SIR - “The smart way to keep people passive and obedient is to strictly limit the spectrum of acceptable opinion, but allow very lively debate within that spectrum”. This Noam Chomsky quote holds much relevance in light of current events in politics and the media and describes the Overton window theory in action.
The establishment’s method of propaganda is to continue to control the narrative by moving political debate in a direction which normalises plutocracy, austerity dogma, monetarist capitalism and confrontational foreign policy. Its double action at the same time is to rebrand post-war social democracy as extremist, fundamentalist and dangerous.
When facts, logic and statistics get the better of them during debate then a smear campaign or ten is the perfect antidote. Also, these facts, logic and statistics get little media attention via mainstream TV news or the lion's share of national newspapers. If this occurred, the political establishment would lose control of the narrative and the grey matter of the masses might start analysing current affairs more deeply.
Thankfully the T&A has more mixed opinion, rather than being a neo-liberal echo chamber like the majority of national media.
George Hitchcock, Southlands, Baildon
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