Ruth Dudley Edwards: Most politicians are decent but feel hated and despised – they’re scared and it’s our fault

On January 28, 2000, at the constituency office of Cheltenham Liberal Democrat MP Nigel Jones, Robert Ashman severely injured him and killed his assistant, councillor Andrew Pennington — who was trying to protect him — with a Japanese sword.

On May 14, 2010, in his constituency office, Labour MP Stephen Timms narrowly escaped death after being twice stabbed in the abdomen with a kitchen knife by Islamist terrorist Roshonara Choudhry to punish him for the Iraq war.

On June 16, 2016, outside the library where Batley and Spen Labour MP Jo Cox was about to hold her constituency surgery, she was shot and stabbed to death by white supremacist Thomas Mair; 77-year-old local Bernard Carter-Kenny, who was trying to defend her, was seriously wounded but survived.

On October 15, 2021, at a constituency surgery in Belfairs Methodist Church in Leigh-on-Sea, Southend West Conservative MP Sir David Amess was stabbed 20 times by Ali Harbi Ali who sought revenge for airstrikes on Syria.

Ann Widdecombe was still in politics though no longer in a parliament, UK or EU, when allegedly she was bludgeoned to death.

And all I can think about when I go through this horrible list is how everything is now much worse.

MPs are mocked and reviled by the public and accused of being self-serving, idle and cynical, and only bad motives are attributed.

We do that to them.

I was much struck, as I read around this subject, by an anonymous candidate in the general election of July 2024 writing of how the threats and intimidation had become so much worse over 30 years.

Distorted information on Palestine issues caused frustration and anger and hate, “with mosque leaders telling people of the consequences of supporting those that allowed genocide to happen to their brothers and sisters”.

The candidate was afraid to leave the house, go canvassing or to public meetings or have grandchildren to visit; “my car was surrounded by people screaming at me” and “the abuse on social media was terrifying”.

Intimidation included an onslaught of lies and propaganda, taxis sitting outside the house at night, accusations of being a child killer and genocide supporter; and promises of beheading “as I worshipped a false god”.

Voters were told Allah would never forgive them.

The police couldn’t and didn’t cope.

“I fully understand why people who care about their sanity and the safety of their families would not want to stand for election, particularly women.”

I ask many people these days if they would stand for parliament, and almost no one says yes.

What are we - the voters - doing to our democracy?

We should be extolling public service as an honourable career and praising the many decent and brave people who aspire to represent the people of this country.

Sure, some of them will be self-serving, but most are decent.

They feel hated and despised, are scared and it’s our fault.

Most of those assailing the principled, brilliant and honourable Ann Widdecombe truly are not worthy of licking her sturdy boots.

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l Ruth Dudley Edwards’ books include The Faithful Tribe: An Intimate Portrait of the Loyal Institutions and The Omagh Bombing and the Families’ Pursuit of Justice