The Manchester attacks were atrocious. There is no other word that can summarise this incident. All political parties and leaders have demonstrated their unity and condemnation towards the bombing. Suspending their campaigning activities during the 2017 General Election is the least they could do to pay their respects to the Manchester victims. Northfield Labour's error of continuing with leafleting streets was undoubtedly a mistake, and one possibly caused by a communication breakdown. This embarrassment and those controversial remarks of the Vice-Chair for Labour in Stroud are only two election mistakes that have been revealed so far, but political parties must do more to prevent these kinds of slip-ups from happening.
'Catastrophic mistakes in the media cost careers'
All local political parties utilised social media and other modern methods of communication to explicitly state campaigning had to grind to a halt on Tuesday, yet it did not appear to be enough to prevent Northfield Labour from distributing leaflets. But none of the parties were clear enough about the consequences of using the Manchester attacks to score political points. The vice-chair for Stroud Labour has been suspended, but a former Green candidate has also been spotted for insulting Conservative activists who have used social media to express their condolences towards the victims.
Catastrophic mistakes in the media can cost political careers. Social media is a dangerous weapon if people fail to conduct themselves properly. Behaviour regarding campaigning and social media should be clarified during incidents such as this.
