On social media, there is a trend known as “performative kindness”. Influencers will share a seemingly selfless act of compassion – say, donating a meal to a homeless person – which, in reality, has been filmed for “likes”. The point is not so much the act of kindness itself, but that they are seen to be doing it.
The Conservative party is much the same, albeit in reverse. With a general election around the corner and the government trailing in the polls, increasingly, the purpose of any policy announcement is not that it will have any real benefit for the country but that it is cruel to the right people.
