1 day Ago By Steve Cardownie
Watching a bulletin on BBC News caused me to reflect on the level of political violence now prevalent here and in the United States and its effects. In the US it is not just high-profile candidates that face the threat of violence – with an exceptional level of threats being made against low ranking officials. A third of poll workers, surveyed in 2021, stated that they felt unsafe and 79 per cent wanted the government to provide security.
This prompted the Department of Justice to form a special taskforce to specifically deal with threats against election administrators in July of that year. Advertisement Advertisement Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. This is less surprising when you take into account that data gleaned from two different national surveys found that 24 per cent of Republicans and 17 per cent of Democrats believe that it is acceptable to threaten public officials.
Time Magazine reported that for years polls have traced a sharp rise in the share of Americans who believe violence is a valid means to achieve their political goals and that: “There has been a documented surge in violent threats, harassment and physical attacks targeting elected and civic officials, from prominent legislators and governors to small-town election clerks and school board members. “The wave of invective and intimidation has hollowed out local institutions, disrupted systems of law and government. drummed dedicated public servants out of office and deterred others from running, especially women and people of color.
” So, it seems that this charged atmosphere is having a direct effect, not only on national elections, but also a similar effect locally, thereby undermining the very base of democracy and free elections. That the threat of violence should deter people from standing for office is a worrying trend that has to be addressed. If not, the make up of democratic institutions will not be reflective of the general population if there are fewer women or people of colour candidates.
Advertisement Advertisement Unfortunately, we are not immune from this malevolent trend in the UK. Back in 2016 the Labour MP Jo Cox was murdered in the street and in 2021, Conservative MP Sir David Amess, was stabbed to death while attending a meeting in his constituency. For the first time ever, in the recent General Election all candidates were offered security, ranging from guidance and briefings to protective details for high-risk individuals.
Between 2015/16 and 2022/23 the annual budget spent by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority to protect MPs and keep them safe rose from £171,000 to £3.3 million. Alarmingly, the Electoral Commission reported that only 61 per cent of British adults say that it is “totally unacceptable” to verbally threaten an MP in public, although that figure dramatically falls to just 31 per cent of 18 to 24 year-olds.
The Henry Jackson Society reported in June of this year that: “No ideology has had a monopoly on the use of political violence. Extremists of all stripes, including but not limited to Islamists and the far right, wield it. Their goal: to advance a political cause, shut down debate and divide society”.
We have been warned!.
