Letter: Why These False Flag Political Stunts?

Published on: 19 Apr, 2024
Updated on: 19 Apr, 2024

The Conservative “newspaper”

From: Brian Creese

Returning from holiday this week, I was surprised to see a “free paper” gathered together with the post. Of course, it wasn’t really a free independent newspaper but a Conservative party leaflet pretending to be.

Pretending, you may ask? Well that looks like Labour red on the front, and the middle pages are split between Lib Dem yellow and Green… well, green, with just a bit of sky-blue Tory on the back.

The “newspaper” itself is full of little untruths – here Angela Richardson is talking to ordinary local people – or actually Conservative councillors to you and me, and here is a local shopkeeper supporting the Tory PCC – ah yes it’s long-term prominent Tory supporter and funder Andrew Colborne-Baber.

The Lib Dems also continue to use the same tactic. This “newspaper” magazine supplement was distributed by them last month.

To be fair, I didn’t recognise everyone in the photos, but perhaps I don’t frequent the right circles.

To us, this may all seem a bit of a stupid game, but parties do this presumably because it works. Those less interested in politics give the paper a look over and think it is a genuine newspaper giving real facts.

Independent charity Full Fact are campaigning to get all political parties to stop producing these fake newspapers, a campaign which I fully support. You may not support the Guildford Labour Party but we will always tell you who we are because we are proud to be Guildford Labour.

If we ever need to put a leaflet out pretending to be anyone else it will be time for me to retire!

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