The hidden persuaders

That was the title of a book on the US advertising industry by Vance Packard in the earlly sixties dealing with how advertisng could induce people to buy what they did not need.

This is what is now happening with stay in the EU campaign led by marketing/advertising man Cameron. But how is it hidden?

Well its not the out and out pro EU arguments its what surrounds them and who is talking. Vitrually all the great and the good in the media are London based. Many have never been North of Watford in their lives.Yet they dominate the BBC TV and Radio, ITN, Sky as well as the dead tree press. London is less than 20% of the UK population but over 90% of those in the media are London based so present the London metropolitan elite view even Mr Corbyn. London is pro EU on all sectors of its  society from its immigrant communities to the legal and City elite. So when the media wander out of their studios for a vox pop in schools or hospitals or any other area they wander down with their camera crew to the nearest London location and pretend this represents the UK. It does not!

Its more subtle when so called unbiased media experts do their paper reviews and are positive on pro EU stories and negative on UKIP. I listened to one such review on Sunday with four experts who all prefaced their remarks by stating how pro EU thet were implying that those with anti EU views were irrrational. This is a constant drip drip drip and as Mr Packard pointed oout 65 years ago delivers and reinforces their subliminal message. EU good, UKIP bad.

Most people are not even aware of this bias. It has been used down the centuries by those who control the media, governments and newspaper owners. Hitler's propaganda was twice as effective because of the subliminal messages it contained.

These messages are most effective if they are repeated and repeated and repeated by different people as the other great warmonger Blair did 15 years ago. Cameron uses different business leaders, former diplomats and failed politicians in the well orchestrated news managent programme we are now experiencing. Every day a new scare story from the EayJet  CEO , the PM etc.

It wears people down. Its effective and difficult to combat. Pointing out that this propaganda comes from the same people who wanted us to join the Euro, invade Iraq, destroy Gadaffi etc is probably the best riposte but it has to be repeated as often as possible with humour as Regan did to his opponents in the 80s with his there you go again remark, But repetition is essential. so keep on rubbishing the philes and pointing out their previous failures. Talk about failed EU commissioners like Kinnock, Patten, Juncker often enough and the message will get through.