Is it time to ban politicians from Twitter?
Conservative House leader Andrew Scheer showed off his wit by making verbal hashtags in Question Period this week. While Colin Horgan is amused by Scheer's pithy Twitter references, he fears that politicians are becoming too entrenched in Twitter and he wants to ban politicians from it altogether.
Check this video out:
It doesn't take long to appreciate the wit of Conservative House Leader Andrew Scheer.
(Heck, even the Speaker of the House joins in the fun.)
But the entire exchange strikes Colin Horgan as inane.
While the former parliamentary reporter concedes the entertainment value of a sharp exchange, he worries Twitter is conditioning Canadian politicians in a dangerous way.
The theatrics of [Question Period] has always been a problem ...and the addition of Twitter doesn't help that.-Colin Horgan
He says the medium — which is known for limiting comments to 140 characters or less — does not allow for nuance.
Twitter makes people's arguments pithy and trite...and skews immediately towards the strident and the hyperbolic.- Colin Horgan
Horgan argues that the more time politicians spend engaging with Twitter, the more likely they are to behave that way in parliament.
Click the "play" button above to hear the full interview.