Holyrood Wifies

Almost three years after the inauguration of the Scottish parliament heralded a new dawn for the gender balance of politics, Linda Watson-Brown charts the progress and treatment of women MSPs and wonders if they will have much to celebrate come International Women's Day this Friday A QUICK vox pop around the streets and shops near the Scottish parliament chambers in Edinburgh reveals one immediate piece of information: women MSPs aren't going to win any awards for popularity. Mention half a dozen male politicians who have had their share of negative publicity and you'll be met with wry chuckles straight out of an Ealing comedy, but raise the names of their female associates and suddenly everyone is a political analyst. It is hardly surprising - towards the end of last year, barely a day went past without Wendy Alexander, Susan Deacon et al being dragged through the mud, lambasted more for daring to be both female and political than any actual misdemeanour they may have committed.

As this week's annual International Women's Day celebrations approach once more, women MSPs may be left questioning whether anything has changed after all in the Boy's Own world of political backstabbing. The inauguration of the Scottish parliament was met with joy in some quarters when the number of women elected was calculated - almost 40% was an achievement to put many other supposedly gender-friendly legislatures to shame - but it also held court to the type of sexist disparagement that many had hoped would not make the transition north from Westminster.

At the time, the SNP's Duncan Hamilton was the most public detractor of his female colleagues, promptly dismissing them as "arrogant, self-satisfied and inarticulate". Clearly unable to see the irony of such an attack, Hamilton found himself the recipient of considerable media coverage - as did those who were at the receiving end of it.

Labour's Johann Lamont was one of those who saw her political credentials ignored as Hamilton's comments hit the headlines. "You would have to be made of stone for that sort of thing not to affect you," recalls Lamont, MSP for Glasgow Pollok, "but there was a lot of hostility in the early days of the Parliament which was reflected in the comments we had to deal with." Lamont, and many of her peers, recalls the coverage in both tabloids and broadsheets which emphasised the collective characteristics of "Dewar's dollies" and catalogued outfits or hairstyles with much greater dedication than political achievements.

Almost three years on, there has been some change in the political culture - although Wendy Alexander's courting and breeding potential still generates more column inches than can possibly be healthy in a culture at least pretending to strive for equality. Whether the public perceives the benefits of having a greater gender balance remains uncertain. Jackie Baillie, Labour MSP for Dumbarton, believes that the initial attacks on female MSPs were too often left unchallenged by a Scottish media keen to shape perceptions rather than challenge discrimination.

"What became very obvious to me was that women were working behind the scenes and not getting credit for that. It is still the case. The public tends not to see the volume of work which most good constituency MSPs carry out, and it's nowhere near glamorous enough for the press to report."

This type of public interpretation is at the heart of recent coverage which has suggested women MSPs simply aren't up to scratch when it comes to traditional political activity such as putting down queries for First Minister's Questions.

According to Baillie, women have found many other ways of working the political system which brings results rather than spin-doctored publicity. "There is absolutely no point in just raising a problem in the chamber - it's vital that you try and find solutions too. That brings reality to the situation which might be less obvious or headline-grabbing, but there is just as much can be done through dialogue in the canteen or in meetings outwith the Chamber."

Lyndsay McIntosh, Conservative MSP for Central Scotland, agrees: "There is a far more open and accessible way of dealing with things here as opposed to Westminster, although that isn't necessarily how the public perceives things and it's certainly not always the way the media reports matters. Holyrood is not downright rude in the way that Westminster is, and women are not perceived as an infringement of the rules. We are part and parcel of this, and although you will be attacked if you do or say something stupid, that isn't necessarily a reflection of any sexist attitude."

For women who combine successful party politics with a keen feminist awareness, matters are not quite as rosy. Elaine Smith, Labour MSP for Coatbridge and Chryston, has one of the biggest majorities in Scotland but she is still fighting battles many consider should already have been won. Smith has just been successfully reselected for her constituency but she has also found that many of those who felt excluded as a result of the twinning debate which surrounded previous election procedures are still arguing the same points.

"It was suggested, for example, that I put myself forward through traditional hustings," explains Smith. "That would have meant that, in effect, I was pretty much out of action from last December until now. I would have been concentrating on fighting that instead of doing constituency work, and developing one of the party's major strongholds.

"That would have been a complete waste of time but it also reflects just how stuck in the past Scottish politics still is."

Does Smith have a point? Isn't the emphasis upon hustings debates indicative of the sort of outmoded form of politics that was to be expressly challenged by the brave new world of Holyrood? Other European legislatures have long since seen the value of political gender equality, and if Scotland is to set the agenda for the next phase of political activity which recognises talent, experience and dedication irrespective of whether it is wearing a skirt, the project has a long way to go. While most women MSPs are keen to stress the differences their critical mass has made, there are just as many who wish to add off-the-record comments about leering, disparagement, and confidence-draining which has nothing to do with how they handle motions and points of order.

A country which lists increasing political apathy as a national attribute cannot, perhaps, be expected to recognise alternative ways of working within such a short space of time, but women MSPs tend to talk despairingly of the war of attrition fought regarding what actually matters.

Smith points out that she has submitted a number of questions for FMQs - but has never yet been chosen, a privilege which lies with the Presiding Officer.

"I refuse to ask planted questions and that probably works against me. I won't ask them for the sake of it, and I won't waste public money by doing so."

Fiona Hyslop (SNP, Lothians) agrees. "It's a very frustrating tendency to see one arena as the only thing which matters," she says. "Question Time tends to be more about theatre and performance, and, as such, is a hangover from Westminster. However, we should take comfort from the fact that there have been debates and policies that are a direct result of women being here."

This is one theme which all are agreed upon. For Baillie, the levels of cross-party support for specific issues has given her some of her greatest political moments. "By and large, politics is reported by male journalists who take their world view and impose it on what we do. That has been shaken in no small way by the pressure there has been on topics such as stalking, the cross-examination of rape victims, and the Protection From Abuse Bill."

For McIntosh, even empty press galleries when these debates were being heard cannot detract from the pride she feels at being part of such political change. "When I watched the television adverts at Christmas which highlighted domestic abuse, I got a tingle down my spine. I know that I was part of that - and I know that I was on the right side. That's what matters and that's where we make a difference."

"The actual number of women here means that you are not isolated, and you do often get support from surprising quarters," says Lamont. "You realise quite quickly that there are common themes you can rally around and you can ensure that a women's dimension is included. On the downside, there is still far too much focus on the traditional approaches. Women have brought a different style of debating which is not so much about showing off or making sure your smart aleck comments are heard. The problem is that the press tend to identify their own little stars and follow them no matter what - the dull stuff gets ignored by its very nature, even although that's often what is making the real difference to people's lives."

Whether the public recognise what is actually being achieved behind the editorials is another matter. The average voter - still male, even if no longer in Clapham or on an omnibus - may not be terribly impressed by a globally feted female-packed legislature, but in the words of one MSP: "The boys have had their chance and they were bloody useless - how could we be worse?"

International Women's Day is on March 8

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