The Express are hyper-obsessed with Brexit.

So far today, they've published 28 stories on the subject - and it's not even 5pm!

Themes:
- EU as bully
- EU scared
- Other countries want to leave
- Ha ha ha, Brexit is hurting the EU
- EU failing over the vaccine
- Unfair red tape
At today's pace, that would be over 10,000 negative propaganda stories a year. Such single-minded mania explains a lot.

It is not even a tiny bit surprising that their regular readers are left with a blinkered, funhouse mirror world of reality.

How could they not be? Seriously.
But we can get a much more precise estimate of the extent of their propaganda war...

They have published 87,664 stories that mention Brexit.

Of those, 2,860 date back to before the referendum.

So that means they've published 84,804 stories about Brexit in 1,700 days. 50 a day!
Thought experiment: Imagine a Leaver who has read all 84,804 stories. That's a vast investment of time and energy.

Then someone tells them: "you never bothered to inform yourself, you're dumb, everything you know is wrong".

No wonder there are still furious exchanges!
(BTW, this is why I have said in the past that the Express is a useful source of info on Brexit. Their obsession means they dig up stories that don't make it to other papers. If you read past the 180-degree spin and seek out the nucleus of the story, it's sometimes useful stuff.)
It doesn't stop. Another 3 stories in the last couple of hours.

More of the same sorts of tropes:
- other EU members desperate to leave (they're not!)
- Brexit as a big opportunity for the UK (it's not!)
- personal attack on someone who dared voice criticism of Brexit

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More from @uk_domain_names

16 Feb
Culture wars would be impossible without the internet and social media...

Take a fringe view, held by a few people per town. Before, it would never have reached critical mass.

But now those people can find likeminded souls all over the world, swelling their numbers to millions.
What happens when lots of like-minded people congregate in one place (even remotely)? A whole ecosystem develops to leech off them.

Thus the rise of far-right news channels in the US (and soon, the UK too), radio shock jocks, etc. etc.
But something more dangerous happens too: mutual reinforcement.

Whatever conspiracy theory or knuckle-dragging societal viewpoint you subscribe to, you will have a never-ending stream of people all too willing to confirm your worldview.

You bolster theirs. They bolster yours.
Read 5 tweets
16 Feb
"Travellers in quarantine hotels in England face an additional bill of up to £1,200 if they test positive for coronavirus during their stay, the government has revealed."

They have to pay to extend quarantine. Takes them close to £3,000. 😱 theguardian.com/world/2021/feb…
Boris Johnson's dismissive answer (paraphrased): since it's illegal to go on holiday at the moment, they jolly well ought to pay.

But...
A) It hasn't been illegal throughout the pandemic. People may have left the UK before it was illegal
B) People travel for non-holiday reasons
Why not have a system like in Japan, where people are not allowed to use public transport from the airport? (They have to be picked up by family members, or take a "covid secure" special taxi.)

Then they self-isolate at home, with regular checks. (Done properly, no cut corners!)
Read 4 tweets
14 Feb
UK Government referendum leaflet, 2016: Brexit could result in 10 years or more of uncertainty.

Dominic Raab, 2021: You have to take a 10-year view of Brexit to see the growth opportunities. (Paraphrased.)

Project Fear? Project Fact! ImageImage
Here's more about what Raab said...
theguardian.com/politics/2021/…
Read 4 tweets
12 Feb
Donald Trump's impeachment defence is weird because his lawyer is bringing up stuff he says the Democrats didn't mention, when they did.

They spent a long time analysing what Trump did in the afternoon, but he's pretending the Democrats only addressed his conduct after 6pm.
He's also claiming the Democrats didn't explain what Trump did when, whereas all the exhibits they presented were meticulously time-stamped.
Plus the idea that evidentiary videos are better with film trailer-like music soundtracks is just... odd.
Read 4 tweets
12 Feb
Whoever "Corporate Travel Management (North) Ltd" is, they've just hit the jackpot!

They seem to be behind both the £1,750 quarantine hotels, and the mandatory £210 Covid home testing kits (for travellers arriving from destinations not on the Red List).
gov.uk/guidance/booki…
The link from the official government webpage takes you to this mid-1990s style gateway page.
…arantinehotelbookings.ctmportal.co.uk
From there, you can head to the CTM-branded "Managed Quarantine" hotel booking page...
quarantinehotels.ctmportal.co.uk

Or alternatively to the CTM-branded "Covid testing package" booking page.
quarantinehotels.ctmportal.co.uk/Quarantine/Hom…

In other words, their fingerprints are all over the whole thing!
Read 6 tweets
12 Feb
Brexiters: "Let's just sign any old Brexit deal. Financial services can wait until next year. It's not as if the City is going anywhere."

Banks and exchanges: "Click [Transfer] button. Done."

And just like that, London lost its crown for stock trading, derivatives trading etc.
"Amsterdam overtakes London as Europe's top share trading centre"
theguardian.com/business/2021/…
"Derivatives trades worth billions flees London for New York post-Brexit"

(Only left because London offers zero benefit as a location now we're out of the EU. Money doesn't care about geography, only legal and regulatory environment.)
uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/brexit-lo…
Read 7 tweets

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