Why Do Politicians Tell Lies? — Because Voters Believe Them!

If you talk rubbish or tell lies, someone sooner or later will call you out. Not with politicians, it seems. In true populist fashion, they spout what they think their voters want to hear and they get away with it. There are also very good hardworking politicians but they rarely make it to the top.

President Donald Trump promised to build a wall along the border (about 2,000 miles long and borders four states) to stop drug trafficking and all sorts of criminals from entering the USA. The rhetoric was simple, effective and a load of rubbish as I hope to show in this article.

Trump announced the wall over and over again. He thinks it is a really good idea.

“I will build a great great wall.”

“That’s a Trump wall, a beautiful wall.”

“I will build the greatest wall you have ever seen.”

“They will put my name on it — I want a gorgeous wall.”

But has he done his homework?

Basically, a wall like this is a useless and costly enterprise. What Donald Trump “forgot” to tell voters or maybe because he simply does not know what he is talking about, is that:-

· About a third of the wall is already done (Thanks to George Bush’s Secure Fence Act (2006) and voted for by Barack Obama and Hilary Clinton.)

· About 50% of the 11 million undocumented immigrants now in the country did not come through the southern border. They just flew in with a visa, got through the passport check at the airport and stayed on as illegal immigrants. Donald Trump never talks about these people nor does he seem to want to take any action on the issue at all.

· Enormous environmental damage as 36 laws have been waived so that the wall comes first and the environment, properties, animal welfare, and wildlife are ruined as all the laws in place such as Endangered Species Act, Wilderness Act, National Environmental Policy Act, and Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act have all been disregarded.

· Walls are never effective at stopping smuggling or human trafficking. Criminals use drones, ramps, underground tunnels. You name it, there is a way around it, under it or over it!

· Just $7 billion has been spent so far and according to the Congressional Research Service, the impact on immigration and smuggling has been barely noticeable.

· Stanford University researchers reported in 2018 that the wall has had a negative economic impact on US citizens.

· The wall makes absolutely no difference to the 40 million Americans living in poverty. Neither will it be of any consolation to those millions of Americans facing eviction because of rising rents.

· Total costs for the wall seem to rise by the week. Donald Trump first said it would cost $4 billion but the latest figures show a more realistic estimate of around $25 billion!

· Maintenance costs of the wall for the first 7 years would cost the same as the initial cost of constructing it.

Given that the benefits are almost nil, the Americans have been hoodwinked into believing the wall is really useful and they have chosen instead to believe a lying President.

Boris Johnson, the British PM peddles untruths too.

Boris Johnson is infamous for his love affair with untruths. They are all over his career. He made up a quote from his grandfather, a well-respected historian in The Times article Boris wrote. The grandfather, Colin Lucas, was furious because he had never said that and Boris was fired.

As a journalist for The Telegraph, he was well known for writing “Euromyths”. He claimed the EU was going to regulate the size of coffins and also the size and shape of bananas!

You can read a list of 60 lies by Boris Johnson here, published by The Mirror.

Fast forward to today when Boris Johnson has to lead the UK out of Europe and broker a deal with the EU. He claimed that he would be in favor of an Australian type trade deal with the EU.

The EU response was damning in that they stated flatly no such agreement exists and Australia trades with the EU under WTO terms.

Just a few days ago, the British PM stated the government was actively considering building a bridge between Northern Ireland and Scotland to solve post-Brexit trade issues.

But Johnson has already failed at building a garden bridge across the Thames which was abandoned. But before it was ditched, a whopping £53 million had been spent. This was public money from the Department of Transport and also Transport for London. The Prime Minister may have to face a court case on charges of misconduct in public office.

A bridge over troubled waters?

The idea of the latest bridge has been severely criticized by engineers. Let us look at why Boris Johnson is totally misguided on this project.

· The initial cost would only be £15 billion! Engineers say it is “bonkers” to price a bridge before a plan has been approved.

· With the threat of a global recession and gloomy forecasts on the UK’s economy post Brexit, commentators are protesting that this money could be better spent on health, education and supporting industry.

· This stretch of sea is home to the Beaufort Dyke which is a deep trench where Second World War munitions (1 million tonnes) were dumped. There were also revelations in 1997 that the British had dumped nuclear waste there as well!

· It is also a sea crossing that can be more than 300 meters deep. While not impossible, this would pose threats to the construction. Engineers also point to regular stormy conditions and high winds which, together with the depth, would mean that this would require the highest support towers anywhere in the world.

• Lack of rail and road infrastructure at both ends of the bridge make this a nice pipe dream.

Let’s hope the UK will concentrate on getting the country back on track after Brexit, rather than impossible projects like this one.

While a bridge will always connect rather than a wall which will always separate and divide, politicians need to do their homework. That would be much better than dangling dazzling projects in front of misguided and gullible voters.

“He knows nothing; and he thinks he knows everything. That points clearly to a political career.” ― George Bernard Shaw, Major Barbara