Policy to Pantomime: Clown Row Breaks Out

A fresh political spat has broken out among Tynwald members this week, and, yes, it involves clowns.

The petty squabble kicked off after Ramsey MHK Lawrie Hooper suggested that things might improve ‘if only we could remove the clowns from Tynwald’ in a social media post earlier today.

The comment was made in response to Infrastructure Minister Dr Michelle Haywood, who had just warned that she would hide or delete abusive comments on her own social media pages.

Dr Haywood told followers she was more than happy to debate decisions and explain her reasoning, as long as discussion remained ‘calm and respectful’.

However, she drew a firm line under personal abuse, including allegations about her character and, somewhat memorably, the use of clown emojis. Yes, even the humble clown is now on the banned list.

Enter Onchan MHK Rob Callister, who was clearly unimpressed by Mr Hooper’s choice of words and decided to hit back.

In a lengthy post, Mr Callister said the Ramsey MHK had ‘absolutely overstepped the mark’, arguing that elected members should uphold higher standards of respect, both in public and online.

He suggested that criticism comes with the job, but personal attacks against fellow MHKs were a step too far.

Mr Callister said politics should be about ‘ideas, collaboration, and serving the public’, rather than name-calling, adding that disagreement was healthy but should never descend into abuse or hostility. He also hinted that Mr Hooper might benefit from reflecting on his own record before labelling colleagues as clowns.

The Onchan MHK went on to say that politicians have a duty to lead by example, while also accepting that public criticism is part and parcel of island politics, even when it stings.

So, while Dr Haywood is very busy deleting clown emojis, Tynwald members appear to be throwing a few verbal custard pies at each other instead.

Whether this marks the end of the circus, or just another act, remains to be seen.