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THIS IS URGENT. We're heading into a snap election and the laws meant to enable fair elections are hopelessly out of date--a fact being ruthlessly exploited bbc.co.uk/news/entertain…
It isn't just about the lack of transparency on who pays for the ads (and whether the financial sources are legitimate) though that's a huge problem. Money doesn't just talk in the UK political system. It SHOUTS. No smaller parties can compete with this bbc.co.uk/news/technolog…
It's also about the relentless influence of dark ads that evade electoral scrutiny and because of micro targeting are seen only by those thought susceptible to their messages and not to the people who would push back against them bbc.co.uk/news/entertain…
These are some lying, scabrous ads targeted only to potential Leave voters ahead of the referendum by Vote Leave. So that's under the auspices of our current Prime Minister, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and special adviser Dominic Cummings joe.co.uk/news/brexit-fa…
These ads didn't just lie. They polarised. As all microtargeting polarises. Because the point is, we as voters are no longer making our decisions based on the same publicly disseminated information. We all see different messaging, different propaganda.
Are there solutions? Absolutely. We need new & smarter laws around this kind of advertising. And a fairer and more robust electoral system, less easily swayed by tiny margins than first past the post. Yep. Time for proportional representation as per @WEP_UK @MakeVotesMatter
@WEP_UK @MakeVotesMatter But remember as we face the snap election that big old parties and a big new party come into this with campaigning already long under way yet not properly accounted or transparent, polarising further. It may feel more hopeless than ever but it's more important than ever to engage
