British MP Sir David Ames
Sir Ddavid Amess Murder Case: British Conservative Party MP David Ames was stabbed to death in his constituency on 15 October. The world has been shocked at this incident. It is being called till a very sad moment for democracy. What makes it even more painful is that such a catastrophic failure was already anticipated. Still nothing could be done. Now the leaders are scared about their safety. Labor MP Joe Cox was shot dead in her constituency in 2016. Before him, another Labor MP, Stephen Timms, was attacked with a knife in 2010.
Gloucestershire County Councilor Andrew Pennington was killed in an attack in 2001 while trying to protect local Liberal Democrat MP Nigel Johns. At the same time, police officer Keith Palmer was killed in the attack on Westminster Palace in 2018 and MPs were stunned by this incident (Sir David Amess Cause of Death). Between the divisive politics of Brexit and the growing polarization of British party politics, MPs are now operating in an environment of less trust, more blame.
Why is the situation so bad?
A recent audit of Hansard Society’s political participation, even before the COVID-19 pandemic and the politics that followed, stated that ‘the opinion of the governance system is at an all-time low in a 15-year audit series and MPs’ spending scams’ Since then it is in worse condition. The impact of governing in such an environment of mistrust is critical to the mental health of politicians (Sir David Amess Murder). Serious cases of stalking and harassment have become common for MPs.
In the 2017 UK general election, 56 per cent of parliamentarians polled expressed concern about their level of abuse and intimidation, and 31 per cent said they had felt ‘feared’ during the campaigning. The misuse of anonymous social media accounts has compounded these problems and created a dangerous environment for elected representatives and they receive rape and murder threats online every day.
Is the government in danger?
On this issue, James Weinberg of the University of Sheffield says, “As an ongoing study of trust and governance in five democracies around the world, I recently conducted more than 50 detailed interviews of junior and senior leaders of national legislatures, dealing with the stresses of political life. And questions were also asked on pressure. One Conservative MP said, “There have been votes that were controversial and you could be subjected to abuse as a result of choosing one side.” My office was ransacked, I had messages that were sent to me, I received death threats.’
About 40 percent of the interviews reported at least one serious case of abuse or threats of physical violence. This was experienced not only by both political parties in Britain, but also in other countries where the political climate is considered to be both more calm and more turbulent. An MP in New Zealand told me, ‘I have received some terrible death threats and I face a lot of abuse, especially through social media. Along with this, threats are also received in writing and over the phone. Unfortunately it is becoming more and more part of our political life.
Same situation in South Africa
A leader in South Africa was told that if the water supply was not restored, he would be killed. An analysis of data from the ‘Representative Audit of Britain’ in the UK shows that harassment, abuse and intimidation of elected and aspiring leaders is largely based on gender. Women leaders, especially black and ethnic minority women, faced sexual abuse online. They also faced more aggressive and sexual threats offline.
Home Minister Priti Patel has called for increased security measures after the murder of Ames (sir David Amess death). This is a welcome and important step which is not easy to implement. Political contact between leaders and the public is critical to effective democratic representation, and it is unlikely that most lawmakers would want to deploy armed forces to their offices at a time when gubernatorial relations are already strained.
No place for intimidation in politics
We need restraint and compassion in political discourse, says James Weinberg. When some leader himself is involved in abusive language and internal strife, it tarnishes the image of politics as an arena of rudeness. Along with this, we need to examine the media coverage of politics.
In a growing intent to privatize politics and politicize privacy, round-the-clock news media also show blunt stereotypes about the personalities and motives of leaders. After all, political violence, harassment or intimidation has no place in a democracy (UK Politics). Leaders are ordinary people trying to do extraordinary things on behalf of everyone. We need to rediscover civility and respect in our politics.
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