In this strange new world we inhabit, where many people appear to struggle with nuance, the oversimplification of complex problems means that any shades of grey are ignored. This informal logical fallacy, in which every situation is presented as having only two possible options when, in reality, more exist, is now standard in politics and across mainstream and social media. However, rather than being seen as a sign of intellectual weakness, taking entrenched positions is considered perfectly reasonable.

Think 7 October was depraved and insane? You’re Zionist sympathising scum. Appalled by images of children in Gaza made homeless by the conflict, struggling to lift a spoon to their mouth because they’re shaking so violently from the cold? You’re a pathetic Hamas apologist.

Think Brexit hasn’t exactly been a great success? You’re a sad, embittered remoaner. Wonder where all the unaccounted-for billions overseen by unelected EU officials have disappeared to? You’re a Faragist nutjob. And so on.

I’d like to think – although I have no evidence for this – that there is a silent majority who, like me, inhabit the middle ground on most things. Human beings are a mass of contradictions, and........

© The Spectator