I think the absolute pressure of the election must be immense. Last night they stood up in front of our nation and debated. It was massively stressful I imagine and my initial reaction was that it was a response to having survived that.
This is the problem though, isn't it? The pressure of an election is nothing compared to some of the choices and decisions that need to be made in government, where outcomes will directly affect the lives of millions of people.
If these women feel stressed in a televised debate, how the hell are they going to cope when faced with a genuinely serious diplomatic incident that potentially could be seen as an act of war by a major world power (the Litvinenko incident was very touch-and-go at one point)? How are they going to cope with foreign incursions into British territorial waters, such as we are seeing at present in the waters around Scotland? How will they respond with a clear head to a major terrorist incident that requires decisions on the hoof?
That is the reality of government at the end of the day. Senior female politicians such as Claire Short understood this; I am not so sure these women do.