Social media is the game-changer.
It has become the tool of extreme right-wing fascist billionaires.
Not only are people like Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg bankrolling right-wing populists like Trump and Farage and getting openly involved in politics, but they are using their social media platforms to manipulate elections.
By spreading a constant stream of lies, conspiracy and disinformation, undermining experts, opposition politicians and generating fear, distrust and hate, they are actively undermining the very tenets of democracy.
They now use their algorithms to target people and play on their fears. This is brazen psychological manipulation on a massive scale.
By siding with the extreme right-wing evangelical movement, right-wing organisations like the National Rifle Association, climate deniers, vaccination deniers, white supremacists and other conspiracy nutcases, they have forged a conglomeration of lunatics that has become large enough to be electable.
All it took was to raise fears on immigration and racist unease about being displaced, coupled with lies about the economy, to create an unholy alliance.
Somehow they have convinced poor people that billionaires care about them. This is patently nuts. These billionaires are simply greedy monstrosities who are intent on profiteering.
The real problem is not immigrants making people poor; it’s billionaires not paying enough tax. That should be obvious. These greedy profiteers are fleecing poor people.
It is quite shocking the misery they are prepared to cause to make even more money!
The question is – how do we save democracy from these evil people? (and they are evil!)