Thread on the experiences of women in politics 👇
Many of the MPs who have decided to stand down at the election are women who have cited the daily abuse they receive as their main reason for leaving Parliament. (1/11)
In 2016, my friend Jo Cox was murdered after receiving hateful abuse online and then on the street. The language we use – of "surrender", of "treachery" – matters. (2/11)
Recently, Labour MP @paulasherriff asked the Prime Minister to moderate his language as she and her female colleagues had received death and rape threats using it. He called this "humbug". (3/11)
@paulasherriff In my book Women of Westminster, a history of 100 years of women MPs, I was struck by how abuse of women in public life has always been there. But it has intensified in recent years. (4/11)
@paulasherriff In 1919, Nancy Astor became the first woman MP to take her seat in the Commons. She was physically blocked from taking her seat, jeered and patronised. But I think she would be shocked by what is happening today. (5/11)
@paulasherriff At the last election, the first black woman MP to be elected – @HackneyAbbott – received half of the 25,000 abusive tweets directed to women MPs, according to @AmnestyUK. That is a terrible reality. (6/11)
@paulasherriff @HackneyAbbott @AmnestyUK Today, death and rape threats are a daily occurrence for women MPs. When I interviewed @theresa_may for my book, she said that "It’s the chap who used to sit on the corner end of the bar every night muttering into his beer, who can now mutter on social media". (7/11)
@paulasherriff @HackneyAbbott @AmnestyUK @theresa_may In most cases we have no option beyond putting on a brave face. But it’s immensely hard. After being threatened by a man who knew where she lived and threatened to climb up her house with a rope, @heidiallen75 told me "I was absolutely terrified. I was a jibbering wreck". (8/11)
@paulasherriff @HackneyAbbott @AmnestyUK @theresa_may @heidiallen75 We carry on because we care and take our responsibility as representatives very seriously. @HackneyAbbott told me that she felt that "if I was to say 'I’m going to step down from Parliament because I can’t take the abuse', then they would have won". (9/11)
@paulasherriff @HackneyAbbott @AmnestyUK @theresa_may @heidiallen75 But I am also not surprised that many women are leaving politics. The burden of abuse can sometimes feel like too much to bear. Our Parliament is poorer for the loss of these women: @GloriaDePiero, @AmberRuddHR, @NickyMorgan01, @SeemaKennedy, @heidiallen75 and many more. (10/11)
@paulasherriff @HackneyAbbott @AmnestyUK @theresa_may @heidiallen75 @GloriaDePiero @AmberRuddHR @NickyMorgan01 @SeemaKennedy Now is the time to make sure that we do not step back on progress with women’s representation at this general election. Let’s make the next Parliament the most feminist and diverse yet. (11/11)
