All Politics is Local

Those who know me know that I revel in social media. I thrive on the ability to express myself, and to make contact with all sorts of people, from a trade in the suburbs to old school friends, to the people who own the voices of my favourite radio stations to politicians, activists and public figures. Those who know me will also know that while I can swear like a sailor with a toothache, I don't do it often. My inner voice has more in common with Gordon Ramsay than I like to admit, but I have an 'inside voice' that I use online.

I'm pretty polite and respectful on social media. I rarely lose my temper, although my default sarcasm comes through too often. But I'm basically respectful of those I interact with.

Masters of Social Media: Mark Robinson and Andrew Laming

I was last night, too, when my local LNP member's Facebook page caught my attention. The subject was the Safe Schools programme, and Mark Robinson MP was complaining that Queensland Education Minister Kate Jones was not acting to address the horror of the safe schools programme.

I've read great slabs of the course material, I've watched many of the Safe Schools videos that are available as learning resources, and I'm in favour of this programme. According to the Safe Schools website:

Safe Schools Coalition Australia is a national network of organisations working with schools to create safer and more inclusive environments for same sex attracted, intersex and gender diverse students, staff and families.

There's a lot to respect about the Safe Schools materials, and while it isn't perfect, it's the best we have. 

By the way, anyone who suggests that as I'm not a parent, I have no right to an opinion can just get in the sea right now. 

Mr Robinson and some of his Facebook supporters have described the programme as "Un-Safe Schools". I asked Mr Robinson what was in the programme materials that made it unsafe. He was either unwilling or unable to answer with any specifics.

Another commenter, Julie Robinson, discussed an e-petition to have the Safe Schools programme removed from Queensland schools. Julie Robinson is Mark Robinson's wife. Here's what happened next.

I'll admit, I was too-ing and fro-ing about whether to mention in my post that Julie is Mark's wife. I chose not to; it's irrelevant, as she is also a constituent, and has every right to her own opinion. Equally, she has no business making up numbers to support her argument. 

The rest of the comments were short notes of agreement with Mark's initial post...except for the one from Shaun Edwards. He wanted to introduce Shariah (sic) Law into the thread. I responded with something like "What about it?" I could not see - and still can't - what Sharia Law has to do with the Safe Schools programme.

Self portrait of the blogger

And there it is. According to my local state member, I'm a troll. I pick incredibly polite fights with strangers on the internet. 

Did I mention that along with calling me a troll, Mr Robinson also deleted my post to Shaun Edwards and blocked me from commenting on his Facebook page? He's blocked me on Twitter, too, has never posted on his Instagram account, and seems not to have a Pinterest account. He's not alone; it's almost standard Liberal Party/LNP operating procedure to use social media as another distribution channel for press releases.

Having blocked me from using social media to contact him, I opted for the Contact form on his website to communicate. 

I am disappointed that you have suggested that I am a troll, that you have deleted a relevant Facebook post, and that you ultimately blocked me from commenting on your Facebook page. I am an engaged and aware constituent of Cleveland who just happens to disagree with you. I have been unfailingly polite; I have treated you with respect, but I have challenged your perspective on a number of issues and I have asked direct questions. 

Social media, and indeed politics, are not tennis matches where players can be penalised for showing dissent. Vigorous debate is healthy, and yet you refuse to engage, or even acknowledge people who disagree with you. You represent all of us, Mark, even the dreadful lefties. When you close off communication with people whose views differ from yours, you deny them informed representation, but you deny yourself the opportunity to put your own case forward, you lose the chance to learn about your constituents and your perception of your electorate's disposition is skewed. 

I don't expect you to change your mind on any of the issues we disagree on; I do, however, expect to be treated with the same degree of respect as I have always treated you. Perhaps you would like to chat with Steve Minnikin. We clashed too, but instead of blocking me, we met for coffee and had a chat. 

I await your written response.

It's 3:45pm, and there's no response yet. I'm wondering if a letter to the local paper might be in order.