You are letting your own personal interpretation of another person’s comments influence your response, in this case.
I wasn’t implying that anyone was an idiot.
I was implying that some people were sold an idea by some politicians who knew it to be an untruth. They were duped.
The lie was perpetuated in the media and as often happens, an often repeated lie, in some people’s mind, becomes a truth.
That the idea was repudiated didn’t stop the bus from featuring regularly in news bulletins and in photos in the press, keeping the thought in the minds of those that don’t use other means to check for accuracy, other than their daily paper or the news bulletins.
And I very much doubt that the Brexit supporting press made a big show of pointing out that the bus lie, was indeed a lie.
I honestly believe that this lie had a bigger effect on the vote than others may believe.
Personal opinion.
The bus falsely stated the whole amount ignoring the rebate - We agree
The remain numbers stated the net contribution after the EU spend some of our contribution on us - We don't agree.
Both parties used misleading amounts when detailing what we pay which should have been the £350m - rebate and not including what the EU chooses to spend here that we have no control over.
The lie was not perpetuated in the media. For months every time a remainer was on the media questioned the £350m figure virtually before any other questioning. Even Farage admitted every time the £350 figure was wrong. It was probably the most scrutinised item of both sides through the whole campaign continually being corrected at every news bulletin, panel show, debate etc. The "net" contribution never received the same scrutiny despite it being fact that the money coming back to us was "our money" anyway and not in our control to decide where we spend it.
The reality is that the money we will "gain" will be the £350m (or whatever it is) minus the rebate.............and once we have stopped paying that we can "fund" all sorts of things that our governments choose. Whether that be £18bn (£350m x 52 weeks) or the £14bn that most suggest. It will not be £8.6bn that the remain camp stated (£13.1bn - 4.5bn.)
The argument/discussion we are actually having though is not about those numbers up there because both sides misled on the real number. It is about you thinking it had a massive impact on the voting intentions directly through the numbers quoted and your assertion that people thought it meant the whole contribution would be going to the NHS instead.
You think loads were "duped." I think that not many at all were duped.
The general idea that people thought "yes we should be spending that money on other things instead" I have no problem with. Just the assertion that people's votes were swung on the figure quoted or interpreted the message as it all going to the NHS.
I think (my opinion) it had vastly smaller impact on voting intention than the "fear factor" had on people who might have thought "better vote remain."
I still cannot get my head around the constant banging on about the printed press. The BBC alone has one of (No1?) the most viewed websites in the country and the dominant news channel. Sky news regularly "debunked" the £350m, Radio is dominated by the BBC. They regularly "debunked" the £350m.
The most likely demographic to actually read the printed press are also the demographic most likely to be listening to BBC radio.
So we have differing opinions on this. I respect your personal opinion. I just don't agree with it.