This political abuse has to stop now

Some are using the feeling of anger in Ireland to drag the standards of decency and legitimate protest down. It must stop, writes Michael Clifford 

Is Michael D Higgins a traitor? What is the appropriate punishment for a traitor? Is Joan Burton a liar? Is there any place in public life for people who tell barefaced lies? Things have been getting a little out of hand for a while now.

Anger, the defining emotion of the recession, is being used by some to justify dragging standards of decency in public life into the gutter. Various targets are being subjected not just to abuse, but character assassination. Last week saw two examples of protest that says something about where political discourse may be heading.