[DanaC]

*chuckles*

Maybe a little of both :P Times have changed. In many ways politics is less respectful, and less 'gentlemanly'. But I think it was always filthy behind the scenes. And people have always got very heated about politics. Look at the McCarthy era. Look at the ordinary, child-rearing, loving mothers and fathers who screamed hatred at the civil rights activists. Those weren't all 'bad' people. But they were reacting, at least in part from a fear that their society was going down the pan. We've now had several years of heightened sensitivity to the threat of terror and the 'islamist threat'. If people feel that their country and way of life is under threat then they are likely to react emotionally rather than seeking a deeper understanding: others wanting to seek a deeper undestanding become a part of the threat.

Not a reason to stop making the case of course.