Trolls and tribulations

By Jannette Thompson, editor-in-chief

We all know that politicians, particularly at a national level, have to have a thick hide. If you want evidence of this, tune in to a session of Parliament sometime when you are finding it hard to sleep and watch them devour one another. Muldoon’s description of Bill Rowling as “a shiver looking for a spine to run down” seems tame compared to Kelvin Davis’ description of Johnathan Coleman as “the doctor of death”.

But it has always felt a little more civilised at local government level, particularly in smaller communities where most of us will run into a regular garden variety politician from time to time. That personal contact makes us more aware of the gamut of issues local elected representatives deal with, the long and odd hours the hardworking ones spend on the job, and often the thankless nature of the position. They regularly get stopped in supermarkets, at their kids’ sports games and just when out for a walk by people keen to chew their ear about their roads, their rates or their rubbish. That’s what they signed up for and nobody should feel too sorry for them when the public delivers.

But enter the world of social media and it is a completely different ball game. Not only are the complainers and criticisers often faceless, they can be as vicious as they are ill-informed. If you have ever followed one of the PM’s ‘live’ Facebook feeds, you will know what I am talking about. Most of the comments are fairly pedestrian, some are engaging and constructive, but seldom does the thread not also include personal attacks, and vile sexist and racist remarks.

Politicians, like everyone else, have swallowed the mantra that to ‘not’ be on social media is to somehow be failing in their public duty. So, the fact that Rodney Local Board chair Beth Houlbrooke has decided to re-think her accessibility to ratepayers online is significant (see story). Ms Houlbrooke regularly comments on many local Facebook pages, not to necessarily push the Board barrow, but to share information, clarify decisions and take on board community concerns. But after sustained abuse, she has said ‘enough is enough’ and who can blame her? And how typical that this communication channel will be less free-flowing in future, thanks to the work of the keyboard vigilantes who, we’re guessing, would never have the intelligence, tenacity or sense of public duty to stand for office themselves.