I think you’re getting the dynamics (and the timeline) very askew here dmfod. Paddy H put out an email document publicly some weeks ago, the response to which was a vituperative personal attack on him in an email response rather than an critique of Paddy H’s analysis.
I frankly don’t believe that counts as a ‘personal communication’ or a private one unless email abuse is somehow something we now just hand wave away as some sort of norm of political discourse, which of course is cobblers. Let me be clear if anyone here did likewise to me I would have no hesitation in publicising it.
Now rather than bringing that up in subsequent threads Paddy H focused on the issues. On this thread because the resignation has been quite unusual Paddy H queried aspects but I don’t believe in reading it it went anywhere near as bad, indeed not an iota as bad, as the email mentioned above. Yet he received considerable abuse from others. If his patience snapped that is understandable.
And given that email wasn’t public knowledge at least not from Paddy H there was no response ‘in kind’ and no excuse for same.
As for Paddy H being personally vindictive perhaps you should read the email he received and contrast with his quite measured approach subsequently.
BTW I’ll just add that I stand by my contention that this was not an appropriate forum for posting the email hence as soon as my attention was drawn to it it was immediately removed.