It doesn’t. Here is a commentary from Mark Kieran of Open Britain. I don’t think he is a Farage fan. QUOTEIf you tuned into LBC this morning, you may have heard the MP for Clacton spewing noxious and inflammatory lies, which went almost entirely unchallenged by Nick Ferrari.The whole process of political dishonesty played out in front of us. First, false rumours are spread online. Then they’re echoed by edgy politicians. Finally, they’re legitimised by complacent traditional media. It’s a move straight from the far-right playbook and we need to stamp it out.This interview highlights exactly why Open Britain is working through our new All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Fair Elections - run jointly with our friends at Fair Vote UK - to challenge the system of lies and deceit that is poisoning our politics and eroding trust in our democratic system. Once again, we find ourselves in a face-off with Farage – and we need your support to win.In one short interview, Farage rattled off a long list of lies, deflections, and conspiracies that exist purely to dodge accountability, divide the public, and inflame hatred. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but in the span of half an hour, Farage:- Claimed that he still hasn’t gotten his way on Brexit – despite the fact that he got practically everything he wanted from Boris Johnson’s barebones deal.- Evaded questions about his almost constant absence from Clacton, dodging accusations from constituents about not answering emails.- Blamed literally everyone else for the summer race riots and refused to apologise for his role in fanning the flames, despite the fact that the violence can be traced to rumours he actively helped spread online.- Defended the January 6th 2021 insurrection in the United States, calling it a “meeting” and avoiding questions about Trump’s culpability.- Endorsed Trump’s fabricated conspiracy theory about Haitian migrants in Ohio eating people’s pets, dangerous rhetoric that has already triggered multiple bomb threats in Springfield, Ohio.Although Nick Ferrari asked a few follow-up questions, most of these claims were left unchallenged, drifting into the public conversation unchecked. It’s obvious that baseless lies and deflections, spread from anonymous online accounts to politicians and the media, have significant potential to undermine our democracy.So, we’re not just fighting for a fairer voting system…we’re also pushing for a major overhaul of our unregulated digital space. Politicians must be held accountable for their words, and the media must step up with real journalistic integrity, instead of offering easy questions and flattering interviews.To be clear, this issue goes far beyond Nigel Farage. But he, perhaps more than anyone else, embodies what is wrong with our political system and what we urgently need to fix. We can’t allow him to lead us down this path…he’s done enough damage to our country already.UNQUOTE
Jonathan Callaway ● 37d