Harassment concerns dominate Holyrood questions

Holyrood's parliamentary corporate body group is currently all male

Art generally yearns to be universal, eternal. On occasion, it seeks to soar beyond mundane concerns.

But sometimes too it can be starkly topical, a dark glass through which we perceive our failings and anxieties.

Such is undoubtedly the case with a piece of provocative event theatre being staged at the Scottish Parliament. It is by the Traverse, a company with a deserved reputation for provocation as well as outstanding drama.

And the title of tonight's show, to be staged inside Holyrood itself, to an audience of MSPs and others? Locker Room Talk.

• Look back on FMQs on Holyrood Live

In the play, women portray men offering their opinions on contemporary mores. Many of the comments are grossly, physically sexist. Others display a pitiful yearning for the presumed gender distinctions of earlier times.

Crucially, this is not a script. Not an imagined dialogue. Rather, the drama is created from authentic male comments, from real locker room chat.

What began as a response to Donald Trump's "banter" has arrived at Holyrood - just as Parliament is engaged in a controversy over sexist behaviour, attitudes and culture.

This very day, the issue was raised during questions to the first minister - and entirely dominated questions to the (presently) all-male corporate body.

Nicola Sturgeon and Jackie Baillie agreed that harassment has no place in parliament

In questions to the FM, Jackie Baillie stood in once more for the absent Alex Rowley (he has a chest infection). Ms Baillie and the first minister agreed that harassment had no place whatsoever in parliament - or anywhere else.

But there was a slight divergence on an element of the debate. Ms Baillie questioned how it could happen that a minister resigned from office over supposedly inappropriate behaviour - yet remained as an MSP.

Ms Sturgeon answered that question in some detail - without ever, quite, precisely addressing that particular point.

Ousting an MSP

To be fair, though, she did provide further information about the minister in question, Mark McDonald. She said his behaviour involved written comments, thought to be texts. It had been right for him to resign from Ministerial office, she said, although his actions fell well short of criminality.

So how does one oust an MSP? Other than resignation, a member can be prised from parliament if found guilty of an offence which carries a sentence of more than one year's imprisonment. It will be noted - although Ms Sturgeon, understandably, didn't say so - that Mr McDonald's behaviour doesn't fall into that category.

To repeat, though, nobody at Holyrood - nobody - is remotely complacent about the issue. There is a general willingness to make this a turning point in political culture.

Ms Sturgeon was questioned about the resignation of early years minister Mark McDonald

That was evident in the nature of the questions later to the corporate body. There they stood, all men, facing questions which predominantly came from women.

The discourse was serious. There were practical ideas aplenty as to how matters might be improved - including the provision of information to MSPs and staff.

Several women argued that the corporate body (which features party nominees) should be gender balanced. That will happen by rule in future, but the presiding officer is taking steps to ensure it happens more swiftly, by agreement.

However, all the women who took part did so in a consensual search for collective improvement. They complained about the gender balance - not about the effectiveness of the individuals presently on the corporate body.

There was one dissonant note. Labour's Daniel Johnson queried the provision of alcohol in parliament, at receptions and at the bar which is open in the evening. Might that play a role in the controversy under debate?

Alcoholic 'distraction'

To be strictly fair to Mr Johnson, he said more than once that drink was never an excuse for behaviour which was inappropriate or worse.

However, that caveat did not prevent a succession of speakers from chiding him. Firstly, Jackson Carlaw, for the corporate body, offered a few factual details in response.

He said that those who run receptions generally budget for 2.5 drinks per person - and apparently monitor consumption. There was no such constraint in the bar although he noted that it also served light meals, snacks and, apparently, bakery products.

Alcohol, he argued, was not misused in Holyrood but was rather an asset in Parliament's wider life.

Then the topic was opened to the floor - and female MSPs didn't miss their chance. Monica Lennon - who has complained about past abuse from a Labour Party colleague - said the issue raised by Mr Johnson was a "distraction".

Others joined in, echoing the point initially made by Clare Haughey of the SNP. To raise the topic of alcohol, she said bluntly, could be interpreted indirectly as "victim blaming", by suggesting that there were causes other than male behaviour to blame for sexual harassment.

Substantive exchanges on a serious topic.