We were proud to host students from The Langton, Canterbury, at our pre-Hustings General Election Schools Workshop.  Following this, we are thrilled that a number of students sent us their reflections on the key issues that have arisen during this month’s General Election.  We are privileged to publish this blog, written by a Year 12 student from The Langton, which considers the origins and impacts of the absence of civility and respect shown by the public towards politicians. 

I know that when I informed my friends that I would be writing about civility and respect in politics they laughed. They laughed because, when we truly think about these two things, we can ask ourselves, ‘can respect and politics exist side by side?’

We can discuss respect between politicians or respect between the politicians and the public. In one sense the two go hand in hand. During my time watching the hustings debate, I felt there was an element of civility and respect between the representatives of the parties. No one spoke over each other and very few made snarky remarks, though when they did, they were hardly disrespectful.

Some may argue that civility cannot exist in politics unless we think ideologically; civility in politics means that through respectful dialogue and negotiation we can establish a consensus suited for everyone. I will praise the representatives for the respect shown towards each other as it is quite rare to see when watching most televised debates. However, when we consider the treatment of politicians by members of the public, will we ever see true civility in politics? 

As much as I would like to praise the respect in politics, which does to some extent exist between politicians, I would like to critique the lack of civility and respect shown between members of the public towards politicians.

Whilst my experience in the workshop was wonderful, we were hindered from the true privilege of physically being able to ask Rosie Duffield our questions and instead these had to be asked via video call. This was through no fault of the universities but instead the members of the public.

Is it down to passion? An argument that some may use in defence. I believe it is not. Such vulgar threats do not root from passion but instead a lack of civility and respect from the normal civilians of everyday life. When they sit down to discuss politics with their friends, do they wish death upon their friends for holding opposing beliefs? I think you will find that the answer is, no. So why Rosie Duffield? Why do they hold such hatred towards members of Parliament with opposing views? This clear lack of respect is purely rooted in the fact that she, and other politicians, is merely a party member. When it comes to politics, respect is very rare, and this is simply down to the fact that people do not like what they hear. People struggle to remember that whilst Rosie Duffield is a politician, she is also a daughter, a friend and just like you she goes to work and comes home to her family. 

So next time I am asked whether civility and respect truly exist in politics; I will argue it does not. Others may say I am picking a few bad experiences and creating a broader generalisation but based on what we see and what we hear – respect in politics may truly never exist. This is purely down to the nature of society and the topics being discussed, those in which people hold very strong and varying opinions on. 

I would like to praise hustings for creating such an enjoyable and educational experience for myself and my fellow students. This hustings experience did remind me that respect and civility can sometimes exist in politics despite the varying views held by everyone.