Like Cameron, Corbyn also believes in the merits of ‘token women’

In the early hours of Monday, it dawned on Jeremy Corbyn that no women in his team would be shadowing the four Great Offices of State. ‘We are taking a fair amount of shit out there about women,’ his advisor Simon Fletcher was heard saying. ‘We need to do a Mandelson. Let’s make Angela shadow first minister of state. Like Mandelson was. She can cover PMQs.’

Of course, if you’re reading this, and you’re a deep-set Corbynista, I doubt you believe a word of it: it’s the testimony of Darren McCaffrey, Sky reporter, spawn of the evil Murdoch empire.

Therein lies the central challenge of our polarised body politic. How can any of us attempt the open debate a healthy society requires, when we have ceased to speak the same language, let alone trust the same sources? In this maelstrom of bad faith, the left are understandably bemused when anyone even associated with the right raises concerns about the representation of women in Corbyn’s shadow cabinet.

In good faith, then, let’s talk about the Tories, too.