The harpies get their trophy but who, if anyone, has got the facts about the cause of the gender gap?

Who's next?

The harpies have triumphed.

More dismaying, those of them who would be outraged if a worker was dismissed for what he or she said – no matter how provocative the remarks – are crowing about the sacking of Employers and Manufacturers’ Association (Northern) chief executive Alasdair Thompson.

Their unseemly baying for blood reminds Alf of the hags who cackled their approval as the guillotine blade fell in the days of the French Revolution.

Here’s a matter worthy of protest action – Te Papa’s advice to pregnant and menstruating women

Pregnant women shouldn't walk under ladders, either...

The mandarins who run our national museum have succumbed to superstition, although they tell us they are simply respecting somebody’s belief system.

They are advising pregnant or menstruating women against attending a Te Papa exhibit “for their own safety.”

An invitation for regional museums to go on a behind-the-scenes tour of some of Te Papa’s collections included the condition that “wahine who are either hapu [pregnant] or mate wahine [menstruating]” were unable to attend.

Te Papa spokeswoman Jane Keig said the policy was in place because of Maori beliefs surrounding the taonga Maori collection included in the tour.

“There are items within that collection that have been used in sacred rituals.

“That rule is in place with consideration for both the safety of the taonga and the women,” Keig said.

Oh yes. We can always come up with a credible-sounding rationale for a ridiculous rule.