Yes, I listened to that student with an open mouth. I was also astounded at some of the poll results; a majority of people polled after last nights debate thought Johnson was dishonest, yet a majority still wanted him as PM. Which means that a significant number of people would elect someone they actually recognise to be dishonest and untrustworthy.
Two things seem to be happening here. First we have two contrasting styles of leadership, Corbyn’s collaborative coalition building and Johnson’s dogma and deceit. Corbyn will look at complex issues and try to build agreement, Johnson will just promise simple, believable lies that people are happy to vote for. The student in Sheffield liked Johnson because he was telling her what to think, she didn’t like Corbyn because she was being asked to think for herself. It was noticeable that Johnson’s only attack line last night was on Corbyn’s personal Brexit position. Wether Corbyn campaigns for his deal or Remain is completely irrelevant, the point is that people will at last have the info to make an informed decision. The problem is of course that it appears that many people don’t want to have the responsibility of assessing information and making a decision themselves, like the Sheffield Student, they need to be told what to think and to have decisions made for them
Second is Johnson’s popularity despite his known lies and a majority of voters believing him to be totally untrustworthy, yet would still vote for him. But it seems from a few posts here that it’s not just a question of Johnson’s lies, some people seem to invent their own lies, such as Corbyn has ‘a stated aim to end capitalism’, and build a kind of fear around an imagined scenario.
While people vote for lies both real and imagined, this country will continue on the path of declining working conditions for the less advantaged, damage to the environment, rampant racism, and public services being decimated further and further that it has been on for the last half century.
