know to no. Of politicians of different parties and somehow or other during the election campaign of 2015 David Cameron and George Osborne asked if I would be interested in coming to join them if the Tories form the next government and as a minister I never dreamed of that in my life I was always the advisor to the minister the Internet you know the independent expert but. I thought well this gives me an opportunity to make policy directly rather than advising on it and it just all happened you know it was pretty surreal to me that all of a sudden here I was being propelled into this position that I'd never really prepared for or thought about yeah and I didn't know anything about politics directly not to what I know a lot now. So much rules just define a final word from you one on one you know what you would want to do what is granddaughters and great granddaughters in terms of you know progress and in terms of you know women women having the chance to be whatever it is they want to be and feel they could be what I want his full any any child of ours and grandchildren for you know all of us to be able to achieve what they want to achieve and not feel that somehow they're not intitled or not able for societal reasons you know if they want to to work and have a a career and do all those things I want them to be able to if they don't that's also fine with me as long as you know society doesn't tell them what to do but they have the opportunity to choose what works for them and I think you know we need more women at the top of business we definitely do we need more women who are able to direct how our lives are governed if you like because that's half the population and we mustn't. Come out and opportunities for. Women and women supporting women I think that's also really important so that you know young girls as they grow up see that they shouldn't just assume they can't do something they should assume they can if they want to thank you so much for talking just we really appreciate it on International Women's Day Baron s. When they're Rosalynn and Elizabeth Razzi me joins me with a with Hi Larry hi hi good morning as well we've got some of the rain is clearing and by the time I think most of our listeners will be that it in their office is all nice and warm and dry then actually it will be dry outside as well that rain is clearing waste way it's all gone by the time it gets 8 39 o'clock it's going to be quite windy today that's the big difference with yesterday some strong gusts of wind peaking through the late morning and then for this afternoon we're talking about sunny spells but also some showers maybe a bit of hail to out towards the west as well temperatures not quite as high as yesterday but still between around 8 and 11 degrees Celsius either night tonight expect a Touch of Frost It's going to be quite cold and some early mist patches around as well but for most of us a nice bright start to the day tomorrow they'll be some rain and Friday night day and more rain I think we can be attending mother so thank you very much indeed it will be straight back with the liveliest now after the news headlines. Anti terror detectives from the Med say a nerve agent used to attack a former Russian spy and his daughter installs where he has been identified but they've not revealed what it is officers say it's not sarin gas all the v. X. Nerve agent which was used in previous attacks a 19 year old man from South Norwood will appear in court later charged with a murder in Croydon this week Tyrone a foggy Hossam is accused of stabbing a 20 year old man to death on Albert Road on Monday domestic abusers could be banned from drinking alcohol and electronically tagged as part of new measures the domestic abuse bill also proposes tougher sentences when children are affected and a commissioner to represent victims as a warning many councils will become financially unsustainable if they continue to rely on their savings to help fund Social Care. The National Audit Office is predicting one out of 10 council could run out of money within 3 years and events are taking place across London for International Women's Day celebrating the achievements of women and continuing the fight for equality laws whether it's a mix of summer and showers mild to with a high of 10 degrees Celsius that's 50 degrees Fahrenheit those are the headlines now with the b.b.c. Radio one the travel paper spots. As Christiane for International Women's Day when a strike demonstration will take place legend's morning Russell Square the bank at around 1130 would keep an eye on the surrounding routes and 25 clockwise traffic I mean slow at introduction 29 of the 8 on to 7 due to barrier damage following the accident Raggett hill to the south of the m 25 is closed in both directions for airing an accident. On the Beach Road junction traffic between right and 8 as much right as an diversion spondylitis continue for the North Circular and the school of junction a one on the collision and is now back to the and one that safe was going to I'm heading towards the overall company road and on the northbound junction with Brixton Road running a breakdown this marks judge with congestion much to Camberwell Green reminded today's n t f l L's that it is working Shenfield and Liverpool Street and that's for they can change what each of us parts b.b.c. Radio London next traveller puts to right. Coming up on b.b.c. Radio London's breakfast show with me Vanessa Feltz your calls on International Women's Day So I'm also in really how your life has has different from your mother's life and your grandmother's life whether your expectations are very different from the expectations that your mother or your grandmother had whether your daughter's expectations or even your granddaughters are very different indeed from yours if you've been following and I'm sure you will have done. The high the one r.v. Weinstein allegations the time's up in the me too movements whether you think now is the best time in history to be born a woman because now. I suppose the impediments to success and the the abuse that women have suffered in the you know the routine marginalizing of women cannot continue in the way that it did before with you don't feel as optimistic about that we're talking about International Women's Day What does it mean to you if anything if it means nothing and you want to ring and say why you're bored that silly bandwagon what's the point labeling a day a particular thing Vanessa we don't buy into it at all then you can that's fine you're entitled to think whatever you do but if you think that women have come an awfully long way baby and you look at what your mother was doing at your age and what you're doing at your age and what your grandmother did experiences in terms of what opportunity and careers and travel and independence and making decisions for yourself and driving yourself around the place and all the stuff that seems completely normal to us now but wasn't at all normal then you might want to give me a call I hope you will over 7 to 240000 and we'll be back with you after the sport with Christian your. Radio. Asked the London School was thank you but I suppose all the balls merger partner Tina says he believes they were the better side last night as they were knocked out of the Champions League last 16 drenches came from a goal down at Wembley to reach the quarterfinals 43 on aggregate winning 21 on the ice in the 2nd leg but the manager said there's plenty of positives to take less than 3 minutes I think we will concede to goes to big mistake that is why we are out of the competition within the same time I think. Of like in the if we met him we would disarm or a word with him but in football normally you need to this sort of you know if you know you need to score was more than. But these were real but I feel Brown says winning the Europa League. Is an opportunity also must grab with both hands the gun as our way to AC Milan tonight in the opening leg of their last 16 Europa League clash in life you forget quickly you're all good you are you know and when you have a bad week players change your mind about their own qualities so. Not to forget that you can react with good grace and in rugby union England Captain Dillon Hartley's involvement in Saturday's crucial 6 nations clash with remains in jail because of a calf injury underwent further medical assessment at the England camp yesterday a final decision will be made just after 9 o'clock this morning over whether he'll be fit to lead the side to him Paris and that's all the sport financial next update in an hour that's what makes long term such a fantastic city cultural diversity this is London. It's got just such strong spirited cylinders that you could these days is b.b.c. Radio the best breakfast show with the message. National Women's Day We're talking to women from all different walks of life all different personalities characteristics and finding out what makes them tick and how they've achieved the extremely things they've managed to achieve and my next guest is Colleen Marie Williams a former youth worker from north London but now one of the most prolific songwriters in the music industry credits she has credits on campus hits she's written for Britney Spears Girls Aloud and most recently Beyonce she's also the founder of Girls irate and she's going to tell us what that is when she joins us now call Marie Good morning to you good morning but what were the expectations in your family what did they hope and think that she would achieve. So much and I could have. Been about stability so I mean it was like a whole didn't mean what. I just kept the system. For it and then once I kind of. Like. My. Girls Aloud they realized it was actually real. Objects and the court could tell me about school days about education about how seriously your parents took it and about for example your your mother in her life and career yes my mother sadly passed. She was my rock. And she was all about education full of l.p.c. Talks fall and she's. Just we were in the can. Of course I passed my g.c.s.e. I went into a revolution say sure if you could be a patient. You know I was trying to stay in you know I love helping the community coming from a hard to reach. Those a lot of like flies. In cos the way it is now with the help. I was happy in my heart so in school you know I was very much a student and one of the 1st schools in my school I guess that you were by my mom you know and so you know you started as a social worker you say you want to push back you wanted to help the community and everything like that how how did your music career unfold then had you been formally taught music or was it just a natural kind of flaring gift. The said to have 3 jokes and Chick children so. What you call a classic ball from thing I just kind of put my way through the industry and it went to state school and I went to a few community singing classes and the guy that entities to me. He was still is like the only guy in our area that take piano and he started playing a pal of contagion so the chief of pedigree and he sticks pretty long with the most really really young and from not I met people and changed me took I could any day bass he did manage what went well and I joined the girl group from that one might just got. To be the music industry not the last quarter Top 40 for just a few to basically and some would say oh yes you know I can write songs I have the gift it's just a question of how you get my fabulous film to fabulous girls a lot of fabulous beyond say you know as we go writing or getting table doesn't mean anyone else in the world I begin to hear it we're going to want to sing it how do you do that but how does that come about. I guess. When I 1st mentioned I started wives Girls Aloud I was given the once I left Michael Grade I was out a game and perform in my and so insipid wind up by myself with one of my best friends on the Get saw. From school at the divine poetry and then poetry that I'm some like to the west I was out. Little yes or no music lawyer and he basically introduced me to Brian he came to Santa mania and he opened the door for me is in the main I think it's about doors being opened in that's how I basically call for he auditions me to like 10 different tracks different genres and I just sign my heart out like I need to be involved in these projects this man is and yet kind of went from Met but it was a cause to be on all it was you know destiny because the song was just written and a lot had a and played it to her and then she cut so you know it can happen and then I would bang on. Lemonade album that was run in by no take away run off that that that's where we were introduced to her and then we went to parliament in freedom and and you formed a sort of association happen to any of these cooled is the women in music primarily but it's cool girls I rate and actually oh hell yeah I didn't see night to celebrate missives extravaganza Tell me about girls I write what's the point of it and why we've done it yes but it goes I way in the story I did it in 2015 I launched a $26.00 page and it's just basically coming about from being in the predominately male dominated industry and I just wanted to know more women in my industry in a time when I wanted to not just go somewhere when it's been and all I wanted to be a manager would be to you know recreate my own ideas and it kind of felt like I was boxed in to create this movement goes I way which is you know kind of like oh what a novel what for respect and I go a 100 women on the 2016th to celebrate coming from all different areas of the creative industries and the reason why that was because even though I'm a son while I needed and I asked you for what I needed if your directory the p.r. I need all the stuff for us for at least some kind of movement where we can actually initiate what Bill together which is the way in which men actually do it you know they pass it around the boys' club. A lot for men and so I wanted to form girls I race as we age now we do some international women's day and I try and bring as much women to care for as possible so it's a nice 100 Wardour Street and we've got people like Lily Allen coming down great black Alexandra can you came home yes going to be amazing I mean girls irate over not lost on you because you're a writer a poet in an originator of the title I rate means I rate girls highly but it also means hangry women does make girls the way angry or are spurious. Women who are damned if they're going to carry on putting up with whatever it is they've had to put up with are you I relate to what you I raise about I mean I can be irate about that when we don't get the recognition and we don't get the equality there are still we can say you know we contribute a lot see them in industry. You know I'm learning slowly but somebody I write less and says basically articulate myself in a way that gets my point across I don't know if. The moment I raise I think maybe this is a member to be more irate Maybe women are joining with me maybe yeah I mean maybe women have been too passive and maybe this is the time to be as irate as you possibly can and also get out there and say I mean you feel that if you feel that women aren't getting the respect that they deserve music industry all the opportunities all the pay all the men all the power or whatever it is I mean won't you be really surprised because it P.R.'s when I 1st started in 26 minutes and 16 that's the nomination Mark company in a few others helped push up I think it 21 percent dominate it all yet it's really. Very much indeed for joining us on the program at the dinner tonight is a roaring success goes I rate color is the founder and that is column every William she still as a youth worker from north London now she's written countless hits including for Britney Spears Girls Aloud and beyond say and on the line is Ruth in Richmond Hi Ruth morning. All right thank you tell me about International Women's Day What do you think it's a big deal whether it matters to you. I think it does I think it's been really important to celebrate all the achievements of women that in history and everything and I was trying to York on the phone and basically I never I didn't really do very well go and I might face as they were. Going on since then to a degree my in my forty's not only. Hanging on to my name key question really why didn't you do well at school if in your forty's you quite capable as one can hear of gaining a degree and enjoying it and doing well. Why would why why we you know able to pass any school who has a really good question I think I did a lot if I did messed about a lot of class clown and I went 7 or go go. There was a lot of misbehavior and things that you know I got caught up in no I don't know there was an aspiration to really do well really and I think with my daughter she goes to a school that really celebrate everybody. And she is just starting to see the. Shifty things and she wants to go to Cambridge and I need to see want to go to Cambridge she wants a trophy. After the doctor is actually. Actually going to and I don't mean I don't think she will let me do you think she's capable do you think she'll get it you know what is so great and I think she well I really. You know really doing well at school you know the teachers are saying you know all the right things so I don't know and I just try to I know I do a.p. That's what you want to do and you know the one just up here and you just you know school work hard we'll see how you go a. Lot of that I want to tip for me as a veteran of the that establishment I can give you one tip she may already doing it she needs to start reading interesting things that have nothing to do with astrophysics or to that's what I suggested she. Can bring in a little bit about poetry or something about Aunt whether it's modern knowledge or nacelles out or something else that is that is fascinating in a passion of as I say that they can see she's not narrow and she's not just someone who's you know. So she starts I don't know what the reason newspaper but she needs to read a paper at a decent you know how do you have a lot of young never truly sad you know what I mean not to act but some kind of info as well and some sort of love the things that she can bring out in the interview that that might that often is the I think is this way just sticking to interesting case it makes no difference Ruth lots of love best wishes to her I hope she absolutely shoots for the stars and reaches even beyond. We will be straight back with the lovely listener after the travel news. This was a minor delays for t f l rail services between livable street and field pulling a train shortage killing traffic on the southbound and one following a breaking down lorry a junction 9 Redbone it's blocking a lane just about. At Port in Finchley eastbound lanes continue on the North Circular Tenney's corner the junction of the a one following this morning's collision all the ends are open to the congestion is both but the m one a staple school not and also back on the a one to the and one junction at 5 ways corner heading towards the oval Campbell new road still down to one then no fun at the junction with Brixton Road following a breakdown innocent marks church and in for International Women's Day Women Strike demonstration will take place at Russell Square later this morning at the assembly at around 1130 b.b.c. Radio London the next travel it 8. This is London I've never lived in London Claverhouse safety fail on the mountain streets like our city because you might end up in a. Which is a bitch for some of the streets every road works at a lot of the something really does stand out is present seem to be most disgruntled the London memory that you cope with this cheating dreams of London is a place where the commute to this is long to fix is b.b.c. Radio London. Times are people paper view quite rightly on International Women's Day It's in the company of a highly international woman attached to Devon mental health campaign as she works in schools and actually last time you're on the show you launched a mental health campaign has it all going to Tasha it's going really well so we launched forward mental health day in October last year we've had more than $100.00 organizations and individuals sign up to the charter and the charter is just 7 really simple pieces of guidelines and to assure you that your reporting on mental health is responsible educational and stigma free great fantastic so that's good. People are going for it now your 1st choice of story is in the Met or today as yet which I haven't yet seen so I hope you'll fill me in on this it's a piece o. Me so to me it is yes and a number of female M.P.'s because of the amount of harassment that they face online are calling form a soldier to be a hate crime and officially recognize hate crime and Philip Davis responded by saying well if Miss such an e is going to be a hate crime then misson jury hatred of men should also be a hate crime and if you don't think that that's a double standard and I think what Phillip days Davis fails to understand is that harassment isn't just about prejudice or discrimination it's about power and we live in a culture where a woman is raped every 6 minutes where 2 women Powa week die as a result of domestic violence and within the context of that culture receiving online harassment makes you feel less safe much less safe than if you are a man and have an equivalent type of abuse I would argue and that's what I think makes massaging any different from Messenger so he's saying well hatred should be a crime not just hatred directed at women but all hatred so all abuse pejorative or Molex online kind of outpourings of hatred they should all be a crime I wonder whether that isn't entirely misguided I mean you're absolutely right about the balance of power but nevertheless doesn't he have a grain of of truth in what he's saying that you know of course you shouldn't be able to abuse women definitely not lie but neither should you be able to abuse men and if you made the whole thing a hate crime then them then that would be able to the good would it not I wonder whether he said it with that intention I think that often when people say or you know it's like the response to the black lives matter movement was all lives matter and I think that that was said with the intention of de railing the movement I don't think it said with the intention of making life era I think it's used to silence people and I think Phillip Davis in this particular instance I. Could be wrong doesn't he want to stop the conversation variance in conversation to have though about this is yes thank you very much bring that up very good choice of story now your next story it still made my tracks this morning I read this at 4 30 in the morning and I just I was I was incredulous I couldn't quite believe it it's a story about boomerang kids or the kids who leave home to get a university or college or whatever it is and then boomerang back home again for various reasons usually because they can't afford to move out now what is tell us about the the story because it's absurd he between the eyes when really it is yet the London School of Economics conducted a study between 272015 what they found was that when children leave home there is an improvement in quality of life for parents because they reconnect with each other they discover hobbies they get back some of that their freedom that room to put washing into drawing. That kind of thing they would take on if they get out of the fridge isn't a mess anymore I mean that's what you meant to think and and said it to parents discover this liberty they cry for a little bit with the emptiness they don't like and then they start loving it loving the freedom loving the space and loving of the else and then what happens well the boomerang generation have returned home for primarily for economic reasons as you said and that the study actually uses the word violation apparently this has a ton impact on parents' wellbeing and it's I think this is really interesting because so often we discuss the kind of impossibility of getting on the housing ladder from the perspective of young people but we don't consider it from the other side so I think that's incredibly interesting and I'm very surprised about it I mean yesterday we were talking about Sheila Hancock The actress who said I never want to she's 85 years old still working full time and she said I never want to be about no my children I don't want to go and live with them under any circumstances in fact I'm going to check out care homes for myself so we use that as a kind of trampoline to discuss you know that situation we had lots of people bring in very happily with 3 generations under one roof you've chosen that way and have found it you know. Mutually beneficial and good fun and of course full of tension because all family life full of tension but in general pretty good in the idea of these boomerang children coming back and violating their parents' liberty I'm astounded I was fanciful my own family you know something a bit like South you know where all of the Ewing family were all still together under the same roof and you know they were always eating breakfast in a gale Jimmy broadside all together and I just found mine the gale the breakfast and the whole thing of just all my kids and I am my sons in law and my daughters and my grandbaby all in the same I think I'll be marvelous I don't think we violate any think is interesting I mean obviously I can't speak from a parent's perspective but there's something that calum around said which is in your parents' home you will never be older than 12 and I find that you know I'm going home for Mother's Day this weekend yet my mom still calls me papa you know I mean I can tell you that even if that makes for a teller I grieve. And you know next story this is one very close to your heart obviously young people told to fake mental health crisis this is in the Times page 23 today what is that about so I really don't appreciate the times use of the word fake in this headline I think it's a little bit misleading they could do was standing up to the Mental Health Media Chaucer actually because the story is actually that the thresholds for accessing children adolescent mental health services are getting higher and higher because the service is so stretched they've been they were cut to the tune of 80000000 between 20102015 so now you have to exhibit really severe symptoms of mental illness before you will be able to access help and so because of this doctors are advising young people to exaggerate the symptoms of their mental illness if they want to be seen. Right so it's not faking it's just making it seem like they're a little bit further along the spectrum so that they can access the help that they need but that is I mean that's something that should set many lone bells ringing isn't it because you wonder if that's the situation with mental health that will quickly become situation with physical and. As well that you know you exaggerate the symptoms if you want to get treated that's not good well I think people routinely do that if you if you talk to doctors you know because we tend to panic when we have a physical health problem but you know services are in a state of crisis I was at a rally at parliament just this week and Luciana Berger the chair of the Labor campaign for mental health said we're in a mental health crisis and she said I don't use that term lightly so I think that we should use this headline as a starting point for a discussion about the state of services and how we can change that I mean we hear often of people in a very low state of mind so they may be suffering a chronic sort of clinical depression or they may be spiraling into an addiction which is which is way out of control and families are trying to prevail on them please get help please get help please get help with the assumption that there is help to get you know get help get help go to your g.p. That's the 1st port of call go to your g.p. So they eventually they succumb to pressure and they do trot off to the g.p. And then the g.p. Says well there's a waiting list and you know in 6 months time I might be able to refer you for 6 weeks sessions with a psychotherapist or something yeah and this is this is you know it's taken crisis for that for this person to go to the g.p. In the 1st place am I right or am I exaggerating you tell me just yet you know what you are what you have described is absolutely typical The average waiting time is about 23 weeks and that's just for your initial assessment that's not even the point at which you start therapy and all the evidence shows that the earlier you catch a mental health problem the more treatable it is that actually the advice of the doctors given these young people isn't wrong you know they need to access that help but it should tell us something about the state of the n.h.s. And I saw a very interesting piece about mental health weekend agendas I think possibly doctor had written people tend to assume that other people don't recover from mental health issues that you're just stuck with your home life and that's it and actually in very many cases people do recover from clinical depression from from from anorexia or bulimia or for various different eating. And all different mental health disorders including addiction I mean you have to keep it a bank be aware of it across the yeah don't forget it but it can be that you live years in the is free of a mental illness would you agree with that get the statistically for example 50 percent of people who have one episode of depression will make a full recovery and never have another 150 percent of people will have a repeat experience of it and I think there's comfort in knowing that as well if you have a long term mental illness that your life may peak control but you can do things to manage it and that's false we're very very briefly to this fantastic invention the avocado de Stoner because avocado hand in other words brutal injuries to the hand inflicted on yourself while trying to Harvard and distended avocado have been big news they've been all over the papers in fact our own bosses spouse was afflicted with just such a thing when she was getting an avocado ready to serve it to Tony Blackburn how she ended up in hospital and Tony Blackburn his wife ended up eating dinner in a restaurant Millie ill which was not what was meant to be happening you do so so this is this is a fantastic invention some g.c.s.e. Students invented it and it looks a little bit like a swarm I think is a kind of curved device and it's a way of peeling chopping and d. Starting your avocado without risk of injury and all the papers that covered it which I think is fantastic thank you very much indeed lovely to see you give your mother a very best wishes and Mother's Day Natasha Devon mental health campaign who works in schools I will be back with you lovely listener morn International Women's Day and other news and current affairs of course after the news the travel in the weather at 8 o'clock. Minor delays continue. Services. And Shenfield for the train shortage and great northern trends Parker running with monitor nice following a signal problem in the area and one queuing southbound into junction Redbone. Broken down lorry congestion much junction 10 on the. Road in Finchley eastbound lanes continue for the North Circular into Henley school. The junction the a one following the collision early this morning congestion back both to the m one at Staples corner and also back along the way one great north way to junction 2 of the m one a 5 ways heading towards the overcome the only road still down to one line northbound at the junction with Brixton Road following a break down the Smarts judge congestion button Camberwell Green traffic heavy the normal on the east pond a 40 very slow for mating and circus into water hung an Angel Raich tooting High Street still closed emergency would work Broadway station and black shawl road 13 bus route still on diversion as a result. Of pretty slow southbound traffic divert stop quite the burn road to lanes remain close eastbound apart crossing for water where the region's part station lies back through the roadworks the Baker Street and Molly Brown flyover at the Sparks b.b.c. Radio London next travel 815. Today is International Women's Day.