In which your host looses his rag with people who are not paying attention.
So, a bit of history first. Always good to get that out of the way.
Project Fear, apart from sounding like an amazing new ride at [insert name of favourite theme part], sounds like something that has been batted around by people for as long as man has undertaken political debate with man.
Nope. It may surprise you to know that Rob Shorthouse, communications director for Better Together (a pro keep Scotland in the UK group), is attributed as having coined the phrase in 2014, during the Scottish Independence Referendum. Now, this is where it gets a bit odd, so bear with me. Better Together was being accused of scaremongering in order to get people to vote to remain part of the UK, by a group that wanted an independent Scotland called, simply, Yes Scotland. Rob suggested, in jest, that it might be a handy phrase Yes Scotland could use instead of ‘scaremongering’. I am sure he did not expect anyone to take the suggestion literally.
But those Scots, they are a canny lot, and they spotted an opportunity. Alex Salmond, then leader of the SNP (Scottish Nationalist Party) used it to taunt Alistair Darling (Labour, pro Union) during a televised debate.
In 2016 during the EU Referendum Campaign the term was re-introduced by non other than Boris Johnson! He claimed that the pro-EU campaign were agents of ‘Project Fear’ trying to ‘spook’ the electorate (he also claimed that we would get £350 million a week back to give to the NHS! He also said he wouldn’t use the archaic instrument of proroguing parliament. Oh, Boris!). So BoJo The First was responsible for the new use of the term to refer to anyone who opposed his view on leaving Europe.
But wait, BoJo was not the only one to use it during the campaign, I hear you cry. Go on then, you are right of course. John McDonnell, Labour Shadow Chancellor said:
“The EU referendum is about our future relationship with Europe, not who is the next leader of the Tory Party … the Labour leadership will not go anywhere near the Tories’ ‘project fear’ campaign on both sides of the debate. But instead we will continue to set out the positive case to ‘Remain and Reform’ the EU to create ‘Another Europe’”
Alistair Darling, still campaigning to stay put said:
“Project Fear? In fact, it is a reality check. The kind anyone would take before making such an enormous decision in their lives.”
David Cameron, he who called the Referendum as Conservative Prime Minister said:
“The only project I’m interested in is Project Fact. Project Fact is about saying: ‘Stay in and you know what you’ll get.'”
So What is Project Fear?
Looking at the main use of the term, it would appear that anyone who wishes to warn others of the potential impact of a decision is now just spouting ‘Project Fear’.
It seems unfortunate that the term has now become so widely used by Pro Leave factions that it has become a real thorn in the side of anyone who disagrees with their point of view. It is interesting to note that it does appear to mainly be used as a way of deflecting the recipient of the information from having to come up with a coherent anti argument. It is almost as prevalent on Twitter and Facebook as ‘You lost, get over it’ and the term ‘remoaners’ for anyone who doesn’t agree with the Leave view point.
When I was a kid they used to stick their fingers in their ears, close their eyes and hum loudly. I think I prefer that on Twitter and Facebook as I won’t be able to see or hear them.
Quick, copyright an emoji that does that – you’ll make a fortune.
In current times, anyone who does not support the exiting of the EU by the UK, anyone who does support it but does not think No Deal is a viable option, anyone who has the temerity to stick there hand up and call the Government to account is said to be spreading ‘Project Fear’.
Heaven help you if you want to defend democracy!
But you are just trying to frighten people, it is Project Fear
I get people telling me this almost every time I try to explain facts and figures that show that a No Deal Brexit is not a safe option for us as a nation.
Following on from my rambling walk over the stats on medication, I saw someone say that they had a cousin who worked in the NHS and there were no such worries. Well blow me! Hundreds of facts and figures gleaned from reading government reports, professional journals and looking at the NHS Shortage list which is growing rapidly (a list of medications that the NHS is now allowed to pay way over the odds for because of short supply), and all I actually needed to do was ask this ladies cousin. They may be a receptionist, a nurse, a porter, maybe even a consultant in the NHS, we aren’t told. Hell, they could even be a Director of one of the Trusts. I some how doubt it.
So, my main reason for today’s topic is that I am sick to death of accusations from people that I am just trying to frighten people. The main reason I include so many quotes from documents and from the Governments own sources is to show that I am not making stuff up. If you don’t believe what I say, go and do some reading online. It is all there. I don’t have a magic knowledge tree that tells me what to say. I form opinions by going off and doing the reading.
Some of the articles I read have quotes in them that seem totally at odds with the main article, suggesting that the government does not think we should worry. I don’t dismiss these, I include them. And I also look in to them. I then decide, taking a balanced view, whether I think there is a trend there or not, and on balance I write what I see.
Am I biased? Yes, everyone is. You hear about people saying they are being impartial. I just ask them whose side they are being impartial on though. We all have our own opinions. They are formed from our life experiences and what we see and hear and read.
I am a proud European. Born and bred in Europe, in Rugby in Warwickshire in the UK in fact. Even though we weren’t part of the EC when I was born, we were still part of Europe. That won’t change if we leave the EU either. Might surprise a few people. Even that Great British ingenuity will not help. Doesn’t matter how many Welshmen we get to try to tow the country towards Florida!
I am also a bit of a Globalist. By that I mean that I see global political affiliation as being a good thing. The more countries join together to work together, the less likely there will be a war and the more likely we are to solve some of the real pressing issues of our time such as Starvation, Homelessness, Disease and Climate Change.
So yes, I am pro remain, and no I am not a card carrying member of Project Fear.
You can find out more about Project Fear by watching this new 10 part TV Series:
Government is secretly being run by aliens whose aim is to reintroduce carnivorous dinosaurs to Britain by vaccinating children with dinosaur DNA. Only one man knows and can stop them. But can he and his handsome assistant stop Project Fear alone? Rated 18 for bad language and nudity. Contains scenes of trolling! Definitely contains nuts.
TTFN