Matthew Parris: Amateur Trolls

Hard to know whether it’s worth bothering to assess a policy that obviously isn’t seriously happening, or likely to. But on the basis that we even give a second glance to the idiotic initiatives that ministers keep spraying out to seize the “news initiative”, consider the latest, from the justice secretary. Chris Grayling says he’ll quadruple penalties for those who subject others online to “sexually offensive, verbally abusive or threatening material”.

I get (and ignore) this kind of online abuse all the time. Here’s a selection of what I’ve read about myself recently on the Guido Fawkes website . . .

“Forget Parris. Sodomites aren’t that big a f***ing deal anyway.”

“I’d sooner be a working class pleb than one of Matthew Parris’ bent brigade. Shut that door! Then f*** off!”

“Parris is clearly demonstrating the affect of dissolute living and the long-term adverse symptomatology of limp-wristed empathising.”

By contrast, “Bromley Polecat” on Conservative Home is positively genteel, attributing my opinions on Ukip to the bitterness of a homosexual affronted by Tory members’ rejection of gay marriage.

These people — “trolls” as they are known — are paper tigers. I wouldn’t in a million years think their nonsense worth reporting to the police. I enjoy invective. What are we coming to if we think this kind of flotsam should be dragged expensively through our justice system?

Telegraph.

Matthew quotes Mao!