THE technology may be new, but the attitudes hark back to the dark ages.

It's the depressing, if unsurprising news that female politicians on both sides of the referendum debate were targeted by misogynistic and sexist tweets this week.

The abusive messages followed Tuesday night's televised live debate on STV. Professor Sarah Pedersen of Aberdeen's Robert Gordon University was one of a team which analysed the response to the debate on social media and she confirmed the findings were not unusual.

She said: "There is a wealth of research suggesting female politicians' bodies, looks and clothes are more likely to be discussed rather than policies, and disagreement with them frequently leads to aggressively sexualised threats, which is exactly what we saw played out."

So, just to re-cap. Female politicians in this country are routinely threatened with sexual violence for expressing their views.

It's not just politicians, either. The virtual world is awash with vitriol aimed at women in the public eye who dare to have an opinion including Kirstie Allsopp, Mary Beard and Caroline Criado-Perez, who campaigned to get Jane Austen's image on banknotes.

While we obviously can't blame the internet for creating sexism - misogyny is an age old scourge, after all, and exists in the non-virtual world - it does offer a unique platform for disseminating views uncensored.

The allure of anonymity, coupled with the instant nature of the virtual world and its limitless reach, are a potent combination for bitter souls who want to feel powerful.

If there is one thing which unites the handful of individuals who have actually been prosecuted for online trolling, it's their rather sad, pathetic real lives.

It's not enough to dismiss trollers as a lunatic fringe and vow to ignore them. As in real life, we have to introduce the notion of responsibilities as well as rights.

As more of our lives are conducted online, it seems the only way forward, sadly.

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Meanwhile, this just in from the Ministry of Silly Walks. A pirouetting Buckingham Palace guard is under investigation after footage emerged which showed him deviating from the standard pacing.

In front of a crowd of amused tourists, he erratically speeded up and slowed down and peppered his walk with the odd high kick and hip swivel.

Some po-faced commentators have suggested this makes a mockery of the monarchy and the armed forces. Really? Surely anything that raises a smile is worth a little rule-bending.

Having spent long hours of my youth working in a mostly deserted hospital shop with nowhere to sit down, except for a box of crisps, I feel his pain.

Save for two short flurries at visiting time, my job was one relentless, back-aching shoe shuffle for eight long hours with no distraction.

Doing circuits of the tiled shopfloor without standing on any lines became a common way to keep hysterical boredom at bay. Cut this guy some slack.

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I'm still not convinced the work experience kid didn't switch the names in the envelopes for a prank ahead of the GQ Awards.

Almost as incredulous as naming the millionaire ex-Prime Minister Tony Blair as Philanthropist of the Year, Woman of the Year was bestowed on Kim Kardashian, a woman who makes Narcissus look just a tad immodest.

She is known because her father defended OJ Simpson, she appears in a reality show, has had two big fat weddings in three years and likes to pose for GQ. Ah, it all makes sense now.