In the aftermath of the Cabinet re-shuffle, a lot has been made of the shortage of female representatives within government. This is a particularly painful allegation for us as Liberal Democrats.

It is of course good news that some of the great women in our party have been promoted:  Jo Swinson MP is now Minister for Employment Relations and Consumer Affairs, Baroness Jenny Randerson is taking up a role in the Wales Office, Lynne Featherstone MP has moved to the Department for International Development and Lorely Burt has become Parliamentary Private Secretary to Danny Alexander MP.

However, we mustn’t forget that for a party that prides itself on the promotion of equality, we are still lacking in female MPs, with proportionally significantly fewer women Members of Parliament than Labour and the Conservatives.  It is not good enough simply to believe in having more female elected representatives, we have to do something about it and make sure women with the ability to lead are given the confidence and the opportunity to do so.

This is why we should all rally behind candidates like Dr. Bablin Molik, who is fighting the Cardiff South and Penarth by-election.  Bablin is a local campaigner, she researched glaucoma for her PhD and was recognised for her work by the S Channel on Sky and awarded a Lifetime Achievement award.  Bablin has two young children and her husband owns a local business.  She has a strong profile within the local community, having worked with Women Connect First and Women Making a Difference, empowering women from diverse backgrounds.

Bablin stood in the council elections in May 2012 for the ward of Splott, where she lives, fighting on local issues such as opposing plans for an incinerator, and during the by-election campaign has already fought to save protected green spaces, improve public transport and prevent the introduction of a congestion charge in Cardiff.  On this last issue, the Labour-run council has been forced to back down after a successful local and social media campaign, led by Bablin and the Cardiff party.

But as with every campaign, Bablin needs people willing to knock on doors, deliver leaflets and pick up the phone.   She is a fantastic candidate with a strong local record who can make a real difference in Cardiff South and Penarth, given the chance.  However, in order for her voice to be heard, we need people on the streets telling residents how fantastic she is, which needs the hard work and perseverance that we as Liberal Democrats possess in bucket loads.

So instead of being embarrassed about our record and simply talking about how things could be better, I urge the readers of Lib Dem Voice to be the change they want to see. Come down to help Bablin Molik win for Cardiff South and Penarth.

Our campaign office is at 99 Woodville Road Cathays, Cardiff, CF24 4DY and we can be reached by phone at 02920 667 560.

* Jenny Willott was the Lib Dem MP for Cardiff Central and chaired the working group on working age social security policy in 2016.