Luke Marsden column: I fear what we've turned into!

When will milkshakes become acid?!

When did politics in our country cross the threshold from a war of words to a war of weapons? In recent years we’ve sadly seen MPs murdered in their own constituencies, and on a daily basis elected officials are abused, threatened and some genuinely fear for their own lives.

When I watched the footage of Nigel Farage having a milkshake thrown over him, my first reaction was not to ask what flavour, I didn’t laugh, my thoughts turned to what it could have been, we could’ve witnessed something much, much worse than banana flavoured McDonald’s milkshake chucked over him by a girl. When will milkshakes be swapped for corrosive substances? This is a serious question and one we must now ask ourselves as a civilised society.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

It did get worse for Nigel this week, while he was touring on an open-top bus, someone who clearly disagrees with his views, threw a lump of concentrate at him, thankfully it missed, but again, what if it didn’t?

Luke Marsden at an awards ceremonyLuke Marsden at an awards ceremony
Luke Marsden at an awards ceremony

Having a public profile myself, I’ve been subjected to some of the worst abuse that you can think of writing (and then some!) as I’ve documented in the past in this column, I’ve got the mental resilience to handle it, sadly many do not. In fact, readers of this very column often take to social media to publicly disagree with my views, that’s fine I enjoy spirited disagreements but when these turn to threats that’s when you begin to think, is my life actually in danger or is this person simply all talk? Most of the time these people are all talk, but it only takes one.

It's time everyone turned the temperature down on the political discourse in this country, as I fear we are simply racing to the bottom. I disagree with many standpoints but my ‘attack’ will be at the ballot box, it won’t be like a recent incident to me at an awards ceremony where a drunk individual simply wouldn’t stop heckling me with profanities. If you can’t string a sentence together than you shouldn’t attempt to do anything else, this isn’t the 1900s anymore, 2024 needs to get its decorum back!

News you can trust since 1853
Follow us
©National World Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.Cookie SettingsTerms and ConditionsPrivacy notice