Influential Women

I believe that there are cybernats who were recruited before the 2014 referendum and some still operate. Obviously not all SNP supporters are cybernats. It is very dispiriting, and often quite shocking to read some of the comments on the websites of so many Scottish newspapers.

I would never suggest that all SNP supporters descend to that level, but they are all nationalists. Those of us, the majority of Scots, who do not support the break up of the United Kingdom, are not "Britnats" - that an insult. Scots like us are not nationalists of any sort.

then perhaps you could refrain from calling SNP supporters "cybernats "...or can you tell me exactly what the difference is between us who want the best for our country and BRITNATS who want to stay shackled to a "union" that is destroying us ...our economy will go down the plughole with Brexit fiasco .Are we supposed to shut up and put up with it?

I have never said that MSPs or Scottish MPs have no influence in the rest of the country. Obviously they do. We are living in the United Kingdom of Great Britain (a very small island) and Northern Ireland.

I am not a supporter of Sky and what it stands for and think that this "poll" tells us very little, except that the cybernats are well organised.

I do think Nicola Sturgeon is a successful and influential politician and I particularly admired her contribution to the debates before the EU referendum.

The female politician I most admire is Shirley Williams. My husband once went canvassing with her for the LibDems and was bowled over by her commitment to what she believed and her sheer energy and enthusiasm, although I think she was over seventy at the time .

However if I had voted for the woman I consider to be the most influential, my vote would have gone to Margaret Thatcher, who changed this country for a generation and beyond - but changed it very much for the worst. Sadly, she has been more influential than any woman, or any politician in this country in my lifetime - and it has been a regrettably damaging influence. She has changed our country into a meaner, less caring, more divided country, and it is only now that some of the effects are being felt.

paddyann by publishing the voting numbers I think they made it obvious who was first, second etc.
I agree that Ms Black's WASPI stand was on behalf of all UK women.

the way the result was announced was very interesting...apparently Nicola Sturgeon and Mairi Black were in the top five with the longest serving monarch QE11....and britains first woman PM and The princess of Wales also amongst the top 5.....it NEVER said NS was 1st by a mile and MB was second.Seems Sky's wee poll to unite the uk after Brexit failed ..Yes Nationalists not"CYBERNATS" Varian voted in droves to skew it and why not if the rest of the UK had voted then their choice would have won .But you are wrong when you say these two Scottish women have no influence other than in Scotland ,Ms Sturgeon is widely respected as one of the best politicians of our time ..internationally.Young Ms Black has worked for ALL WASPI women in the UK long before anyone else took up the cause .Sadly she didn't get the support she and us should have from the rest of the Westminster gravy train brigade who will accept their pay rise and gold plated pensions without question while we have to do without for an extra 5 years or more

Ah!

The result is interesting, though, because I cannot say that Nicola Sturgeon or Mhairi Black would have had that much influence on women generally in the UK, not south of the Scottish border anyway.

Fair point jalima but I think that since the complaint appeared here, the comment was possibly directed to GNers who could have accessed the poll and voted if they chose to do so.

I cannot understand how any one can complain about the result when they have not even bothered to vote themselves.
The votes must have totalled in the thousands and there are probably over 32 million women in the UK, so it probably did not reach a very wide audience.

The last result I could find showed the top 5 as

Nicola Sturgeon. 50.4k
Mhairi Black. 20.2k
The Queen. 24k
Diana. 10.1k
Margaret Thatcher 8.7k

Who won?

I voted for Delia

I cannot understand how any one can complain about the result when they have not even bothered to vote themselves. Surely, out of the 100 women listed there was someone who they felt deserved a vote?

Although I 've no truck with Sky/Murdoch I did find this exercise interesting and did vote. (Just once as I 'm not party to some organised campaign.)
I agree that Jo Swinson has done sterling work but believe that Ms Black is an effective communicator who has made a robust contribution at Westminster and national level and that her contributions are worthy of recognition.

I don't subscribe to Sky and haven't voted in this poll, but I do credit certain well organised political campaigns for manipulating this sort of "poll" to their advantage. This time I think the cybernats have shot themselves in the foot and given the game away.

Jo Swinson is surely far more effective and influential than Mhairi Black.

She may be the youngest MP in Westminster but has made her mark very effectively in a short time.

Obviously some 23,700 think so and after her high-profile work with the WASPI campaign I believe her impact reached beyond 'the cybernats'. Cf Theresa May's poor result - not even making the top 10 while Margaret T gained 8500 votes coming 5th.

I don't attach too much importance to a sky poll but I'd like to think some recognition might be given to any woman who makes a principled stand at national level.

Mhairi Black was selected for the original list of 100 women to choose from and has done more than most for Women in the short time she has been in Parliament. Led the campaign for fairness for WASPI Women and may have had a late surge of votes following her impassioned speech about misogyny yesterday.

OK , I can see that Nicola Sturgeon is quite influential, but Mhairi Black????

For goodness sake , have the cybernats been out in force? By voting for Mhairi Black, who is nothing but a young MP, they have discredited the vote for Nicola Sturgeon who has surely done a bit more!!!

And they were ahead with a significant majority!

There was a report on STV news tonight:

stv.tv/news/politics/1409918-nicola-sturgeon-and-mhairi-black-most-influential-women/

blinko I agree with that but I was replying to trisher's specific comment that there weren't any scientists!

Not just models, actors, cooks and writers! No indeed. But too many of them are...

Why no announcements on the news about the final results? Is it because the promoters (Sky News) did not get the result they wanted?

Happy International Women's Day to all. Is anyone celebrating or demonstrating? My WFI Group had a meet-up last night which I missed as I had no DH sitter.

What about the Bletchley Park women, Rosalind Franklin( DNA) Ada Lovelace ( computing) Amy Johnson, Cressida Dick and Dany Cotton.
Then there are the politicians - Thatcher, Abbott, Mhairi Black and, with almost twice as many votes as the Queen, Nicola Sturgeon?
Not just models, actors, cooks and writers!
Check the list again.

What about Erin Pizzey. She set up the first refuges for women ?

What about Germaine Greer? She did write the Female Eunuch or Barbara Castle.
I agree about Marie Stopes
But where are the female scientists? Oh silly me I suppose there aren't any. Models, Actors, Cooks and Writers- they're proper female occupations!

What has Princess Di done for women?? FGS!