Image: Orwell's famous Ministry of Truth propaganda from his novel, 1984.
I’ve learned to hate Russians
All through my whole life
If another war starts
It’s them we must fight
Bob Dylan, With God on Our Side, 1964
The hysteria over the alleged Russian role in the poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter is an extraordinary case study in the continuing relevance of understanding state propaganda in 21st century Britain. What happened to the Skripals has become less and less clear and we are still in no position to say that the Russians (or any other state) did, or did not, have a role. This is also a cautionary tale for the Corbyn project. The danger is not so much that people might believe the lies, but that significant figures in the Corbyn camp feel that they have to go along with them.
