‘People do not care much for the truth,’ warns former BBC chairman

Social media is destroying political discourse and is colouring people’s voting patterns, according to the former Cabinet minister and BBC Trust chairman, Lord [Chris] Patten.

Speaking at a conference organised by Blackfriars, Oxford, on truth-telling and politics, Lord Patten – who is also chancellor of Oxford University – attacked the quality of current debate, highlighting the election of Donald Trump in the US and the Brexit vote.

He accused social media of destroying “on the one hand and on the other” arguments. “Grey is not allowed to exist,” he said. “Of course social media links people across the world. But they exchange ideas and information, ‘truthiness’, and a sense of victimhood. If we’re lucky, they vote Trump. If we’re unlucky, they join Isis, and if we’re very unlucky, they shoot up a classroom of kids.”

“People do not care much for the truth anymore,” he said. “‘Truthiness’ means that it must be true because I have said it. Then when challenged as economising with the truth, people say: who believes experts any more?”

But another speaker, Jenny Sinclair, founder-director of Together for the Common Good, warned against crititicising those who voted for Mr Trump and for Brexit.

“Brexit and Trump are not surprising. For too long communities with traditional views have been held in contempt. The dignity of work is fast becoming a memory and there are people who feel exiled in their own country”.

Ms Sinclair urged the Churches to no longer ignore the white working class and to recognise their needs.

“According to Pope Francis, the poor are people with non-power. Can the Church welcome those with non-power even if they have tattoos and vote for Ukip?”