Hazel, you talk about 'centuries'. Most of us haven't been around that long. Are you prepared to be discriminated against for being British and white if you are on the basis of 'benefitting' from an empire that disappeared long before you were born? I am certainly not.

Paul, Coventry,

The way the media have interpreted this clouds out the actual purpose of this bill: to put a halt to the current discrimination that works against women and ethnic minorities. It is commonly known that men hire men like them as they are in the same social set. This works against this trend: GOOD.

A Taylor, Leamington Spa,

For years legislation has been working to ensure equality. All this woman is doing is destroying that - I think a job should go to the best candidate regardless of age, race or gender. I want to go through life knowing I got a job because I was the best candidate not because I am a woman.

Ella Burt, Torrington, England

Are labour activley trying to lose the next election? I find it hard to think so much incompetence is accidental. It's almost like they're trying to swing UK politics to the right... how far right remains to be seen. Oh well the only winners of this will be the BNP or NF.

dg, lincoln,

I don't understand all the fuss. Men have been getting jobs just because they are men for centuries! Organizations will only be able to use this legislation when they have a gender imbalance in their workforce - women or men. All other things being equal, why would this be a bad thing?

Hazel, Gloucestershire,

This is an Inequality Bill, the consequence of which will be working-class white males being further disenfranchised. If only I'd been born female and had a private school education ...

Paul, Coventry,

I think it is disgusting that it may be thought that a woman or minority only got the job because of this proposal, and not for the skills they have in doing a good job. Being a female in a male working environment I would hate it if my colleagues thought I only got the job because of my sex.

Michelle Cantoni, Bristol,

Elsewhere in The Times there is the headline "Labour finish behind BNP in election humiliation".

Maybe people have had enough of political correctness ruining our country?

Roger B, Norwich,

The proposal is to favour women and "minorities" (whatever that may mean). Given a fixed number of jobs, this obviously means giving fewer of them to white men (who are neither women nor minorities). So the clever new anti-discrimination policy is to discriminate!

Tom Welsh, Basingstoke,

call me old-fashioned but i thought that to discriminate meant to see the difference between things,as in to discriminatebetween quality and rubbishor between men and wimmin- sic

peter c, devizes, wessex

Hey give Harriet a chance. She may not be in a job come 2010 and will probably need all the help she can get (positive discrimination or otherwise) to get her something that will keep her in the manner that she has grown accustomed to.

John Goode, Welwyn Garden City, UK

So I could carryout my role as Dad and responsibility as a caring parent, is not empowered to enforce this pointless court order on the mother who has now withheld my children for 9 months they only live over the road and have to pass my home to go to school. I would not wish this torture on someone I hated, why do these Law Lords that want fairness for criminals want this for me?

Dave Farmer, Broxbourne, England

Yet another example of how, in the modern era, you can get a job on what you are rather than who you are, it seems that instead of being the best qualified, you have to be the best fit for the quota. This is disgusting - positive discrimination is merely another discrimination dressed up nicely.

Joseph Gibson, Stockton-on-Tees, United Kingdom