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Some of them may be dinosaurs who may be living in the wrong century, but the members of The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers own the Muirfield course and have the right to determine how it is used and by whom.
As it happened 64% of those proprietors voted in favour of admitting women to membership of their club. Most people would see that as a significant step forward, but they tend not to be the people who take to the social airwaves, for fear of being pilloried by the politically correct.
The tail wagging the dog isn’t a sustainable situation in the long term. I suspect that it won’t be long before the matter is revisited, maybe with a little gentle persuasion by the R&A, which really doesn’t want to lose the course as an Open venue.
Quintin Jardine's blog 
For heaven’s sake, it’s only hitting a wee ball with a stick towards holes in the ground and then repairing to the 19th for a libation.
Absolutely Pat; a libation with their friends. Seems we have reach a societal stage at which men are no longer allowed to choose their own friends without making enemies.
Peter Allis suggests that ladies who wish to play at Muirfield should marry a member. This would of course still exclude gay ladies. He also says that if he wanted to join the WVS he would need to have his bits cut off. He is wrong on two counts. WVS is now RVS and 11% of the membership is male.
Allis should know having married a couple in his time.
Very amusing! This thing has seemed to fire up our beloved East Lothian. The phone-in on BBC Radio Scotland this morning was all about it. Going from some members not wanting the Open to be there ever again because it’s disturbing to others who say that, if that’s the case, all the ladies who do the cleaning, make the teas and effectively make it work should be fired and replaced by blokes and again, another guy, a former member for 17 years, who said that women can of course play on the course, the only thing they can’t do is go into the bar but numerous functions were organised where women were entirely welcome. He also said that he was a member of the Royal Scots club in Edinburgh and finished by saying “Try and get into that one, you can’t.” Is this dramatic, do we care, will this change our lives? I don’t think so. Muirfield is not going away, the media storm will be forgotten in a week.
Royal Scots Club? Actually you can.
Very interesting, as I just read about the vote today. It is good to have an informed opinion, since all the facts were not presented in the account that I read.
Thank you, Mr J (if I may make so bold).
The following is off subject, but I would like to tell you anyway!
I have followed Bob Skinner with delight, once I was introduced to him – & you – by a dear friend who also wrote, though for her own pleasure.
I am just starting Funeral Note, with too long a gap after Grievous Angel, and am preparing to dive back into Bob’s life with a great deal of interest.
Thank you so much for years of knowing & enjoying such richly developed characters. Apart from Bob, I think my favourites are Mario & Paula.