Aaaaaah, the smell of BS in the air. It must be election season.

I was first elected to the City Council in 2013, and I have to say this year feels a lot like it did then. There’s a sense of “we’re right on the cusp of something great but need new energy and common sense” and “I want more than constant bickering about cycleways”. I am not saying either of these are, on their own, good reasons to vote anyone in or out, but the vibe is very 2013.

This time, as in 2013, a group of us have gathered to support one another, “the women standing up for Christchurch,” I call us. We aren’t politically aligned and don’t agree on everything, but we are stronger together, and I like them. It was similar nine years ago when the “indies” – including Raf Manji, Vicki Buck, Lianne Dalziel, and myself – put our hands up, and there was quite a clean-out around the council table. What has changed this time, and for the worse, is a significant increase in social media abuse and trolling. Sure it has always been around, but it feels more aggressive, very personal, and even more thoughtless and childish.

Maybe I am being naïve, but I want social media to provide an opportunity for people to debate issues – respectfully and with a modicum of intelligence. Instead, the keyboard warriors whack out a steaming pile of rubbish, and I am sick of it. More and more, I am calling people out. You can’t do this forever, and there comes a point when you block them, ban them, report them or respectfully agree to disagree. Robust discussion is great for democracy and expanding one’s ideas and positions on certain issues. Goodness knows I have changed my mind on more than one occasion as a result of listening to someone else’s point of view and weighing it up with my own. Of course, in politics, this is called “flip-flopping”, and if you aren’t flexible enough to change your mind, you’re intractable or something far worse, which I can’t write here. You can’t win!

I have one request to make of the trolls, the keyboard warriors, the toxic typers – just think about what you are writing; is it something you would want someone to say about you? Does it make sense, and is it informed? Does it add to the debate or just make you feel better?

The most important things are, though, don’t be a d**k and, for God’s sake, check your spelling.

Building bridges over trolls