THE responsibilities of the Speaker and Deputy Speakers of the House of Commons are vital, but straightforward.

Their job is to take a neutral stance in making sure that the business of Parliament runs smoothly, and to stand up for the voice of the hundreds of backbench MPs. Their job is to run proceedings, not to take sides in debates.

Since my election last year, I’ve made every effort I can to be involved in as many parliamentary debates and questions sessions as I’m able to. Politically, I’m conscious of my elected responsibility to stand up for my constituents at every opportunity, and to play my part in making Scotland’s voice heard. This approach has also helped me quickly get up to speed with the often arcane protocols and procedures that govern the day-to-day work of Westminster. It also means I’ve attended a lot of parliamentary debates.

But last week I saw something that I hadn’t seen before in the chamber.

Speaking on behalf of the SNP group earlier that morning, I’d told the Deputy Leader of the House that I was proud to be one of the 1,617,989 people in Scotland who voted Yes in Scotland’s referendum in 2014, and though it was not the result I’d hoped for, I respected the the decision that the people of Scotland made eighteen months ago.

To mark last week’s special day, I’d called for a full debate on how Scotland has fared from our membership of the UK, including the risks we face at the hands of our reckless and careless Chancellor, and the fact that our vital EU membership is now at threat despite it being guaranteed by the Better Together campaign.

I’d pointed out to the assembled MPs that the majority of people in Scotland now believe that independence would have a positive effect on Scotland’s economy, and that we shouldn’t take lessons in fiscal competence from a Chancellor who has seen the UK’s deficit grow by £555 billion under his watch.

I called for Parliamentary discussions on how Scotland will benefit from another 50 years of oil production, and how, when the worldwide price for oil recovers, we should find ways to save the proceeds for future generations as other countries have.

We could also use that opportunity to discuss the adverse impact on Scotland’s finances of the UK Government’s current commitments to renewing Trident, building Hinkley Point and constructing a high-speed rail link from London to Manchester.

And, finally, I suggested a debate around why every recent poll shows that as well as placing their trust in the SNP, the people of Scotland are now increasingly placing their trust in themselves by supporting Scottish independence in record numbers.

Less than an hour later, and just as Business Questions drew to a close, a backbench Tory MP rose to his feet. Calling a point of order, he demanded to know why no SNP MP had raised the issue of Scottish independence during Business Questions that day.

Alberto Costa is the MP for South Leicestershire, although some readers may remember him as the Tory candidate for Angus in the 2010 General Election, where he was soundly beaten by the SNP’s Chief Whip, Mike Weir.

This defeat seems to have preyed on Mr Costa’s mind, as he’s spent a huge proportion of his time in Parliament talking about the SNP.

It certainly seems to have impacted on his listening skills.

It’s fair to say I didn’t take long to put him in his place and put the record straight. It wasn’t clear to me, I remarked to the chair, whether Mr Costa’s lack of attention and politeness was because he was one of the many non-listening Tory male MPs, or because he generally found it difficult to listen to women.

What was unexpected was the support of Eleanor Laing MP, who was in the Speaker’s Chair at the time.

Taking a clear opinion of events, she agreed with me from the chair that it was too often the case that some male MPs fail to listen to their female counterparts, but she hoped that this would be overcome with “persistence”.

Everyday sexism is so pervasive in politics that it’s often dispiriting for those of us in the frontline. Even before this depressing episode another Tory MP felt compelled to refer to my “stockings” in a passing remark on my way into the debating chamber that very morning. Small victories like this one, especially with the active support of the Deputy Speaker, make a difference, but proper equality continues to be a challenging work in progress.

That’s why it was a breath of fresh air to join Shona Robison, Julie Ford and other inspiring SNP women on Saturday for a campaign training day for female members. I know that by promoting and supporting larger numbers of strong women within our party and beyond we can contribute to finishing the important job before us.

With the progress that is being made let’s hope it won’t be long before the outdated views of political and social dinosaurs will be rendered universally unacceptable, becoming quickly extinct.