The landmark letter from 25 district councillors last week launching their ‘Enough is Enough’ campaign against personal abuse was a stark reminder of the times we live in.

From the Prime Minister down our public standards of values, decency and kindness are in freefall.

Maldon is not alone in this. But wouldn’t it be nice if we could at least rise above the level of the national average?

Perhaps the most obvious power at play here is social media.

Most of us seek out likeminded people on Facebook. They share not just our interests but often our political and social ‘scapegoats’.

Where this gets out of hand is when it escalates into threatening behaviour verging on hate crime.

This is what put Maldon on the national news.

As a very divided nation we have allowed ourselves to be led by our emotions.

We do not stop to consider, or allow reason to kick in.

If I as a clergyman made repeated attempts to disrupt the business of the local Church of England then I would be suspended under the Clergy Discipline Measure.

If a local councillor is unable to abide by their Code of Conduct, a public investigation will follow.

The process should also involve robust soul-searching by the named individual as to their motive for wilfully obstructing the body they have promised to serve.

Do their actions build up or tear down community?

Being accountable to ourselves is rarely pleasant. We all have to confront some ugly truths.

But we also discover we have the power to set things right, to recommit to our shared democratic responsibilities.

When we exercise that kind of power we truly become the best citizens that we can be. And that benefits everybody.

Canon Dr Graham Blyth

Rennie Walk, Heybridge