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The number of people who belong to a political party is at an historic low. Less than one per cent of the UK electorate belong to one of the three main parties. And crucially, it is thought that twice as many men as women belong to political parties. Over the next three weeks we’ll be hearing from some of the women who are active members of a political party about why they do it and what difference they feel it makes. Jane talks to some of the women at this year’s Labour Party conference in Manchester to find out what they are doing and what motivates them to do it.

Francesca Martinez says she’s never met a normal person and wonders if anyone else has. The stand-up, actress and disability rights campaigner has just published her first book, What The **** Is Normal?!, described as a call to arms against society’s unrealistic and damaging expectations. Jane talks to Francesca about growing up with cerebral palsy, her crusade against normality, and being named as one of the Woman’s Hour Power List 2014 Game Changers.

Jane Green and Sophie Kinsella are both hugely successful writers of popular women’s fiction. Sophie has eleven number one bestselling novels to her name, including the Shopaholic series, the first of which is now the hit Hollywood movie, Confessions of a Shopaholic. And now she has a new book out this month, Shopaholic To The Stars. Jane Green’s number one books include Tempting Fate and The Accidental Husband, all her recent books have shot to the top of the New York Times bestseller list, and her new book is called Saving Grace. So how have these two writers achieved such success?  Did they set out to write in a particular genre? How disciplined are they? How much do they draw upon their own lives?  And what are their tips for aspiring writers?

‘Lad culture’ on UK university campuses is rife, according to new research carried out by the National Union of Students. So, at the time of year when freshers’ week takes place – earlier this month in Scotland, and next week in England and Wales – NUS President Toni Pearce joins Jane to discuss the extent of the problem and how the NUS hope to combat it.