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Politics
Original poster

If Russia rigged Brexit - surely we'd have to vote again?

37 replies

raisinsarenottheonlyfruit · 02/12/2017 15:36

So the Trump-Russia scandal is unravelling before our eyes.

Flynn has plead guilty today to relatively minor charges because he's dished the dirt on his superiors. His superiors are only - Trump or the vice president (or both of them). This is going tits up for them.

Seth Abramson (American attorney) tweeted

"Putin's election interference, as Harding notes, was part of a years-long campaign to destroy the EU, NATO, and, yes, the United States. Complicity in that campaign is complicity in an attempt by Putin to reinstate the Cold War and demolish Western democracy. It's that big."

We're also learning that the extent of the Russian bots on Facebook and Twitter attempting to influence opinion on Brexit -
urging people to vote leave - was huge.

If Russia influenced the vote then it wasn't the will of the people - was it?

This sounds like a conspiracy theory but It's not - this is mainstream news! (Catch newsnight later to hear Seth Abramson's analysis of Trump or read his Twitter account here

At what point do we accept our political process was corrupted?

OP posts:
MrsTerryPratchett · 03/12/2017 16:22

It's only important because the vote was so close. Had we used the two-thirds majority convention for major changes we wouldn't be here. Major constitutional change based on a strict majority is bloody stupid. You'd think the people organising this would have known that.

AgnesSkinner · 03/12/2017 12:04

Interesting article on how social media shaped the Leave campaign:

www.referendumanalysis.eu/eu-referendum-analysis-2016/section-7-social-media/impact-of-social-media-on-the-outcome-of-the-eu-referendum/

Original poster
raisinsarenottheonlyfruit · 03/12/2017 09:07

InfiniteSheldon what kind of comment is that?

Does it not concern you that Russia is trying to influence our political process?

OP posts:
InfiniteSheldon · 03/12/2017 06:09

I thought it was only stupid old people who voted Leave do they use Twitter a lot then?

Original poster
raisinsarenottheonlyfruit · 02/12/2017 17:58

It's eye opening isn't it! (Understatement!)

OP posts:
Jenala · 02/12/2017 16:03

Thanks for the Twitter thread link!

Original poster
raisinsarenottheonlyfruit · 02/12/2017 15:50

But lying to people and saying stupid things on the side of buses

But this isn't about our own politicians telling lies. This is about a foreign government trying to influence our political process, to destabilise our unions, for their own ends.

We can't just shrug and say "it was just a few tweets" - I expect we don't know the half of it!

OP posts:
Original poster
raisinsarenottheonlyfruit · 02/12/2017 15:48

Sorry I mean last night's Newsnight! Did anyone see it?

OP posts:
MrsTerryPratchett · 02/12/2017 15:44

If they had stolen ballot boxes or rugged machines to count differently; yes. But lying to people and saying stupid things on the side of buses isn't the same. It's just 'politics'. Unfortunately we no longer value critical thinking so people can't judge these tweets/posts.

Agustarella · 02/12/2017 15:40

I don't think a few tweets (or even a lot of tweets) in the runup to the referendum made much difference, compared with decades of Europhobic disinformation from the right wing newspapers. But if 'Putin caused Brexit' provides a face-saving way for Leave voters to admit they were wrong, then bring it on!

GardenGeek · 02/12/2017 15:39

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

CiderwithBuda · 02/12/2017 15:39

I have no idea but it's shocking. But I can't see there being another referendum unfortunately. Although I do feel there should be an investigation here.