I have recently spoken with Cllr Paul Deach, who represents me at both Borough & County council.
He has recently written a blog about honesty in election campaign leaflets, and highlighted how an opposition party gave some facts in their election campaign leaflets but added some misinformation so that the reader would conclude the party (in opposition to the other one) had done wrong! The full blog can be accessed through this link.
Cllr Deach also highlighted an important issue; whilst there are no laws to punish publication of misinformation in political literature, there is a moral duty on parties, candidates and even volunteers not to mislead voters! I totally agree with him! Democracy is honoured only when voters are respected, provided with truthful information and given the opportunity to make their own judgment based on the truth and not twisted facts or even half-the-truth!
Perhaps in the world where the electorate is given misinformation so easily, there is also a moral duty on the electorate to ensure their judgment is based on facts and to that end to seek the truth and discern the truth from lies/twisted facts/misrepresentation!
Besides, perhaps the Parliament could consider what measures can be taken to protect the electorate from the sea of misinformation so easily available on not only social media but on printed election campaign literature!
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