Should we have more respect for our politicians?
Nigel Farage covered in milkshake. John Prescott splattered by raw egg. Just two examples of items hurled at politicians over the years. Where should we draw the line on the respect we give candidates campaigning on the streets?
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In brief…
- The campaign trail can be a dangerous place, with multiple candidates running for parliament being targeted by flying objects over the years
- The News Agents say this can boost their popularity, with attacks like these being somewhat counterproductive
- Along with the deaths of two MPs in recent years, it could also be impacting how politicians decide to campaign and whether or not people decide to run at all
You probably saw it. Some are calling it the milkshake moment. Whatever you think of Nigel Farage, whether or not he deserved to have a drink lobbed at his head earlier this month is up for debate.
This is not the first time something like this has happened. Back in 2001, Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott was egged on the way to a Labour Party election rally. He famously responded by punching his attacker in the face.
Are these assaults on political candidates funny? Does it affect the way they are perceived, and could it even be helpful for their campaigns?
Or should we treat our politicians with more respect, particularly given the murders of two MPs in recent years.
Plus, what impact does this have on democracy?
Here’s what the News Agents think.
Jon Sopel says lobbing objects at the candidates you don’t like might be somewhat counterproductive.
“As much as you might dislike Nigel Farage, the net effect of what you’re doing is making him more popular and seem more like a victim.
“It just boosts his campaign at the same time as adding nothing to political discourse. If we’ve got politicians asking for your support at the ballot box, don’t give it if you don’t want to, which is what democracy should be about”, he says.
According to Lewis Goodall, it “takes away the dynamism of street politics”.
He says: “Sunak and Starmer have been nowhere near any kind of uncontrolled event in this election campaign. As PR visits go, it has been so controlled, so safe.”
This is why Starmer and Sunak haven't done some of the “imaginative, creative” campaigning PR events seen in Boris Johnson’s 2019 election campaign, Goodall adds.
Johnson famously smashed a JCB digger sporting the ‘Get Brexit Done’ slogan into a wall with the words ‘Gridlock’ written on.
But part of the reason the leaders of the two major parties have not taken similar approaches is “partly about their safety”, the News Agent adds.
Is it safe to stand as an MP?
Sopel says there has been a “real fear” after the deaths of Jo Cox in 2016 and Sir David Amess in 2021.
“Thank god we have got people who want to stand for parliament, for whichever party, who want to be elected and who think they will be able to serve their constituents well”, he says.
Matt Jukes, the Head of Counter Terrorism at the Metropolitan Police warned on a News Agents podcast back in April that out of the UK’s 650 MPs, dozens have been threatened and need extra security.
Jukes told The News Agents: “There are individuals who feel they are having to make choices about what they speak out on publicly because of concerns about their safety.
“They also feel responsible for their families, they feel responsible for their constituency offices.”
Jukes claimed that at the time of the recording, there had been over 3,000 reports of concerns from MPs over the last 18 months, ranging from the less harmful online harassment to up to 23 extremely alarming death threats.
He added: “If this was a village of 650, you wouldn’t want to live in it and yet we are asking people to step forward to play a part in our democracy. I’m really concerned.”