The furore surrounding the candidate for Warringah, Katherine Deves, is a symptom of the problem facing conservative parties globally. As participation in political mechanisms such as parties drops, and as social media fills the void subsequently left open for exploitation, you see radical ideas being shared and weaponised for political ends. This has been apparent for some time, and what happened to the Liberal Party this election – 2022 is important for many reasons but especially for the fate of the Labor Party – is symptomatic of changes that are reshaping the way that we govern ourselves. 15 years ago Twitter was full of enthusiastic ponderings on the role of IT in politics, but now most people seem to regret how it has changed the tone of debate. Some who have benefited from the popularity of popularism dig in their heels and wear the condemnatory epithets of journalists with pride (sewer rat, for example). Others, who have felt the sting of partisanship go the other way and leav...