Here's something I wanted to share with you all.
I have become aware of a coordinated effort by a group of people who are rallying others, including opposition campaigners, ex-councillors and some people living as far away as Minneapolis in the USA, to troll my social media pages and spam my constituency office inbox.
Closed groups and other means are being used to coordinate campaigns with the intention of overwhelming my office and social media accounts. Posts and emails have included foul and abusive language and off-topic spamming along with racist and derogatory comments which are unacceptable and extremely offensive.
In other instances, my staff have been shouted at and verbally abused over the phone and this again is totally unacceptable. My staff are brilliant people who are there to help constituents.
Let me be clear that there is no place in society for these bullies and trolls and I am taking a firm stand with a zero-tolerance policy towards this kind of behaviour. These people will be banned, and in the case of the worst offenses be reported to the police. No constituent will ever be denied access to me as their Member of Parliament and everyone in Heywood and Middleton has the same democratic right to write to me, and I will reply accordingly.
However, because these efforts are being coordinated across my pages and other local groups it is creating an environment where reasonable people end up feeling uncomfortable engaging with their Member of Parliament, for fear of being set upon by the mob, and that is not fair to local people.
Whatever your political preference I am happy to have a sensible conversation with anyone and listen to different points of view. I actively encourage that conversation and have responded to thousands of letters, emails and calls from constituents on a wide range of matters since being elected just ten months ago.
I know that there will be people reading this who think "what's the fuss", that it’s okay to be abusive and unkind to anyone with a different view. I am afraid they are very sadly wrong.
I also know that there will be other people who have had similar experiences in everyday life and have not had the power or ability to call these people out for their cowardly actions.
So here it is - it’s not okay to be a bully, a troll, use abusive language, or try to intimidate anyone else. It's not just the price you pay for being in politics. It’s never okay whatever your difference of view and it’s all the worse when you do it from the anonymity of your keyboard or smartphone.
I have no time for bullies and the people who support them and I will continue to call you out whenever it happens without apology.
