Double standards

The amount of ad hominem abuse in British politics has increased, is increasing and ought to be diminished.

For the avoidance of doubt, there are too many personal attacks coming from every part of British politics and too many aimed at every part of British politics.


As Kemi Badenoch and her team have raised their game in the last few months and both Labour and Reform have started to get rattled about it, we have seen a substantial increase in the number of speeches and posts criticising her from both Labour supporters and the leadership (less so the supporters) of Reform UK.

This comes with the territory: Kemi shows no signs of being bothered by it, even when the attacks get personal, and nor should she be. A great Conservative leader had this to say on the subject:


  









It does however amuse me the number of people on the left who manage to combine in the same speech or post and often in consecutive sentences, both complaining bitterly about how in their opinion the Leader of the Opposition is making personal attacks on someone, and also making ad hominem attacks on her themselves.

The number of left-wing politicians, nearly always white and usually male, who will post or say things themselves about Kemi Badenoch, which if a white, male right-wing politicians said the same things about Dawn Butler or Diane Abbot would have them calling for his resignation, has to be seen to be believed.

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