This archive report was first published on 29 November 2019.
Britain's Dirty Election ¶
Published on November 29, 2019
Britain's general election has been marred by unprecedented levels of distortion, dissembling, and disinformation, with both the Conservative and Labour parties engaging in digital skulduggery.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson, a serial liar who lost his first job as a journalist for inventing quotes, has been accused of pushing out partisan messages on social media, including renaming the Conservative Party's Twitter account factcheckUK to spread false information.
During a recent TV debate, Johnson and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn were accused of using fake websites and social media accounts to mislead voters. The Conservative Party has also been accused of buying Facebook ads impersonating the Green Party to 'split the anti-Tory vote.'
While the Labour Party has also been accused of engaging in digital disinformation, the Conservative Party's tactics have been particularly egregious. The party has used fake websites, social media accounts, and even bought Facebook ads to mislead voters.
The effect of such tactics is to undermine trust in politics itself, rather than actively countering opponents' political arguments. And it seems, at least in part, to be working. As one voter said, she was voting for Johnson precisely because he is a proven liar.
The British government has done little to prevent such tactics, with regulators and public bodies sitting on a number of potentially critical inquiries into British democracy. An announcement about a possible criminal investigation into Johnson's relationship with an American tech entrepreneur, Jennifer Arcuri, has been delayed.
As a result, the British electorate is dazed and weary, with the most significant election in a generation reduced to social media sound bites designed by well-paid political consultants.
At what cost will the Conservatives win the general election? Only time will tell.
