The slogan “If I can’t dance, I don’t want to be part of your revolution” holds new meaning in a world where an MP simply singing along to Robyn is labelled a sign of national decline. A tweet celebrating a Saturday night in my own constituency has now been viewed by almost 1 million people – and many more have offered an opinion.
Oh noes! The great British public shouldn't be allowed an opinion! Shut it down!
Egged on by political opponents and the presenters of GB News, these have included death threats, vile commentary on my appearance and accusations that I’m not fit for office, all because I went to a silent disco.
No, it's because your party is loathed for good reason, as are you yourself. Not for your dancing, for your policies.
Joy is now seen as something that should shame politicians – as though having frazzled and miserable people in our parliament is good for decision-making.
Your decision making? It's awful, no matter what emotional state you're in at the time.
Underlying this is more than just embarrassment about seeing a middle-aged MP dance, it’s a concerted attempt by some to drown out their opponents’ voices through character assassination.
Infamy, infamy, that've all got it in for me!
Abuse and violence towards politicians is at an all-time high. Every day, MPs trade stories and sympathies about criminal proceedings against those who have harassed them, offices being attacked and poison pen letters, and fears they have for their families and staff.
Yet they do nothing about the causes of it. What did you do when Southend's MP was hacked to death in his office by one of your imports, besides import more of them, while ensuring his daughter's pleas for a public enquiry were ignored!
It’s not hard to see why making rage-baiting statements is appealing in a world where the next generation will end up poorer than the last. Frustration and fear about the future are widespread and understandable. Politics seems incapable of offering answers at a time when they are needed.
Maybe then we should stop looking to politicians to provide them?
It is also why dismissing the social-media cesspit misses how behaviour online feeds the real world, as it sets the expectation that we politicians deserve what we get. Since Elon Musk took over, X has promoted conservative material and demoted alternative perspectives.
You've got Bluesky for those.
But public debate and good policy-making only thrive when people can speak freely and listen carefully...
Then stop locking up people for doing just that, and start to argue that people shouldn't be allowed to use the law to silence people arguing against woke policies!
... it is noticeable that attempts at public shaming are disproportionately handed out to women and people of colour.
Oh, give it a rest!
If we want to stop politicians being punched, we need to stop using them as punchbags.
Nobodies punching you, more's the pity. We, the public, however, that's another matter...
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