BeechBaby wrote:
This, IMO is the real villain and the sheeple lap it up.
Interesting. So this is really what Brexit was all about.
It is certainly true that the British people are extraordinarily badly served by our press, who pump out pure propaganda in the name of truth, and are remarkably successful in convincing the weak of intellect and knowledge of their lies, or half truths.
The nexus between “The Establishment” (ie government, big business, hereditary wealth and title, established religion etc) and the ownership and editors of the Press is very close.
This is not to say that journalists are necessarily part of the cabal. Many of them are intelligent, educated and informed. It is interesting to compare articles in, for example, The Daily Mail, (written by journalists) with their headlines (written by editorial staff). There are fairly often examples where the two barely coincide. But it’s the headlines, not the content, that are remembered.
Politicians know that the Press can make or break them, whether by lying about their policies or making spectacular and distorted claims about their private lies, so there is little control introduced over the lies they publish and the crimes they commit.
When the people suck up the lies they are told, and reproduce them, unfiltered by their own intellect, in social media, pubs, taxis and hairdressers – just like a virus – then they are indeed behaving like sheep. I think that “sheeple” is not an unreasonable contraction.
And yes, this exactly how a tiny group of self interested and malign Establishment figures managed to convince 52% of the nation to commit economic and political suicide.
Timothy wrote:
malign Establishment figures managed to convince 52% of the nation to commit economic and political suicide.
I think sir you do a great disservice to the people of this amazing country with your view. We are not sheep and we do have the power of independant thought which is why we voted to leave an unvoted for and extremely undemocratic system know as the EU.
The people of the UK voted to join the EEC and NOT a Federal EU which is what the EEC was corrupted to by the unelected rulers of the EU. You could of course leave these shores and live in EU land still if it offends you greatly to be here but why not stay and enjoy the freedoms we fought so hard for?
I am not saying that all Brexit voters are sheep. Indeed, no-one on this forum lacks intellectual curiosity, or they would not be here in the first place.
Of course there were intellectual and emotional arguments for Brexit, and it is quite reasonable that some people thought it through and came to that conclusion. My point is that there is a great rump of people who do not think or analyse, as you clearly do, but simply are led to their views by the Press.
That group could be as small as 5% of those who voted Brexit for the outcome to be as it was. I suspect that the number is somewhat larger, but that is not the point. The point is that there were enough of them to swing the vote, and that I am not condemning all Brexit voters with that brush.
Please don’t step over the boundary to “virtue signalling” eg I didn’t vote for X because everyone who voted for X is an idiot, etc. That is what Facebook is for.
You clearly either didn’t read what I said or don’t understand the term “everyone” 
The 3rd possibility is that I am doing my job, on topics which nearly always go the same way.
BeechBaby wrote:
Apologies if I upset you with the word.
The word doesn’t upset me. The attitude does.
Evidently, there is an evolutionary advantage.
Timothy wrote:
The nexus between “The Establishment” (ie government, big business, hereditary wealth and title, established religion etc) and the ownership and editors of the Press is very close.
I wonder if a system might work in which those elements compete for power and influence, versus cooperating with each other against you, and the press reports in it. No, of course not, that would be uncivilized… 
Fenland_Flyer wrote:
You could of course leave these shores and live in EU land still if it offends you greatly to be here but why not stay and enjoy the freedoms we fought so hard for?
Or alternately leave the whole thing happily behind except for visits, something like going to an adult Disneyland and spending money earned elsewhere, where it can be done without quite the same level of frustrating irrationality or concern for governmental nonsense. Only a few enjoy life in Disneyland, most get little pay, can’t escape the crowd, live under dictatorial rules and have to wear a costume. Think about that next time you wear a nice tie or don your hi viz vest.
