This year’s theme is “My voice, our equal future” and for the sake of my girls (who are also my mischievous campaign film crew!) I want to discuss why being a mum is an asset to being a politician and not the hindrance that so often gets levelled in quiet whispers and sexists retorts.

I am so blessed – genuinely, despite them being monsters – to have two amazing daughters who I am so utterly proud of, beyond any words I can express here.

The determination I have to make a difference in politics is fuelled by many things, but creating a better, more equal society for them to thrive in, is key.

I have always been open with them about the struggles still before them as girls, and some, if not all, of the challenges I have faced – the choices I have had to make and why the quiet, unconscious bias and sexism present in society needs to be challenged.

Often, it is their voices and opinions, their spirit and determination, which inspires me to keep going.

For anyone thinking that being a mother of growing children is a hindrance to being a political candidate, MSP, MP or Councillor, ask yourself if you would have that thought about a father in the same position.

Ask yourself if it would even enter your mind to question if a male candidate / politician even had children, let alone what effect that would have on their ability to do the job.

Sadly, I have heard it often levelled at candidates who are mums, even in 2020, even in this campaign, and if that’s something, acknowledging with no ill intentions, that has entered your head – before you vote, I’d ask you to challenge yourself on that.

I will never regret the choice I made to step back from politics 15 years ago when I was expecting my first child, it was the right thing for my circumstances and my family and I would not change it. This does not mean that I do not regret being forced into a situation where I felt I had to make that choice, because the options for motherhood and elected office, seemed so utterly incompatible to me.

I became pregnant in the months which followed the Westminster election of 2005, in which I stood as a young candidate in Falkirk. As the National student convener, a member of NEC and holder of many local offices, I was an enthusiastic and determined young woman, ready to take on anyone in political debate and use my energy for change in whatever arena I was in. As an approved parliamentary candidate, I was expected to contest a seat at Holyrood in the coming year and at the very least, add my name to the list vote.

Despite many phone calls and cajoling from party members at the time, and in the subsequent elections which followed, I knew that the options just didn’t exist to allow me to be the kind of parent I wanted to be for my family and stand for Parliament. I am still glad that I made that choice and I will never stop being vocal about how vital a role being a parent is and how undervalued it is by society in general.

Motherhood is very special but we need much more focus on the equal responsibility of fathers in raising their children, if we are ever to get near equality. For me, standing for parliament and in later years, in giving up my teacher training place, these possibilities were not an option.

That is not a criticism of anyone who makes that remarkable decision to juggle early parenthood and Work / Training / Parliament, but not all parents have the same support structures or resources to make it possible. For me, as a young mum, I knew it would be an impossible and unbearable strain, that would lead to misery.

People told me that “it was a shame” and “I was still young” in equal measure and I accepted their sympathies, but now I feel that what I should have been pointing out much more, was why were we all prepared to accept it as inevitable. Perhaps I simply didn’t want to unbalance my own sense of peace in the difficult decision I had made.

There are practical challenges & they need solutions but that is the very reason we need more women at the table because so far in 100+ years of some women having the vote, male dominated Parliaments and councils have done little to deal with it, – not because men don’t care or agree but because the imperative of lived experience isn’t there.

You only need to look at the move to web based and blended meetings during the pandemic. I have worked since being elected to push for this to address equality issues for parents and those with a variety of health / disability needs. I continue to push for more progress but the many excuses I got in denial of requests were mainly to do with it not being possible / workable.

It was always possible and workable, what it was not, was preferable to the majority who did not need those accomodations, but now it is the only option, there is a willingness to adpapt because there is no alternative and there would be mass exclusion.

Though there is more than one strong group of activists and campaigners working to change the environment for women and other underrepresented groups, we see too many good, talented and passionate politicians standing down from council and Parliament because these issues, and .any more besides, have come too late for them in being addressed.

Women & girls have been disproportionately excluded and affected by these issues for too long and I want to make sure that the world my girls enter into as adults, is better than the one I did – and with an example to them that they too can speak up for the things they demand change on….because there will be many more.

They are my greatest passion and inspiration to create a better, fairer, more equal and sustainable Scotland….and as you can hear…they are keeping me smiling as a very helpful film crew and technical team😂.

Thanks girls…you are my constant inspiration. Love mum 💖