Woman's Hour - 09/12/2009

With Jenni Murray. Including: Sally Bercow, the wife of the Speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow, is to stand as a Labour candidate in the local elections next May. She revealed in an interview that in her twenties she was a binge drinker and had one night stands. Was it a good idea for her to reveal as much as she did about her private life? What purpose did it serve and is this something that we want to hear from our future politicians? Jenni is joined by political writers Ann McElvoy and Anne Treneman to discuss the issues. With the release of the film of Maurice Sendak's classic book Where The Wild Things Are, the programme asks whether being a bit frightened is good for children or not. Jenni talks to writer and former Children's Laureate Michael Rosen and children's books expert Julia Eccleshare about whether terrifying stories can be character forming, or if they can destroy a child's sense of security. The artist Betty Pepper trained as a jeweller but takes her inspiration from textiles, embroidery and stories. She tells us about her new exhibition and how the stories she has heard on Woman's Hour have influenced her designs. Also, the academic Tom Lloyd discusses his new business theory about the 'third woman' needed to change working practices, and we hear about a project to tackle 'institutionalised' prostitution in India.