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Columnist branded ‘idiot’ defends anti-Tory piece for daily

Mike DonachieA regional daily columnist has defended his plea to readers to vote against the Tories after being branded an “idiot” for doing so.

Mike Donachie, who writes for Dundee daily The Courier, has defended a column he penned last week which called on readers to vote the Conservative Party out ahead of Thursday’s election.

Mike, who has been a columnist for The Courier for seven years, said it was the first opinion piece in which he had ever told anyone how to vote, but hit out at “an appalling government made up of people so toxic they are reviled even by the last set of vipers who had their jobs”.

However, the column prompted a backlash from several “rude” readers, with one describing him as an “idiot” and another expressing “disgust” about him in a letter to The Courier.

In a follow-up column this week, Mike said the aftermath of the election was a “good time to talk about disagreeing with dignity”.

He wrote: “Last week, in response to my column asking readers to vote against the Conservatives, several people were rude to me. I stress I’m not complaining, because anyone can speak their mind, but it was an interesting experience.

“‘You’re an idiot, Mike,’ was one comment and, to be fair, sometimes I am. However, I did think carefully about making a direct political statement and decided it was right to express an opinion on something so important.

“I was prepared for the criticism, which included a letter to The Courier expressing ‘disgust’ about me. I’m glad this newspaper runs critical letters about its content and I’ll take it on the chin cheerfully.”

Mike, a former Courier reporter who is now based in Canada, went on to contrast the abuse with an incident he recently encountered on the roads, which saw him exchange views with a large vehicle behind him who had honked at him because of his careful driving.

He added: “We didn’t remain calm, but, somehow, we remained civil. We resisted swearing and personal attacks; the worst we did was interrupt each other. In the end, we agreed to disagree, grumpily.

“I’m OK with that. We need to relearn how to argue, and to get along in the process. I would suggest that’s proof I’m not an idiot, but I respect everyone’s right to call me one – before we all return to getting through the day, as best we can.”