GE2019: A post mortem on truth
JVL Introduction
Truth Defence has just published a devastating report on the 2019 General Election one it argues that “was marred by what leading fact checking organisations and some journalists have characterised as unparalleled disinformation”.
In summary, says the Report, “the evidence suggests that the current regulatory framework for political advertising and campaigning during elections is not fit for purpose and wholly inadequate for the digital terrain on which elections are increasingly fought.
“There is no greater threat to democracy than disinformation, especially when it is produced and disseminated by an incumbent government and reinforced by the bulk of the mainstream press.”
We publish the Executive Summary of the report below and link to the full version.
This article was originally published by Truth Defence on Wed 3 Feb 2021. Read the original here.
GE2019: A post mortem on truth
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Brilliant work by Truth Defence.
This is confirmation of what many of us have known for ages, that ‘advertising’ using false, twisted and emotional hooks works, particularly if it is repeated again and again. This is exactly how the ‘democratic’ referendum vote was won, Arron Banks even admitted it, he said ‘we didn’t use facts, we used emotion’ i.e. the threat of immigants taking workers jobs, homes, hospital and school places.
Using his expertise in this field, Dominic Cummings used his experience and the enormous wealth at his disposal to persuade many to vote against their own best interests. When some people saw their mistake and wanted a confirmatory vote on any deal, the millionaires who financed the Leave campaign stood behind the unwitting Leavers proding them to protest that their democratic vote, which was bought and paid for by Banks and others, plus Robert Mercer, billionair friend of Trump and Farage, was being taken away from them. Another vote for the Brexit fanatics would have been just too much democracy.
Let’s be honest. Corbyn and Labour got too close in 2017. As the media was firmly in the sights for reform, including online, there was no chance of Labour getting a level playing field. Cases in point the ‘communist broadband’ being repeatedly broadcast by the BBC. (How brilliant a policy would that be now?). Phil Scofield’s attack on Corbyn but having a selfie with bojo. Bojos no show with Andrew Neil and at the Green debate on C4 and the air time given to the idiotic Austin. Add to that the inflated AS issue and the Chief Rabbi intervention, I hope he got his 30 pieces of silver, and Welby backing him up. The whole state establishment moved into overdrive to prevent a Labour government, with military,
intelligence (an oxymoron if ever there was) and civil service having a say too. The worst part of it all, the Labour party stopped a Labour government in 2017.
I take on board what the report says about the spread of false information – however I am surprised that this analysis appeared to be confined to the period of the Election Campaign itself – important though this was?
It seems to me that June/July 2019 were significant dates for until that time Labour and Conservative were roughly neck and neck in the Opinion polls and after that the Conservatives lead increased. Indeed – even earlier – the May local Election results in the “red wall” areas were disastrous for Labour .
Anecdotally – folk blamed the febrile atmosphere and perceived political chaos on “them” (ie House of Commons) who “were behaving like toddlers”. Doubtless this was finagled by Cummings but Johnson managed to present his image as working for “the people” against “Parliament” and even when Johnsons attempt to prorogue Parliament was overturned in the Supreme Court and he was shown to have “misled the Queen, the people and parliament” [Guardian headline] the polls hardly budged . On the contrary – Parliament and the Courts were presented by some of the MSM as “attempting to cheat the people of their Referendum vote” and this was believed ..
(Methinks I have heard that one before somewhere?)
Of course the lies and smears against Corbyn were relentless from 2017 onwards – so much so that in Summer 2018 many important news stories were ignored. For example the appalling suffering caused by the war in the Yemen was not reported in the MSM but confined to desperate appeals for funds by Charities in the Commercial breaks. (It still is pretty much ignored with a report on the death of nine members of a family in an air-strike in July 2020 confined to Sky News who did a careful investigation.)
I remember seeing the news that two Senior Tories had promoted something that was just a demonisation of Jeremy Corbyn. Netanyahu involved?
Also i saw headlines in the National papers , eye catching in the Newsagents, also demonising Jeremy Corbyn very near the election day.
Can someone tell me more about these.?