Thread by @uk_domain_names

Here's an example of the ads the UK Government is running about Brexit. Note that I'm using a tool that reveals search volumes and bid data, so we can see that the average cost per click is £2.63 (doesn't mean they pay exactly that, depends on the performance of their ad).

Now, if you visit the campaign URL ( euexit.campaign.gov.uk ) you get dumped on the abysmal portal they launched a few weeks back, the one with the graphics that look as if they've been done by a work-experience schoolkid (but probably cost £100,000s).

But when you dig a little deeper, you realise that's nothing but a "pretty" frontend into the opaque mess of preparedness notices. For example, when you click on "Businesses" then "Regulations and Standards" you're faced with a list of 87 preparedness notices! That's *87*, folks!

I can't believe even 1 person in 1000 will go to the effort of reading all of them and piecing together the information they need. It's like hiding jigsaw pieces randomly around a room, then demanding people complete the puzzle with no idea of what the picture looks like.

Yet it's a nailed-on certainty that the Government will hold up this shoddy fifth-rate info dump as "evidence" that it told businesses and individuals exactly what to expect from Brexit, and how to prepare for it.

It's like feeding a very complicated recipe into a shredder, translating each strip randomly into Welsh, Latin or Klingon, handing the whole lot over in a black bag, then demanding a perfect dish in return. Great for potential GCHQ job applicants, useless for regular people.

How much is this farce costing? If we use the tool's figures as an *approximation* then for every 1% click-through rate on the ad, you'd expect to get 12,200 visits (1% of 1,220,000 total ad impressions) and it costs the Government £32K. If they manage 5% CTR, that's £160K/month.