Smearing over debating, adulation for England's Lionesses and Americanisms in football - Toby Neal on politics
Science minister Peter Kyle portrays people who oppose the Government's online safety bill as "siding with sex predators".
So much for sensible and reasoned debate about the merits or otherwise of the bill. Why bother when you can smear those who don't agree with you?
There will have been people like Peter Kyle about in the days of burning witches on the stake. If he heard any doubting murmurs in the crowd he would have pounced on the offenders and said: "If you disagree with burning witches, you are being soft on witchcraft."
There are lots of ways in which this approach can be deployed to stifle burdensome criticisms.
Not sure that invading Iraq was the right thing? You must be a supporter of Saddam Hussein.
Uncomfortable with Israel's actions in Gaza? You have identified yourself as an anti-Semitic supporter of Hamas.
A councillor who questioned why 300 Afghans had been housed at a hotel in Bracknell, Berkshire, when “many of our own veterans remain homeless” has been reported to police for "stirring up hate" with "far-right propaganda".
Peter Kyle has invoked Jimmy Savile. I imagine he was one of the Labour MPs who was outraged when then Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Sir Keir Starmer had not prosecuted Savile when he was Director of Public Prosecutions.
