I think part of the larger argument is that modern FPTP politics is so partisan its very hard to judge anymore what criticism is valid and which is just mud slinging. _Everything_ the opposition does is the _worst_ thing ever and nobody ever congratulates the other side on anything they do that could be good. This makes it hard to separate out hyperbolic criticism of borderline cases and legitimate criticism of clear outliers.

At its core I personally believe the issue is the "side taking" but its rare to find positions that are not explicitly called in advance of the news hitting.