The Rise of Political Lying

by Peter Oborne

Being "economical with the truth" has become almost a jokey euphemism for the political lie -- a cosy insider's phrase for the disingenuousness that is now accepted as part and parcel of political life. But as we face the third term of a government that has elevated this kind of economics almost to an art form, is it now time to question the creeping invasion of falsehood? What does the rise of the political lie say about our society? At what point, if we have not reached it already, will we cease to believe a word politicians say? Tracing the history of political falsehood back to its earliest days but focusing specifically on the exponential rise of the phenomenon during the Major and Blair governments, Peter Oborne demonstrates that the truth has become an increasingly slippery concept in recent years. From woolly pronouncements that are designed merely to obfuscate to outright and blatant lies whose intention is to deceive, the political lie is never far from the surface. And its prevalence has led to a catastrophic decline in trust, at a time when people are more politicised than ever. Rigorous, riveting, and profoundly shocking, this is a devastating book about one of the single biggest issues facing us today.

Genres: Politics, Nonfiction

256 pages, Paperback

First published November 6, 2014

Reviews

[Robert's reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.7

My Dad acquired this book a while ago from a second hand book store and he gave it to me to read. If you're into UK politics or politics in general then this should interest you.
The book covers the lies and manipulations of the John Major and New Labour governments. The section on the Iraq War is definitely a must read. However, I take issue with the author's main argument that New Labour saw a rise of 'political lying'. Every government has lied to its electorate in one way or another throughout history. The only reason political lying may have been less in the past is likely down to the fact the electorate represented such a small selection of the population. Tony Blair may have lied, but I'm not buying that he did it any more than other governments.
This book remains as relevant as ever with the continued dissemination of fake news.

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brilliant denunciation of the political class and the systematic destruction of truth in our public debate. Chilling.

[BeesReads · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was written in 2005 by political journalist Peter Oborne as the British 'New Labour' government was drawing to the end of its second term and about to win its 3rd term.
Political lying has taken place throughout the centuries. In the UK, it started to crank up with the Conservative governments of the 1980s and from the mid-90s, was elevated to an art form under the Blairite 'New labour' government. Now, of course, some 13 years after the book was written, political lying by government ministers and members of parliament (on all sides) to each other and to the public is both commonplace and accepted as part and parcel of the political life.
Oborne was editor of the Spectator (a British journal on the right) at the time of writing this book. The book is not a heavy read and gives many checked and referenced examples.
If the book were to be updated, I wonder how Oborne might consider the impact of social media and ready access to alternative, unofficial news sources?
In my opinion, while I do believe political lying has escalated in the past 40 years, I do wonder if the impact of social media and alternative news media has enabled us to discover the lies much more easily rather than having to wait 30 years for official papers to be released (and when they are released much is often redacted). How much has lying increased, and how much was there all along without the means to find "them" out?
Despite all the issues around "fake news" and social media, the book convinces me even more that it is essential that political attempts to curb the access to alternative media by the public must be resisted and people encouraged, instead, to weigh up many sources and find the nuggets of truth within.

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is surprising that there was a time when lying was not standard in day to day politics.

This is a good book but I could not finish it. There were too many examples of lying politicians. Overall, the book seems very relevant today.

[Alexander · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed it, felt it was a bit overladen with examples at times and lacking in theory but in general a good angle on why people are so disenfranchised with politicians. He comes off as well balanced as well. Fuck Tony Blair, fuck Alastair Campbell grrrrr

[severyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oborne is so enormously precise in his dissection of political lying that I cannot help but be drawn to it.

[Jessica Wilkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very insightful, even if Oborne does contradict himself at times. It is depressing though how little has changed since he wrote this around the early days of the New Labour government.

[Jack · Rating 2 out of 5]

Now quite dated but even for the time it was written it seems naive and also not as even handed as it claims to be

[Lilian Costa · Rating 3 out of 5]

It felt more of a criticism to Tony Blair than a book about the rise of mendacity in politics in general.

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good collection of modern political lying, focusing very much on the "new Labour" government that was still in power when it was published.

It has a couple of foibles: Oborne seems convinced that Blair's Labour were the first government in modern times to lie systematically. This seems naive (irrespective of the author's political sympathies, which I guess are conservative since he was a Spectator journalist at the time).

He drags in a bit of history and a bit of philosophy, appositely enough, but doesn't have anything hugely insightful to say there: he reckons it may well have been ok ("legitimate" is his curious choice of word) for medieval Italians back in the days of Machiavelli to lie like billy-o whenever convenient, but that it definitely isn't now. A reasonable position, maybe, but he doesn't really argue for it. Basically he says times were tough back then. And what, they're not now?

Anyway, pointless to quibble; as I say, a handy sourcebook for one recent bunch of liars; also some interesting, if, sketchily argued, claims about the harm lying does to social and political life. And pretty readable.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read long ago. V good