Election issues: Tina Watkins

MEET THE PANEL Name: Tina Watkins Age: 37 Lives: Muir of Ord Job: Housewife Current voting intention: Scottish Green Party

I can honestly say that my image of a party leader is totally irrelevant to how I cast my vote.

In fact when I was set the assignment to discuss our perception of party leaders, I had to go to the Green Party website to find something out about Robin Harper.

I had heard him speak several times on the radio, but hadn't a clue what he looked like.

Campaigning should be all about the policies - you cast your vote because you want the changes that that party are promising to deliver, not because their front man or woman looks rather dashing in a suit.

I suppose because I'm not planning on voting for one of the four main party leaders, "my man", Robin Harper doesn't get the same media coverage as Jack McConnell, Alex Salmond, Nicol Stephen or Annabel Goldie.

Maybe it's because I hear so much from these four, that I don't want to vote for them. Perhaps they are all strong figureheads for their parties - but I don't find any of them sincere.

After studying the Green Party website, I found Robin Harper to be passionate about his party's policies and his party have certainly covered all major issues.

Once upon a time the general perception of the leader of the Greens would have been of a long-haired, sandal wearing hippie, eating a lentil burger.

Thankfully, it's no longer seen as weird and alternative to care about the environment and the world that we live in.

It's whether enough of the voting public get the chance to see what the Green Party has to offer without "The Big Four" dominating all the headlines.

And Robin Harper does look rather dashing in a suit.