IT was no surprise when the sexual misconduct scandal spread from Hollywood to the political world.

Politics is dominated by men with power and it was always naive to think that some would not abuse their position.

It took Aamer Anwar, a high profile lawyer, to ensure that the spotlight was shone on Holyrood as well as Westminster.

His statement to the Sunday Herald earlier this month, that he was aware of a “catalogue” of sexual harassment at the Scottish Parliament, rocked our political establishment.

It should also be noted that many of the most serious claims are also now emanating from local government, an area of public life that has been overlooked so far.

The key point to address is how our leaders react and how they reform a complaints system that does not currently have the confidence of victims.

Holyrood set up up a dedicated hotline to deal with complaints, but some senior figures in the Parliament want the process outsourced to an independent body.

Councillors are coming forward to share their experiences, but it is far from clear whether the processes local authorities have in place are fit for purpose either.

Perhaps setting up a national hotline, run by an independent organisation, would be a better way of handling complaints relating to Holyrood and councils.

Such a system would encompass staff in these organisation, but not ordinary party members. Political parties also have a duty to drag their internal procedures into the twenty first century.

The Harvey Weinstein scandal was a disgrace on a number of levels, but his appalling behaviour has provided an opportunity to deal with an issue that has been ignored for too long.