It’s been a somewhat disconcerting week or so in British politics, especially if you’re not at home. Where I am, people are responding to the news of riots with concern – is your country safe, will things settle down soon? And it’s easy to get defensive in response. But the response of the police and the judiciary, as well as that of thousands of decent, thoughtful people rallying to protect the vulnerable, appears to have dissuaded significant follow-up in the days that followed.

That’s a reassurance for many of us who worry about the ability of foreign actors to threaten our democracy, undermine societal harmony and weaken the state.

We have, I think, learned a few things. There are those amongst us who, whether the puppets of foreign powers or not, believe that there is political advantage is creating divisions in our communities. They may, like Nigel Farage, skate along the border between reasonable comment and deliberate provocation. Others, far less subtle, seek to encourage others on to the streets to intimidate, to destroy. The fact that so many of those arrested have been found to have had previous criminal records is probably not a coincidence.

We’ve also been confronted with the truth that, whilst social media offers opportunities for good, plus some truly entertaining cat videos, it places in the hands of some truly unaccountable people the power to distort public opinion through their reach and influence, made all the worse when such people own said social media.

Elon Musk has used his vast wealth to buy something which, whilst never perfect, was at least an attempt to offer a platform for people and groups to organise, to persuade, to inform. He has, for reasons best known to himself, dragged it down to a level where users are increasingly deciding that the cost outweighs its value. It will survive, at least for a while though, because its very ubiquity means that alternatives will suffer from the challenge of achieving critical mass.

As a user of Twitter, where do I go instead to get the news updates from my favourite sports teams, wisdom or humour from my friends, or find people whose output simply entertains or intrigues? Inevitably, people will hang around until something provably better emerges.

Freedom of expression is messy, especially when some use it as a defence when attempting to drive others away. It cannot come without consequences, and that is something that Musk, and others like him, cannot, or do not, want to accept.

As a moderator on this site, my duty is to encourage expression of views, including potentially unpopular ones. But that doesn’t come without limits. I want to encourage as many people as I can to feel as though they have a voice, to ensure that more than just the loudest and most aggressive are heard. In turn, that means establishing standards for debate that include courtesy and mutual respect. They won’t be perfect, as they require human intervention, but as long as they are applied in a broadly consistent manner, the social media ecosystem is healthier for all of us.

X/Twitter has been a public exposition of what happens when a purported belief in absolute free speech collides with the reality of an owner who has total confidence in his own judgement yet is easily offended. You’re free to say what you like, as long as Elon doesn’t mind.

I have been amused, however ironically, by the sudden outburst from the right-wing commentariat over the potential consequences of posting on social media. Where were these people when a Conservative government introduced so much legislation now available to the Starmer administration? It seems that, whilst it was fine when used against their opponents, the shoe pinches when on the other foot.

But, ultimately, there is an easy rule which, if applied when using social media, will prevent a great deal of unpleasantness – think long and hard before making accusations, especially when the facts are unclear or unknown. In the coming weeks, a number of people are going to discover what a good idea it is…

* Mark Valladares is the Monday Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice.