Sharon Bowles topping the EU's power list is a lesson for Westminster

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/nov/15/sharon-bowles-eu-influential-briton

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A very particular type of politician thrives in the House of Commons. One that can deal with the yah boo of prime minister's questions, the everyday heckling and intimidation. It makes for amusing theatre, but probably not for good politics.

Yet in the European Union institutions in Brussels things are rather different. The debate is more measured, balance between the interests of 27 member states is often complicated to achieve, compromise is not a dirty word in the way it is in Westminster, and within this environment very different politicians can prosper.

This was starkly highlighted in a ranking of the most influential Britons in EU policy, which placed Liberal Democrat Sharon Bowles MEP at the top.

So, many readers may ask: who is Sharon Bowles? The steely but understated 59-year-old, who has represented the South East region of England in the European parliament since 2005, is well known in Brussels circles as chair of the parliament's economic and monetary affairs committee, a role she has held since 2009. Bowles will chair the committee until 2014 (high praise when most chairs are ousted after only two and a half years), unless of course she ends up being appointed governor of the Bank of England.

Bowles, who left Hague (8th), Cameron (9th) and Clegg (15th) trailing in the ranking, follows in the footsteps of Caroline Lucas, now Britain's only Green MP, as a politician who built her reputation as a determined policymaker in Brussels. Theresa Villiers, one of only four women in the UK cabinet, also started out as an MEP.

So is it fair to assert that the European parliament is a more level playing field for male and female politicians than the House of Commons?

In the European parliament, 34.8% of MEPs are women, and 32% among UK MEPs. Female representation in the European parliament is better than in national parliaments in 25 of the 27 member states (in Spain it is equal, in Malta worse). This compares favourably with the House of Commons, where female representation has not yet reached 25%. Meanwhile in the European commission, the closest there is to a cabinet in the EU system, nine of the 27 members are female, far ahead of the UK cabinet's four out of 21.

When comparing Westminster to Brussels, there are two further important factors at play.

Firstly, the list-based election system for UK MEPs helps gender balance. Each party has to choose as many candidates as there are seats to fill in a region – eight for London, six for Yorkshire and the Humber etc. A list of six or eight candidates consisting only of men would stand out, so man-woman-man or woman-man-woman has become the norm, at least on the left. This approach also draws less criticism than all-women shortlists for Westminster constituencies where only one candidate is selected, drawing sharp complaints from men who are excluded outright.

Secondly, there are misconceptions about what an MEP actually does, and where a career as an MEP might lead. In Westminster, every ambitious backbencher would one day like to be a minister – the backbencher job is not just about the now, it is about where it might lead.

In comparison, the European parliament is more egalitarian. Even a regular MEP can wield considerable legislative influence by piloting legislation through the parliament as a rapporteur, a level of legislative responsibility far above what a backbencher in London could ever hope for. Yet the good rapporteurs are not those who shout about their work, but are the hard-working and knowledgeable people, very much the style of Bowles.

So congratulations to Bowles. Not only is it good to see a female politician top such a list, but her award is testimony to the more measured and collaborative means of policy-making in Brussels. There is a lot Westminster could learn.