Social Media Behaviour Policy

Purpose

To set out clear, consistent guidelines on when and why individuals may be blocked from interacting with Martin McCluskey MP’s official social media accounts. This policy ensures transparency, protects staff and the public, and maintains respectful, constructive engagement.

Principles

• Constituents have a right to contact their MP and engage on political matters.
• No one will be blocked simply for disagreeing with Martin or for expressing criticism.
• Abuse, harassment, or misinformation will not be tolerated.

Grounds for Blocking

A user may be blocked if they:

1. Post abusive or threatening content – including hate speech, harassment, or incitement to violence toward Martin, staff, or others.
2. Engage in targeted harassment – repeated, aggressive or offensive comments aimed at individuals or groups.
3. Spread harmful misinformation – such as knowingly false claims that threaten public safety or defame individuals.
4. Spam the account – excessive, repetitive posting or use of bots to flood comments.
5. Impersonate Martin or staff – or post deliberately misleading information pretending to be official.
6. Use discriminatory language – racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, or other forms of hate.

Process

• Decisions to block will be recorded internally by the Communications Manager, including:
  • Username and name if known
  • Date of action
  • Reason for blocking
  • Screenshot evidence where appropriate
• Constituents who believe they were blocked unfairly can contact the office to request a review. Non constituents’ appeals will not be considered by the constituency office.
• If the user agrees to cease abusive behaviour, they may be unblocked at the discretion of the office.

Accountability

• Blocking decisions will be made by the Communications Manager, with oversight from the Office Manager.
• An annual internal review will assess patterns in blocks and ensure proportionality.

Notes

• Blocking does not prevent constituents from contacting Martin through email, post, or by phone.
• Social media is not the primary channel for casework and should not be relied on for urgent constituent matters.