Embracing the F-Bomb: Why Politicians Should Tell Harassers to “F**k Off”

If they stick a phone in your face, tell them where to go!

In the theatrical world of politics, political courtesy and diplomacy often dress as the highest virtue, all fur and no knickers if you like, as we say in West Cork. One wonders about the sanity-maintenance mechanisms that allow our ever-courteous Councillors, Senators, TDs and election candidates brave enough to put their names on the ballot paper to function. Behind the demure smiles and carefully calibrated soundbites, the reality is that politics is a battleground of relentless scrutiny and harassment from the public, media, and even their peers. So I've got a suggestion, what might be a controversial proposal: letting politicians tell their harassers to “f**k off” and let all of social media know what politicians think of their abusers.

Maintain the sense of decorum and tradition in the hallowed chambers of Leinster House, of course. Some politicians in Leinster House never do anyway. But when some racist halfwit sticks a phone in your face claiming Ireland is full or why you are…