Female politicians flying high

Away from the boys' club of Westminster… something rather magical is happening.

In Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, women are on the march.

This week female politicians triumphed at the ballot box.

Nicola Sturgeon led the Scottish National Party to its third victory in the Scottish Parliament elections.

Ruth Davidson propelled the Conservatives to their best ever Holyrood performance, becoming the second largest party behind the SNP.

Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood pulled off a shock win in Rhondda, claiming the scalp of one of Labour's most experienced politicians in the Welsh Assembly.

And perhaps most emphatically of all, Arlene Foster is preparing to be returned as First Minister after steering her party to an exceptional election victory in the Northern Ireland Assembly and strengthening her commanding leadership of the DUP as a result.

The only thing that unites these women is their gender.

In a word, Arlene Foster - the first woman to hold one of the power-sharing executive's top two jobs - is tough.

Her Protestant father was shot by the IRA when she was eight years old and a few years later she survived a bomb placed under her school bus.
The DUP's risky decision to put her front and centre of their campaign paid off, with election broadcasts of her chatting about her childhood and meeting constituents at the shops.

Contrast Arlene Foster with Leanne Wood, Plaid Cymru's leader, who has a decidedly girlish quality with a lilting Welsh accent and penchant for cardigans.

Approachable and relatable in her political style, Wood is uncompromising in her left-wing, feminist beliefs and was once thrown out of the Welsh Assembly for disrespecting the Queen.

She comes from a different political planet to the Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson.

Davidson breaks all the rules of politics - she guzzles pints of beer with gusto, poses merrily on jokey photo shoots and is known for her genuine belly-laugh.
After her election success this week, she tweeted: "Right, home after 40 hours on the go. Pyjamas, hoodie, sofa, Masterchef, large glass of rum, and then to bed…"

Unlike the Scottish Labour Party, Davidson unashamedly praises the Union and has left many Conservatives hoping to find a way of getting her down to Westminster to lead their national party.

Nicola Sturgeon has championed the way for female politicians in recent years, and is strident, passionate and strong in her style.

A fervent believer in Scottish independence, she is also scathing of the way Westminster works.

Both Sturgeon and Davidson have shaken up Scottish politics, but the SNP leader has a more serious style than the jokey Davidson and it’s hard to imagine them becoming best mates over a bottle of wine.

The women who took the ballot box by storm in the recent elections couldn't be more different politically, but together they have achieved something significant: it is now impossible for anyone to claim that women are less electable than men.

Politicians in Westminster should take note.

Source: Skynews