It was disconcerting to read Julian Borger’s article “Why are libertarians now teaming up with autocrats to undermine democracy” (In Focus) followed by Catherine Bennett and Carole Cadwalladr’s Comment items, both concerning media bullying.
Most of us will be tempted to form alliances with others who share our objectives and rightwing libertarian activists are no different. On this occasion, that objective seems to be undermining the “big government” of Europe and it is no surprise that autocrats will eagerly assist. However, they probably see this as an intermediate step to creating a vacuum that they intend to fill.
Journalists who challenge this are demonised (a Russian press attache has already branded Cadwalladr as bad), judges condemned as public enemies because the law is inconvenient and any MPs prepared to stand by their principles are derided, harangued by trolls; even death threats become a real possibility.
I’m not contending that Leave.EU, the Daily Telegraph or the Daily Mail are deliberately aiding those who would profit by weakening the UK, but surely they realise that discrediting all who dare to disagree with their narrative prepares the ground.
Any vacuum will inevitably be filled by the bully with the largest and most aggressive media presence. One such player is Vladimir Putin, with his army of bots and cyborg accounts that could control – and, when appropriate, manufacture – the news fed to us. If rightwing libertarian activists believe that self-direction crucially defines a free life, they need to question who they want to fashion the echo chamber in which we will all have to live and to what extent their activities would be tolerated by either Trump or Putin.
Graham Rex
Swansea
Those who have been following Carole Cadwalladr’s recent series of articles on Russia’s role in Brexit may have found the threats made against her in the crude guise of humour quite chilling (“My fear and fury in the eye of the Russia-Brexit storm”).
The government’s duty to uphold the right to free speech is perhaps nowhere more important than in the field of journalism. If known and identified groups, based in the UK, are allowed to intimidate journalists, who is to prevent those groups targeting their readers?
The extreme Brexiters have shown no compunction in verbally attacking MPs, senior civil servants and the judiciary. Cadwalladr is on the front line; if she isn’t robustly defended, how long could it be before those who choose to read her work are identified and vilified? As a former police officer, I am concerned that the criminal law seems to offer little protection from this sort of conduct.
Bob Denmark
Garstang
Lancashire
The time has surely come when Labour has to make an unambiguous stand against Brexit. It is becoming increasingly clear, surely to the population at large, that Brexit would impair our security, even our peace, our culture, our capacity to learn and research, our voice in the world, our voice for reason, our ability to collaborate both within these islands and across Europe, our values systems, our sense of community and our trading potential.
We have been sold a pup, on the back of lies, misinformation and very dodgy money, as Cadwalladr makes clear, and Labour needs to expose the deceit for what it is.
David Curtis
Solihull
West Midlands
