Bums on Seats Read Online Free PDF

to provide dancers. But what happened next? She put her forearm over her face shutting out the light and thought she smelled the Chief’s Cologne. This recalled her difficulty at the table with Matthew coming to assist. That’s when the Cologne must have transferred.
    She had a further recollection. There was another Zombekian. A man she had not seen before, about Matthew’s age. Perhaps he had summoned help? How had she got to bed and undressed and where were her clothes? Presumably his wives or some other women had helped her.

CHAPTER 4
    1996
    Simon glanced at his watch. Two hours were almost up. It felt like four. “Does anyone see a downside to practising equal opportunities in the workplace?” There were twelve students present, six male, six female. None volunteered an answer. “Surely you don’t all believe ‘equal opportunities’ is a perfect arrangement in social engineering?” he baited them.
    Jenny spoke. “It’s not perfect but it’s better than doing nothing.”
    Richard chipped in, “The minute you introduce positive discrimination in favour of one group, you unfairly discriminate against all those outside that group! What’s equal about that?”
    Lucinda, with slightly raised voice, said, “That’s just the sort of arty-farty comment a bloke would make. We’re talking about the spirit of equality here. Women everywhere know they have to fight extra hard for a fair chance at work. It’s a stitch-up. Men have always passed the jobs around amongst themselves.” There were cheers from the girls and groans from the blokes.
    That’s better, thought Simon. There’s nothing like a bit of aggro to get the messages remembered. “Are we saying, then, that there are no differences between men and women that make some jobs into women’s jobs and others into men’s? For example, if you females present were not at university, how many could see yourselves as car mechanics?” Not a hand was raised. “How many of you men could see yourselves as someone’s secretary?”
    â€œFive of us couldn’t, but I’m not sure about Darren,” said Richard with a snigger. This was greeted with guffaws from the boys and sniggers from one or two girls.
    Darren, not in the least abashed, said in his up-front camp way, “Now I believe we’re hearing real discrimination, darling!”
    Simon dragged the discussion back on course. “Unthinking zealots, not just the bra burners but bigots of all persuasion, cite occupational segregation as a prime example of social injustice. But the fact is that men and women as groups seem to find different attractions within jobs. How many of you think that if car mechanics were paid twice as much as secretaries, women would demand equal representation in car workshops?” There was no response.
    â€œIs it your proposition then, Simon, that there is no such thing as non-equal opportunities and that everything is down to genes and market forces?” asked Sonia Greenberg with a twinkle in her eye and a little smile. Sonia was his star student, heading for first-class honours and probably more clever than he.
    â€œNo, Sonia, I’m saying that, as with any non-absolutes, we should challenge fashionable but sometimes sloppy thinking. These days someone can get fired from a job where they’re in a minority, for being inadequate, and become a cause célèbre with a power group behind them. Anyway, time’s up I’m afraid; would anyone like to have the last word?”
    Richard, who was group jester, solemnly pronounced, “I still intend to sit on women and make a convenience of them whenever I can.”
    â€œGive me last week’s assignments on the way out,” Simon shouted over the boos and general hubbub of people rising. Lucinda hurled an empty Styrofoam coffee cup at Richard. With the exception of Sonia, they all hurried off to