Concern over MPs’ competence is one thing, but this is silencing opponents’ voices by character assassination, and it leads to a dark place
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Stella Creasy is the Labour and Cooperative MP for Walthamstow
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. 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.
Such a barrage is wearing and worrying in equal amounts – but such attacks are not unique to me, nor are they accidental. 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. 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.
