Despite the glitzy 'Women to win initiative' recently launched by the self-confessed new-age Conservative Dave Cameron, the Tories have continued to show their true colours on protecting women's rights.

Although I welcome Dave's commitment to 'talk the talk' on gender equality, he still remains a member of the exclusive London dining club White's, which, in the 21st century, still requires its members to have the Y chromosome.

Moreover, in the European Parliament, Tory MEPs yesterday broke ranks from their mainstream partners in the EPP-ED in the European Parliament to reject a key peice of EU legislation on domestic violence.

However, this is not the first time that the Euro Tories have voted against measures to combat the oppresson of women.

Earlier this year the Tory MEPs voted against and abstained on a report that condemned female genital mutilation and called for rape within marriage to be a crime across the EU - apart from Caroline Jackson MEP, the only female member of the 27 strong Tory group.

In the light of this, combined with the Tory leader's membership of sexist gentlemen's clubs, I think people can be forgiven for thinking that Cameron's new talk on women's rights is nothing more than a cynical smokescreen.