If I were Labour I would appoint at least one person to a top job who really understood what extremism, conspiracy theories and the internet are doing to politics
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If I were Labour I would appoint at least one person to a top job who really understood that just because something is legal or benefits 'the party' it doesn't mean that it is honest or moral.
100% this. The last 8 years has been like watching a slow motion car crash that Labour seems unable or unwilling to see let alone react appropriately to.
I would appoint at least one person that understood why support for the right is on the rise accross Europe. At the moment they are framing it as racism and conspiracy theories
I think the problem is that Labour have largely been bystanders in the social media wars up till now. They don't care about the manipulation of the referendum because they quite like Brexit. They stood and watched as the Tories destroyed themselves. Now suddenly all the guns are turned on them.
Hopefully wrong, but Starmer does look a bit like he thinks we're still in the 90s, where you can 'persuade' voters, and where all sides are committed to open, free and fair elections.
You can dispute if they get the gravity or are taking the right actions match it, but its been said his focus is on delivering to prevent a populist backlash in 2029 etc.
Honestly Elliot, I swing daily between, "this is the right approach", and "just lock them all up". Genuinely not sure if I'm being hysterical or if things are really very, very serious 🤷
Agree and I'd be making very sure our secret service had all the necessary infrastructure to fight this new type of hybrid war.
They used to expend untold energy rooting out 5th columnists in national life but seem happy now to let hostile states pump propaganda directly at the UK population.
Maybe Starmer’s Labour (and friends) were quite adept at using the dark arts against Corbyn and the whole “trans debate” that tied the SNP up in knots, and now this we shall fight them on the hustings is a ruse to cover up that.
And often it’s not even technically propaganda. But if the content of what you pick up routinely in your regular news digest is heavily slanted towards certain types of stories then it clearly has a propagandising effect.
Requires avoidance of MPs, civil servants & advisors qualified with PPEs, BAs etc in favour post grad social, technical & applied science. Too easy for US fossil fuel faux 'free market' & anti-immigrant 'junk tanks' to confuse & astroturf Ministers, MPs, committees & RW media to misinform voters.
Yes, like journalism, economics etc., but bachelor degree.
Post graduate social science masters' course work & esp research theses need to show higher level skills inc synthesis via Bloom's taxonomy eg. mix of qualitative & quantitative analysis
'really understood what extremism, conspiracy theories and the internet are doing to politics'
I think we know. The question is what is done about it? My suggestion Starmer sets up a rather dull dictatorship where things may get slightly less crap but there is no social media
Any body with half a brain understands what extremism and false information on the internet are doing to politics.
Labour knows exactly what is happening but will do nothing about it because they use it to their own advantage.
Let me remind you of the misinformation spread by Labour, unionists and media during the Scottish independence vote.
Also let me remind you of the lies and misinformation spread by Brexit supporting Labour & Cons during brexit.
They are all at it.
From seeing various LinkedIn recruitment posts, there is work on this, in the civil service, in a number of departments at all levels. Too poorly paid at the grassroots, likely won't join up properly, so a top job post would be welcome.
Great idea! Up for it for a year @carolecadwalla.bky.social to get them going!? Would the guardian lend you out? There’s a great column and book in it 😉
Or you could just tell us who we should really be going for!
Starmer is a cop and also very much 'Yer Da' end of the centrist dad demographic. I don't think he gets it at all and I think because they won a huge majority despite most of the papers and left/right of Twitter hating him, I don't think he thinks its real life. He does need better SPADs though.
I'd be quite happy if there were more politicians who properly understood the interweb actually was but, given the next 'leader of the free world' doesn't understand how tariffs work, I'm not holding out much hope.
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And when fascism arrives, it’ll still be the elderly/disabled/benefit claimants’ fault.
They used to expend untold energy rooting out 5th columnists in national life but seem happy now to let hostile states pump propaganda directly at the UK population.
Post graduate social science masters' course work & esp research theses need to show higher level skills inc synthesis via Bloom's taxonomy eg. mix of qualitative & quantitative analysis
Scrape public figures' social media & appearances then synthesise & list in a database
Farage 'best-known for Brexit campaign & bootlicking of Trump & Putin'
https://vatniksoup.com/en/soups/173/
I think we know. The question is what is done about it? My suggestion Starmer sets up a rather dull dictatorship where things may get slightly less crap but there is no social media
Labour knows exactly what is happening but will do nothing about it because they use it to their own advantage.
Also let me remind you of the lies and misinformation spread by Brexit supporting Labour & Cons during brexit.
They are all at it.
Or you could just tell us who we should really be going for!