Today Prime minister Theresa May delivered a speech while visiting the city of Manchester in which she expressed her concern about the deterioration tone of political life and how it could pose a true threat to our democracy.
The speech comes on the day when the UK celebrates one hundred years to the day of the 1918 Representation of the People Act which gave the first women the right to vote, paving the way to universal suffrage which came ten years later.
“While there is much to celebrate, I worry that out public debate today is coarsening”, said prime minister Theresa May. The government has committed itself to conducting analysis of the situation, putting together reports periodically and trying to tackle the situation.
Cases of abuse in public life have been on the rise in the past year. Sexual harassment allegations in Parliament, misuse of work computers, online threats… The list goes on and on.
Studies and research have shown that most abuse is directed towards women, BME and the LGBT community. According to a study conducted by Amnesty International, in the run up to the last general election, the shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott received a barrage of online abuse, just under half of all abuse.
> Naomi Round
Abuse in Public Life Could Pose a Threat to Democracy
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