analysis

The phrase “post-truth” has been doing the rounds for a good while but became popular parlance in the political bubble thanks to tactics some might describe as dubious being deployed in bids to win public support.

Dodgy claims to grab votes? Who would’ve thunk it? Except this particular brand is new and a little different, perhaps a little more sinister.

Take Michael Gove’s claim we have all “had enough of experts” or Donald Trump’s insistence on calling Hillary Clinton “crooked Hillary” over investigations into her private email accounts, despite the fact the FBI found nothing illegal.

We are in an era where “elites” are being vilified and, quite correctly, people want answers about why they have been left behind by the system in many respects.

But if we ditch the facts and ignore the truth, then we will get stuck in a feedback loop of lies which only serves those demagogues who seek to keep us in our places for their benefit.