Pete Wishart
SNP MP FOR PERTH & PERTHSHIRE NORTH Parliament must lead by example
Like the crumbling fabric of the building, it almost seems like the whole culture of the House of Commons is falling to the ground.
The latest sex scandals and harassment claims have rocked the place to its decaying foundations and there is a real sense that things will never be the same again.
Westminster is almost designed to suggest power and patriarchy. Taking guests round the place you almost have to apologise for the lack of female images on the walls and while we can laugh at the fact we still have a place to hang up our swords, it is an incredible statement of historic power and an unbelievable feature of a modern Parliament.
Where I welcome the various initiatives that have been announced to tackle sexual harassment - and I have been working with the Leader of the House’s office to introduce an independent grievance procedure - there has been little attempt to address the culture at the heart of these difficulties.
The imbalance of power amongst those that work on the estate leads to an uneasy accommodation and has allowed situations to develop where too many have taken inappropriate advantage.
Complaints have been ignored and there is a very real sense that those who raised concerns will not be supported. There is also the temptation for the institution to protect itself and close ranks and this is so often at the heart of the current difficulties.
The party whips office so often exists to protect the party rather than the individual complainant and any reported misdemeanour is instead used to bring a troublesome colleague into line.
Now the floodgates are open and men are being held to account for their actions and behaviour. This is a necessary and cathartic development which has emboldened many women to come forward, confident that at last their complaints will be taken seriously. It is imperative that a safe space can be designed so that women can continue to feel they have some place to go where their complaint will be addressed.
But most importantly we need to change the culture of our parliamentary institutions and rebuild them based on respect and equality. The inbuilt patriarchy of political institutions needs to be blown away and men must start to look carefully at how their behaviour might be interpreted to others who might consider it to be inappropriate.
Parliament must lead and set an example and there is now a desire for real change. This might indeed be the generational shift we require and maybe now we can design a political culture that serves all equally.