Some swords are double-edged; they can cut both ways, not just at those against whom they are wielded, but also those wielding them. And all who live by the sword (as Someone once said, Matthew 26v52) will die by the sword.
Last week’s by-election in Makerfield was a case in point. Sam Leith, writing in The Spectator, puts it well:
"Loathing is now the great engine of our politics. Keir Starmer came to power because everyone loathed the Tories and many within his party loathed Jeremy Corbyn. Andy Burnham has returned to Parliament, mostly, because the voters of Makerfield loathe Keir Starmer, but also in part because Rupert Lowe loathes Nigel Farage. The Green Party and Reform are doing well, where they are doing well, because their voters loathe someone else: "Zionists", rich people and conventional politicians in one case; immigrants, liberals and conventional politicians in the other.
Is our anger ever righteous?
I remember, in an earlier phase of the internet, the sense of being part of a large, ongoing conversation. On …