Online abuse is “making it difficult” to attract people into politics, a former Fine Gael TD has claimed.
Noel Rock said his four-year stint in the Dáil came with lots of challenges as what began with online abuse soon expanded to people turning up at his house.
However, the former TD, aged just 36, said it was a “privilege” to serve in the Dáil and would not rule out running again in the future.
It follows a number of high-profile exits from politics in recent weeks, such as Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Galway TD Ciarán Cannon who cited a ‘toxicity’ in politics when reasoning his decision not to run in the next election.
Mr Rock told The Pat Kenny Show his life has been “a little less stressful” since he left politics in 2020 and his “hair is starting to grow back” now.
“Some of the unsavoury incidents that would have happened when I was in politics, like the online abuse, spilled into offline in terms of people turning up at my house,” he said.
“Gardaí had to visit my house to do safety checks, a man emptied his bin in my front garden.
“These things are in my rearview now; I live a much quieter life now.”
Put off
Mr Rock said people are put off by the abuse politicians face.
“I’m not saying no to politics in the future but I do feel it puts a great deal of people off ever even thinking about it,” he said.
“The most common thing I get on the street is ‘goodness, I don’t know how you do it’ – that’s what people say to me most often.
“It’s putting people off every time they hear about an incident or see online abuse, it’s not good for democracy and it doesn’t just affect a single party – it affects everyone.”
Minister of State Anne Rabbitte speaking at Government Buildings in January 2021. Picture by: Julien Behal Photography / RollingNews.ieMinister of State Anne Rabbitte said much of the abuse she experiences is “absolutely” because she is a woman.
“I’m an easier target, to be honest, and it’s not just me, it’s women across the spectrum of politics,” she said.
“There would be commentary like: ‘Look at herself, she can’t keep her nose out of the trough'.
“You’d hear ‘look at the size of her, look at the weight of her’ and I would be conscious, no different to any other female, that I’m not a perfect size 12.
“People comment on my hair, absolutely everything, and that to me shies me away and possibly shies others away from communicating.”
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