Howard Cohen

They know how to use and manipulate online sharing and social media, utilising the lack of regulation or policing. We need to catch up fast and start playing the same games. We're just too "nice" and that doesn't work in a cut-throat unregulated media world. So how do we do it, before it's too late?

Blue-Sky is great for us to all be nice to each other but that’s not going to cut through to influence anyone whose mind needs to be convinced to take a more progressive path. Unfortunately the far-right have been far better at using the new tools of communication than anyone else.

These huge petitions are not real petitions, they’re manipulative tools, to convince people that everyone else agrees with their far-right views. They start with something relatively benign, like calling an election, and then move on to more extreme issues. So how do the centre-left counter it?

The recent "petition" calling for a General Election shows the power of social media for right-wing populists. It's scary that millions were found to sign it, but it shows how easy it is for the far-right to manipulate people. Next, they will no-doubt try one on immigration or capital punishment.

Hello! Just finding my around here. Already looks infinitely better than Muskland.