Green Party MP Golriz Ghahraman said the level of aggression you get if you speak out against racism compared to actually saying something racist is so strange.

"Nigel Farage is full of s... Protest the politics of the racist right," Green Party MP Golriz Ghahraman blasted on social media this week.

The posting featured poo emojis and excrement coming out of his mouth.

Act Party leader David Seymour immediately responded to her post, asking whether Ghahraman was engaging in a high brow debate or talking down to her fans.

SUPPLIED Golriz Ghahraman shared a post on social media of UK politician Nigel Farage with excrement pouring from his mouth ahead of his visit to Auckland.

Later, in a post of his own, he publicly wished Meka Whaitiri had fought for charter schools as hard as she allegedly fought her staff.

READ MORE:

* Editorial: Social media has permanently changed politics

* European politicians have no clue about social media

* Social media the new campaign trail

Poor taste postings, or the new norm for politicians in the world of US President Donald Trump's bizarre Twitter rants?

KEVIN STENT/STUFF ACT Party leader David Seymour thinks it is absolutely acceptable to call out another MP on social media.

Social media guru Claudia MacDonald from Mango Communications says it's textbook behaviour.

"Deliberately saying controversial things in social media is a classic way for a politician (or anyone) to get attention," MacDonald said.

"While what they say may polarise people, the politician will ensure their 'sound bite' will resonate with their audience.

CAMERON BURNELL/STUFF Former National MP Chester Borrows said social media has taken the filter away from politicians.

"Successful populist politicians have found a way to stand for something while alienating as few people as possible. Where it can go awry is if it oversteps the mark in terms of taste, legality or prejudice, but most of the time it is calculated commentary.

"Trump is a great example – his constituency love him, and those who dislike him quote his social media feeds as reasons why."

Ghahraman claimed she gets more abuse for speaking out against racism, than those who make the racist comments.

"We've got to remember who Nigel Farage is," she said.

"He was trying to make discrimination legal. The level of aggression you get if you speak out against racism compared to actually saying something racist is so strange."

Seymour said it is absolutely acceptable to call out another MP on social media.

"Let's turn that around and say it's totally unacceptable to criticise another politician on social media platform. The only country I can think of where that's true in North Korea."

He believes the public gave a verdict on the two posts during the week.

"Golriz' effort was just a poster with swear words and cartoon excrement. It was almost universally panned, even by her own followers. Mine used humour to make a point and was widely supported."

Retired National MP Chester Borrows said social media allows politicians to show themselves to the public as they really are.

"If you're thoughtful and considerate and you don't do it late at night or after half a bottle of wine you're going to be OK – it will be an enhancement to you. But if you do it without any filters and off your own bat in hot blood, you're likely to make a fool of yourself.

"If something is tripe, shallow, and nasty that is going to come across regardless of what the medium is."

Parliamentarians social media accounts have become somewhat more interesting with the formation of the recent Government, Borrows said.

"So all of a sudden you've got a whole lot of new Twitter and Facebook accounts from politicians who have never bothered with social media before like Chris Finlayson and Gerry Brownlee.

"They've always had ten ranks of policy advisors to filter anything they were likely to put up, and now they're doing it themselves, and it looks quite unusual."

Massey University Associate Professor Sean Phelan said Twitter is an attention economy and a lot of the time politicians' brash statements were just testing the waters.

"It's a minefield because as much as they have their supporters being vocal, they'll be getting it from the other side too."

* Comments on this article have now closed

​