Time for politicians to proceed with care

Every election campaign is littered with gaffes — moments when politicians, no doubt exhausted by the 24/7 nature of modern campaigning, let their guard slip.

Few will forget Gordon Brown’s extraordinarily high profile blunder, when a microphone picked him up calling a voter with whom he had shared a spirited exchange a “bigoted woman”.

Now the potential for costly mistakes is more acute than ever, with verbal comments not the only risk.

Social media provides electoral hopefuls with an important platform as they hit the campaign trail. A sound grasp of social media, its use and potential impact, represents a vital tool in the armoury of any 21st-Century politician.

Yet, as we amply demonstrate today, it also presents a massive opportunity for mistakes.

One off-colour comment, made in haste and perhaps even instantly regretted, can leave an everlasting digital footprint, visible across the globe.

It would be unrealistic to expect all our politicians to behave impeccably 100% of the time, but we certainly can expect them to act with dignity and respect, no matter what pressure they are under.

It is something they would do well to remember. Should those basic standards of decency slip, voters will ultimately deliver their verdict not online but at the polling station.