On my mind

IF I told you some of the things that have happened to me you might smell a rat or even a Pinocchio. For example, I was arrested for smuggling political literature across the Berlin Wall, hosted a weekly BBC radio programme, was held up at gunpoint in Poland, played football against John Toshack and wrote a book about sex which was initially banned from publication.

You may have guessed that, tarnished by this post-truth era, I have been economical with the truth. In fact only three of the claims are true, but you will never know which ones. They are not easily verifiable and this inability to recognise authenticity is one of the most frustrating aspects of our lives today.

Those who are in authority in many communities and countries have now lost the trust and confidence of much of their population. Scapegoating, hypocrisy, short-term actions for long-term political gain, fudging and blatant porky pies are now common place. Even more worrying is the disconnect often shown between supporters of a cause or politician and the demonstrable truth.

The Washington Post’s Fact Checker has now recorded 20,000 examples of false or misleading claims by the US President.

In the UK the Prime Minister has a widespread reputation for ‘terminological inexactitudes.’

Those daring to challenge President Putin point to his KGB professional roots in deception and disinformation. Just three examples of propaganda-loving world leaders in whom trust has been eroded must jolt us to see the need for the development of ethical well-being as a priority in society.

The influential political theorist Hannah Arendt once wrote that the point of propaganda was not to propagate lies but to erode the public’s faith in the truth. But then, who knows?

■ Follow Graham on Twitter@geetdee