Politicians' lies are getting bigger, but it isn't hurting them in the polls. Is the internet to blame? Can the problem be solved by cats? It seems unlikely, but let's give it a go. Welcome back to season two of White Man Behind A Desk! Thanks to our lovely patrons for making it possible. Support us on Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/whitemanbehindadesk Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whitemanbehindadesk Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/manwithdesk The music for the cat video is Corelli - Concerto Grosso, Op6 no4 by Advent Chamber Orchestra; sourced from the Free Music Archive. Bibliography! Claim: David Miscavige was allegedly violent against members of the church of Scientology. Source: http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/scientology/scientologists-level-accusations/story?id=8792417 Claim: Bertrand Russell wrote, “Whenever you find yourself getting angry about a difference of opinion, be on your guard, you will probably find … that your belief is going beyond what the evidence warrants.” Source: An Outline of Intellectual Rubbish, Page 67 of The Basic Writings of Bertrand Russell, Available online here: http://emilkirkegaard.dk/en/wp-content/uploads/The-Basic-Writings-of-Bertrand-Russell.pdf Claim: Boris Johnson said, “Take back control of huge sums of money; £350million a week and spend it on our priorities, such as the NHS.” Source: ITV EU Referendum Debate on the 9th of June 2016. Clip available online here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GR5pYPlvpeE Claim: The EU also gave money back to the UK. Source: The Guardian writes, “Treasury figures clearly show Britain’s EU budget rebate last year was £4.9bn. Deduct that from £17.8bn and you get £12.9bn – or £248m a week.” http://www.theguardian.com/politics/reality-check/2016/may/23/does-the-eu-really-cost-the-uk-350m-a-week Claim: A cross-party panel believed George Osborne made a “mistaken assertion”. Source: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-05-27/brexit-and-remain-campaigns-are-misleading-voters-lawmakers-say Claim: George Osborne’s projection of Britain’s GDP Post-Brexit, based on the Treasury’s estimate, was unrepresentatively low. Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/06/22/eu-referendum-fact-checking-the-big-claims1/ Claim: John Key said, “He’s one academic, and like lawyers, I can provide you with another one that will give you a counterview.” Source: Key on BBC’s Hardtalk. Quotation and clips available online here: http://www.listener.co.nz/commentary/john-keys-unhappy-week-at-the-bbc/ Claim: National’s 90 day trial policy’s main effects were “a decrease in dismissal costs” and “uncertainty” about “job security”. John Key responded to these claims with anecdotal evidence. Source: http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/news/politics/key-stands-by-90-day-trials-despite-treasury-report/ Claim: Statistics NZ evidence showed wealth inequality is growing; Steven Joyce denied this. Source: http://www.newshub.co.nz/politics/inequality-not-growing-govt-claims-2016070108 Claim: Andrew little claimed that John Shewan had not asked for an apology. He had. Source: https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/opinion-post-truth-era-in-politics Claim: Bill English said new Parental Leave legislation would cost $278 million. It would not. Source: http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/political/307504/english-admits-maths-error-in-bill-veto-defence Claim: John Key responded to concerns of voter disenfranchisement, by referring to the polls. Source: Interview with Corin Dann from Q+A on the 3rd of July, 2016, available online here: http://tvnz.co.nz/q-and-a-news/pm-s-reaction-aussie-election-results-video-6479759 Claim: Andrea Vance, on Mediawatch, said voters might no longer care about the truth. Source: Vance said the following: “I sometimes wonder if people want to hear the facts and the truth, or if they're more interested in hearing what they believe is the truth and to go along with the politicians that reinforce their prejudice.” Available online here: http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/mediawatch/audio/201807260/is-a-'post-truth'-era-upon-us Claim: Massey University Philosophy Professor W J Fish supports the view that one politician’s lie affects the public’s view of all politicians, rather than the one politician who lied. Source: Fish said the following, “Politicians will stop being believed. My concern is that unfortunately it’s not limited to one politician.” Available online here: http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/mediawatch/audio/201807260/is-a-'post-truth'-era-upon-us Claim: Social media, and the way we now consume news, seems to be the biggest reason that politicians are able get away with bigger lies than before. Source: ‘How technology disrupted the truth’, by Katherine Viner of The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/media/2016/jul/12/how-technology-disrupted-the-truth

• published: 22 Sep 2016
• views: 15657