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  There is a very interesting letter in todays Dover Express from Charlie Elphicke, the Conservative candidate for Dover and Deal. Charlie has called for a Clean Debate and asks for restraint on the personal attacks on Gwyn Prosser MP that have been appearing in the newspaper. This is an interesting development and Charlie is obviously keen to present the nice face of Conservatism
  
  Charlie says
  
  "...I write this as I am concerned by the deeply personal nature of the attacks directed at Mr Prosser!"
  
  and geos on
  "Mr Prosser strikes me as an honourable man..."
  
  So this is indeed a welcome approach to local politics where the tone is often quite nasty, as indeed it is at national level too. But is Charlie isolated in this approach and on a Conservative island? Even his leader in the House, David Cameron, spends each week wading into the Prime Minister often in a deeply insulting and personal manner, in the express interests of bumping the opinion polls up a point or two, and with, it seems, little regard for the state of the country. This nastiness sadly permeates down from the top into every walk of political life, so people writing to the papers feel they have to be just as personally nasty to make a point.
  
  If you are trying to beat the opposition in politics it doesnt necessary follow that the said opposition is some sort of wicked wretch needing decapitation. Why it always has to be presented this way is one of the stupid proliferations of politics. The nation is sick of the Punch and Judy stuff as any research will tell you. So maybe Charlie has something there. I applaud his approach.

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