Holby City woman
Encyclopedia
Holby City woman was a voter demographic which was identified by Conservative Party
strategists in the United Kingdom
as a key group of voters of the Conservative Party in the 2010 General Election. The term is taken from the fictional BBC
hospital drama
Holby City
, which is set in South West England
. The character of Faye Morton
(played by actress Patsy Kensit
) has been described as an example of a typical "Holby City woman".
, care for the elderly and childcare. A "Holby City woman" has voted for the Labour Party
in previous elections but her identification with the Labour Party is not strong. Such a voter is likely to be in charge of family finances and is therefore accepting of public sector cuts during a recession. Tory strategists believe that the Damian McBride
controversy and the alleged "macho" culture surrounding the Prime Minister will turn such voters against the Labour Party. Occupations for HCW include nurses, administrators and teachers. "Holby City Women" earn less than £30,000 per annum.
has argued that the Conservative Party may struggle to win over "Holby Women". The Health Policy Insight argue that policies aimed to appeal to "Holby Women" such as ring-fencing health spending appeal more to left-minded voters rather than right-wing voters.
” — Middle England voters who were seen as key to the success of New Labour under the leadership of Tony Blair
.
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
strategists in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
as a key group of voters of the Conservative Party in the 2010 General Election. The term is taken from the fictional BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
hospital drama
Medical drama
A medical drama is a television program, in which events center upon a hospital, an ambulance staff, or any medical environment.In the United States, most medical episodes are one hour long and, more often than not, are set in a hospital. Most current medical Dramatic programming go beyond the...
Holby City
Holby City
Holby City, stylised as Holby Ci+y, is a British medical drama television series that airs weekly on BBC One.The series was created by Tony McHale and Mal Young as a spin-off from the established BBC medical drama Casualty, and premiered on 12 January 1999...
, which is set in South West England
South West England
South West England is one of the regions of England defined by the Government of the United Kingdom for statistical and other purposes. It is the largest such region in area, covering and comprising Bristol, Gloucestershire, Somerset, Dorset, Wiltshire, Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. ...
. The character of Faye Morton
Faye Morton
Faye Lindsey Byrne is a fictional character from the BBC medical drama Holby City, portrayed by actress Patsy Kensit. The character first appeared on-screen on 30 January 2007 in the episode "Into the Dark" - series nine, episode 17 of the program...
(played by actress Patsy Kensit
Patsy Kensit
Patricia Jude Francis "Patsy" Kensit is an English actress, singer, model and former child star, known for her television and film appearances. Her films include Lethal Weapon 2 and she has been married to rock stars Jim Kerr and Liam Gallagher, as well as herself fronting the band Eighth Wonder...
) has been described as an example of a typical "Holby City woman".
Characteristics
The "Holby City woman" is a female voter in her 30s or 40s, employed in a clinical or clerical position or some other public sector job. She is a swing voter in General Elections. Key issues for such a voter are education, the state of the National Health ServiceNational Health Service
The National Health Service is the shared name of three of the four publicly funded healthcare systems in the United Kingdom. They provide a comprehensive range of health services, the vast majority of which are free at the point of use to residents of the United Kingdom...
, care for the elderly and childcare. A "Holby City woman" has voted for the Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
in previous elections but her identification with the Labour Party is not strong. Such a voter is likely to be in charge of family finances and is therefore accepting of public sector cuts during a recession. Tory strategists believe that the Damian McBride
Damian McBride
Damian McBride is a former civil servant and former special advisor to British Prime Minister Gordon Brown. McBride began his civil service career at HM Customs and Excise...
controversy and the alleged "macho" culture surrounding the Prime Minister will turn such voters against the Labour Party. Occupations for HCW include nurses, administrators and teachers. "Holby City Women" earn less than £30,000 per annum.
Analysis
The Times columnist David AaronovitchDavid Aaronovitch
David Aaronovitch is a British author, broadcaster, and journalist. He is a regular columnist for The Times, and author of Paddling to Jerusalem: An Aquatic Tour of Our Small Country and Voodoo Histories: the role of Conspiracy Theory in Modern History...
has argued that the Conservative Party may struggle to win over "Holby Women". The Health Policy Insight argue that policies aimed to appeal to "Holby Women" such as ring-fencing health spending appeal more to left-minded voters rather than right-wing voters.
Similar terms
The term has been compared to “Worcester womanWorcester woman
"Worcester woman" is a political term used by polling companies in the United Kingdom. It profiles or describes a type of median voter, a white collar professional who worries about quality of life issues....
” — Middle England voters who were seen as key to the success of New Labour under the leadership of Tony Blair
Tony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
.
See also
- Essex manEssex manEssex man and Mondeo man are stereotypical figures which were popularised in 1990s England. "Essex man" as a political figure is an example of a type of median voter and was used to help explain the electoral successes of Margaret Thatcher in the previous decade...
(also called "Mondeo Man") - Targeted by the Conservatives in 1992 - Worcester womanWorcester woman"Worcester woman" is a political term used by polling companies in the United Kingdom. It profiles or describes a type of median voter, a white collar professional who worries about quality of life issues....
- Targeted by Labour in 1997 - Motorway manMotorway man"Motorway man" is a political term used by polling companies in the United Kingdom. The phrase was coined by Experian in the run up to the 2010 general election and describes a type of floating voter who it is believed can determine the outcome of an election by the way he casts his vote...
- a type of floating voter targeted at the 2010 general election - Soccer momSoccer momThe phrase soccer mom broadly refers to a middle-class suburban woman who spends a significant amount of her time transporting her school-age children to their sporting events or other activities. Indices of American magazines and newspapers show relatively little usage of the term until a 1995...
- A term used in the United States, particularly during the 1996 presidential campaign