Opinion

Still a Long way to go in addressing gender inequality in politics

David Ford who has stepped aside as Alliance Party leader with Naomi Long his natural successor.
David Ford who has stepped aside as Alliance Party leader with Naomi Long his natural successor. David Ford who has stepped aside as Alliance Party leader with Naomi Long his natural successor.

NAOMI Long was always the natural successor to David Ford. Losing the East Belfast Westminster seat did no damage to her political reputation given it was the result of a unionist pact, an uneven playing field for a politician who still managed to increase her overall vote.

Her return to government after the last assembly election was a victory for common sense, a modern and progressive politician she will lead the party in its new found opposition role.

David Ford was a likeable leader, much more affable in real life than he came across in interviews. He also left when he felt the time was right which makes a refreshing change in Northern Irish politics.

When appointed leader - and she will be declared leader in a one woman leadership battle - she will be the latest female to lead a political party.

The gender imbalance at Stormont is still way out of kilter with demographics but there are the buds of change.

We have a female First Minister, although whether Arlene Foster could be considered an advocate for women's rights, opposing changes to the abortion laws at the expense of traumatised women is hardly a nod to the sisterhood.

But while her politics are at the opposite end of the scale to my own I do admire how she has taken control of the DUP leaving her male counterparts, who once held leadership ambitions, in her wake.

We have a female health minister in Sinn Féin's Michelle O'Neill who straight out of the blocks used her position to right a wrong by lifting the nonsensical ban on gay men giving blood. She's an impressive, able and personable politician.

And a female agriculture minister in Michelle McIlveen, the DUP woman has come off with plenty of farmer friendly rhetoric but we've yet to see what she's really about.

Justice minister and Independent MLA Claire Sugden has yet to make her mark or put any stamp on the post. Her office has yet to come back to me in relation for a request for an interview and when or if they do I might be able to form an opinion on what impact she intends to make on what is a vitally important post covering policing, prisons and criminal justice.

Margaret Ritchie led the SDLP at a time when it was in pretty bad shape and while Colum Eastwood is trying to breathe new life into the party it seems the view of many political commentators that he's just keeping the seat warm for Claire Hanna, a woman who constantly puts forward impressive performances and was one of the only politicians brave enough to draw attention to the questionable Social Investment Fund's allocation of £1.7 million to the UDA-linked Charter NI.

Let it be said that while women in positions of power encourage other younger woman into politics and help disturb the old boys' club that has been Irish politics for generations - not just north but south of the border as well - it does not always mean better or fairer governance.

Theresa May has started her stint as prime minister by making a series of announcements on her plans for a post-Brexit Britain that would make Margaret Thatcher appear liberal.

Hillary Clinton's main selling point in the US presidential race is that she's not Donald Trump and she's only narrowly ahead of him in opinion polls despite his sexism, racism and refusal to pay tax. All the Republican Party needed to do was field a slightly less bonkers candidate and Clinton would have had no chance.

But in terms of successful female leaders you've to look no further than the no nonsense, people first style of the SNP's Nicola Sturgeon for inspiration.

And so the slow crawl to equality continues with a glass ceiling that never shatters but just opens a small porthole every now and then for a woman who refuses to take no for an answer to jump through.

Naomi Long's elevation to leader will not change age-old prejudices but it is small blow against a patriarchal political system that keeps able women down but help men like Donald Trump elevate to positions of power and privilege.