I put it to him that our anxieties have developed in a trajectory from Cold War, to the war on terror to a ‘war on viruses’. He agreed, but shot back, ‘We destroyed other countries in the war on terror. This time we’re destroying our own.’
I asked Robinson how and why a government would destroy its own country. He was keen to clarify he didn’t mean ‘a caricature of conspiracy theory’ but rather ‘vested interests and agendas which coalesce. No social scientist would dispute we live in a world where there exist powerful actors with agendas. One of the ways through which agendas are pushed is propaganda. I would call this a major propaganda opportunity.’
Propaganda is Robinson’s speciality so I asked how he observed it at play. He was cautious, explaining that this was such a large event it would take months to research fully, but that censorship had raised a red flag: ‘Very early on it was clear that eminent scientists were questioning the approach. It’s likely the threat was being overplayed because some dissenting and credible scientists were being censored. The utility of lockdown, for example, has been extremely difficult to debate in public. Bad decision-making and groupthink could also be behind this, but there is manipulation of the narrative through propaganda going on as well.’
Censorship is one of the tools of propaganda. Others are false flags – the use of covert operations that appear to be carried out by other states – repetition, manipulation of the facts (lying), and the manipulation of emotions, notably fear.
‘People have been gripped by fear in an obsessive way, and to a degree far worse than occurred with fear of terrorism,’ said Robinson. ‘Propaganda is all about behavioural psychology, manipulation essentially, getting people to do what they wouldn’t otherwise do, through coercion, or incentive or deception. Not all persuasion is propaganda, but propaganda is manipulation and it is not democratic. The way some behavioural scientists have acted during the Covid-19 response runs the risk of unethical conduct. I think we should investigate and hold to account the professionals complicit in this. We in academia need to think about the ethics of this more. When I research and write I do not try and manipulate people, I am trying to get to the truth and inform people.’
When will political scientists and historians have a clear perspective on the motives and tactics used in the government’s Covid policies, if it took 20 years to understand the war on terror? ‘In the fullness of time it will become clearer,’ Robinson said, ‘as long we don’t lose democracy, because it’s not inconceivable that we are walking into an absolute nightmare in which freedom of speech and debate become significantly curtailed.’
SUSAN, 15, BY HER GRANDMOTHER
Our granddaughter, Susan, lives with us. We are her guardians. When she realised her mum wouldn’t be able to visit her, she got very upset about it. She started harming herself. She would get a sharp object and puts scores on her arms and legs.
It was very difficult to get her out of her bedroom in lockdown, even into the garden. She became like a hermit. I think she was probably depressed. It was very difficult. She’s doing GCSEs and it affected her school work too. She was upset about not seeing her mum and friends and she didn’t do any work.
Her and her brother facetimed their mum, but it was really hard. Once we could be in a bubble with her mum it got better. She’s also much happier now she is back at school. She has been having counselling at school.
Being inside all the time and self-harming… What were we doing? Looking back, were the rules necessary? I feel really sad and angry. Maybe at the beginning it made sense, but the longer it went on, no.
Susan’s mum will stay with us at Christmas, whatever the rules are, to make sure she doesn’t self-harm. I think her mum should be able to come over whenever. These days I say ‘Sod the rules.’
5. THE BUSINESS OF FEAR AND THE UNELECTED PSYCHOCRATS
‘If we understand the mechanisms and motives of the group mind, it is now possible to control and regiment the masses according to our will without their knowing it. In almost every act of our daily lives, whether in the sphere of politics or business, in our social conduct or our ethical thinking, we are dominated by the relatively small number of persons who understand the mental processes and social patterns of the masses. It is they who pull the wires which control the public mind.’
From Propaganda by Edward Bernays
Nudge theory is the concept in behavioural science which uses insights about our behaviour to ‘nudge’ our decision-making. Nudges are not mandates: they are subtle suggestions, and they happen without you even being aware.
We don’t always make decisions rationally; we simply don’t have time to evaluate each decision we make carefully. If you understand the psychological drivers beneath the surface thinking, you can positively influence people’s decisions and behaviour.
The person who coined the term ‘nudge’, Cass Sunstein, said, ‘By knowing how people think, we can make it easier for them to choose what is best for them, their families and society.’ Isn’t it great that there are people who know what is best for you? And who can change your thinking and behaviour without you even being aware of it? Rest assured, there are many behavioural scientists and their advocates embedded and advising within the UK government, nudging you towards what is best for you.
Britain is one of the pioneers in nudge theory. The Behavioural Insights Team (BIT), unofficially known as ‘the Nudge Unit’ was set up in 2010 under David Cameron’s government. Britain is so good at behavioural insights that we export it all over the world. The Nudge Unit is now
