Fergus Finlay: Keyboard 'heroes' have no understanding of good leadership

I imagine Leo Varadkar and Micheál Martin are under instructions never to look at X because it is so full of personal abuse

Emmet Stagg is an example of someone who grew into leadership. He made some wrong decisions. But he also made good decisions, and developed through all that to make a real and lasting contribution to Irish life.

I’ve had a real bellyful of social media. Anyone who has any kind of public profile in Ireland gets routinely savaged on what ought to be a space where ideas are openly shared. The higher the profile, the more cruel and vicious the responses. The more anonymous the respondents, the more vulgar they feel free to be. It’s as if they want to drive ordinary folk off the platform so they can create their own world of hate.

Well, you’re not driving me off. It’s always been my practice never to block anyone (forgive the double negative) unless they’re really foul. But I want to tell you something. All of you “Ireland is full” people, the conspiracy theorists among you, the anti-vaxxers, the people who hate trans people, the so-called “real” feminists who hate life-long feminists, the ones who just hate everyone, especially everyone who has a different name, skin colour, or accent. You’re getting routinely blocked from now on. I know it won’t stop you — you’ll just transfer your hate somewhere else.