Be-witching Beth and Belinda

But women are still anomalous in politics - they tend to get de-sexed or sexed up so that everyone can feel less threatened thanks to the defusing function of such mockery. Even if women in politics are part of a so-called power marriage - they “should” be the supportive partner, or should stay in the shadow of or play second fiddle to the man to whom it must be assumed that they owe their success.

Think Hilary Clinton - it didn’t work out and she was de-sexed throughout her own campaign. Think Sarah Palin - girly/sexy/mommy - it probably will work out for her if comedienne Tina Fey is muffled quick smart. Also think of their Australian counterparts Natasha Stott Despoja and Julia Gillard respectively. It seems as though women still are not supposed to actually be achieving in their own right, or on their own terms and God forgive (or burn at the stake) if those terms should be successful and/or look at all masculine in style.

That I am speaking of Beth and Belinda together here is solely from my fascination in the similarity of both the copious quantity and virulent kinds of abuse they have both had poured upon them.

In fact, it is the markedness of their differences in degree and kind of “sinning” that calls for comment as do also the few structural similarities they share, in particular both being women who occupy political positions of some power which until quite lately in western history had been reserved for the excesses of men. As such I add that Beth and Belinda share and have been judged as well for possessing a stoniness and hardness of demeanour, for being calculating (admirable in men) because they are unemotional (not hysterical).

These were all the things for which the press also caused Lindy Chamberlain to be judged capable and guilty of murdering her infant daughter and for which she was imprisoned on little evidence nearly 30 years ago.

In the new millennium, witch-hunts also find their way into - not unironically - virtual reality. As one female blogger commented on the “Have you slept with Beth Morgan Yet” Facebook page: “I hope at least one of them was a decent shag.”

But hell, I just wish she had not handed over all the ill-gotten money to the con artist. It was that real blunder which finally tipped me over to the disappointing view that Beth was not, in fact, screwing the boys - even if she’d had such an ambition: ultimately they were screwing her. Nevertheless, she still got the scarlet letter “A” for adulteress emblazoned upon her in this still puritanically sexist society.