JANET STREET-PORTER: Women MPs must stop whingeing By Janet Street Porter Life isn't a level playing field. Women make up half the electorate, but less than a quarter of the House of Commons, and a fifth of the House of Lords. We desperately need more female MPs, but I want the 146 who have already clawed their way onto the green benches to man up, stop whingeing and to fight dirty. Each one carries the hopes of so many ordinary women who don't have any power (other than a vote), or any ability to change the way the country is governed. Female MPs carry more responsibility than men, which is why I get furious when they bleat about how tough life is in Westminster. Man up: Lib Dem MP Sarah Teather, who will stand down at the next election, joins Louise Mensch in my slop bucket of females who've let the side down The latest one to throw in the towel is Lib Dem Sarah Teather, the youngest MP when elected in 2003, overturning a Labour majority of 13,000 in Brent East (she later won the new seat of Brent Central). Sarah was Minister for Children and Families, but lost her job in a reshuffle last year. She's standing down at the next election, complaining that Nick Clegg's plan to make immigrants pay a £1,000 deposit when applying for a visa left her feeling 'catastrophically depressed'. Statements like that make me suicidal. Modern politics is about wheeling and dealing, compromising and arriving at a consensus. Once it might have been about high ideals and lofty principles, but these days there's little difference between the parties - leaving voters thoroughly disenchanted. We want policies that relate to the real world. Sarah's prime concern should be helping other women - those who work, stay-at-home mums, single strivers, unmarried partners with few legal rights, and divorcees living in poverty in old age. She says the Lib Dems ought to be about social justice - that's like saying we want everyone in the world to have clean water. You'd hardly say the bloody opposite. She opposes the Government's £26,000 cap on benefits, but isn't getting better support for all women the highest priority of all? Teather has joined Louise Mensch in my slop bucket of females who've let the side down. Mensch, chick-lit author and wife of an American music business millionaire, suddenly quit her job in the middle of a parliament to spend more time with her family on the other side of the Atlantic. Shining light: Mezzo soprano Joyce DiDonato in her fabulous red sequined ball gown designed by Vivienne Westwood Sod her constituents, male or female. She now has a social networking site, newspaper columns, and is a regular on TV - so much for helping the sisterhood. We will never attract more women to politics if the ones who get elected turn out to be so feeble. Check out the current reality. In the Cabinet, there are only four women out of 22. Of the nine ministers who attend but don't vote, only one is female. Women are woefully under-represented at ministerial level in Whitehall. There are none in Defence, the Treasury, Environment, Transport, and only one out of five in Justice, Health, and Work and Pensions. Aren't there female soldiers, bank managers, scientists and airline pilots? They can do these jobs, and yet they can't create the laws surrounding them. Is the life of a female MP really that much tougher than a woman packing boxes in a factory, serving on a till or sewing shirts in a sweatshop? Sarah Teather, that's what real women call work. The Last Night Of The Proms is an institution in our house. After a massive supper, we lie on the sofa like two beached whales, waving Union Jacks and singing along to Jerusalem. This year there was plenty to celebrate - for the first time, a woman (the fantastic Marin Alsop) was trusted to conduct the proceedings. But the star of the night was the fabulous red sequinnned ball gown designed by Vivienne Westwood for brilliant mezzo soprano Joyce DiDonato. In the second half, Westwood gave the diva a sensational pink Union Jack coat. David Cameron should have mentioned Vivienne and the Proms in his list of 'great things' Britain has given the world at the G8 last week. And, unlike Russia, we don't threaten gay people either. The battle between Mary Portas and Bill Grimsey (former boss of Wickes and Iceland) over who has the masterplan to save our High Streets has got personal. Now, Sir Stuart Rose, the ex-boss of Marks & Spencer, has offered his five bob's worth in a BBC2 series about shopping, which starts this evening. Rose says the old High Street, with retailing at it's heart, is over. Shops pro: Mary Portas, retail guru I agree - I've been banging on about placing housing for the old and young at the centre of cities for years. And advocating turning offices and unused shops into community spaces. Parking has to be free and business rates slashed - which is where the Government has let Mary down with its inaction. Margate, the Kent town where she tried to breathe life into a drab High Street, is starting to hum again - but it's the old town with its quirky small shops and characterful narrow streets that visitors want to spend time in. Last Saturday, I bought excellent vintage shirts and a sweater there, as well as a pair of office lamps and a great Sixties light fitting. Lunch in the cafe on the harbour wall was fabulous, and the museum shop was having a sale. All these signs of life could be undermined if Tesco is allowed to open a store right on the seafront. There are superstores all around the town in retail parks already. Sherborne in Dorset has successfully repelled Tesco, after a petition which attracted 11,000 signatures. Tesco says it listens to communities - well, if it applies this to Margate, it will leave the seafront alone. A few months ago, Waitrose sent me a card which gave me 10 per cent off for a short period. Then, they sent a letter inviting me to become part of 'myWaitrose' with a personal card. It promised me a free newspaper if I spent £5, plus discounts off 'everyday essentials and exclusive seasonal promotions'. They concluded: 'We hope you enjoy even more from every shop, with every swipe.' The idea that Waitrose is somehow 'mine' is an old idea nicked from Marks & Spencer. Sir Stuart Rose used it in 2004, and admitted he was inspired by a newspaper column I wrote, begging a directionless M&S to understand that their customers were the most important people. I used this 'essential' myWaitrose card to buy milk, runner beans, new potatoes, sausages, yoghurt, onions and a bar of chocolate - a total of £11.64. I swiped the card, naively expecting 10 per cent off. Haha. It gave me a discount of ONE PENCE. So much for big ideas in retailing. The customer, as usual, is suckered into thinking we are all in a gorgeous club, but we are just part of a drive for increased profits. MasterChef final: Janet lost to Ade Edmondson and his three-course meal It was never going to be a meeting of minds, but Les Dennis and I made it through to the final of MasterChef only to be pipped by Ade Edmondson (right) with his perfectly arranged three-course meal. A piece of white fish surrounded by symmetrical bits of veg. Am I bitter? No, I have had thousands of tweets and emails from supporters who think my philosophy was right and who loved my food. Forget lamb three ways or black garlic jus, at the weekend I made road-kill rabbit pie with a pig's trotter topped with rough puff pastry, served with runner beans from the garden and cavolo nero. It cost about £2, but would never have been glamorous enough for judges John and Gregg. Fine dining could only have been dreamt up by men - appearance matters above all else. Still, I enjoyed the show and at least there was a woman in the final!