Brexit and Impeachment, Now and Forever?

Yes, Rupert, you're worth $20 billion. But you're still just worthless riffraff.Prensa Internacional/ZUMA

Get your news from a source that’s not owned and controlled by oligarchs. Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily.

It seems likely—or at least possible—that Brexit and acquittal will happen on the same day. Tomorrow Britain will no longer be part of the EU and Donald Trump will be officially innocent of crimes that he clearly committed. This seems altogether appropriate.

Tiny things can change history. Brexit won in June 2016 by only two percentage points. Trump won in November 2016 by about one percentage point in three states. If things had been just slightly different, David Cameron would be sleeping his way through a few more years of being prime minister and Hillary Clinton would be fighting off yet another stupid investigation from Jason Chaffetz.

The fact that they aren’t is a testament that the power of lies and culthood has become overwhelming on both sides of the Atlantic. Brexit was the result of a steady stream of lies about curved bananas and barmaid cleavage, followed by a very specific hail of lies about the NHS and immigrants from Nigel Farage. Trump is the result of a steady stream of lies from the Gingrichified conservative movement, followed by a very specific hail of lies about health care and immigrants from Trump himself.

One common denominator in both of these things is Rupert Murdoch. Without the Murdoch media, it’s unlikely that either Brexit or Trump would have succeeded. What’s most galling about this is that I don’t think Murdoch really cares about either one. He just wants to monetize eyeballs and doesn’t much care how it’s done.

But what’s done is done. Our job now is to spend the next decade trying to return common decency and at least a passing respect for the truth to political life. I’m not sure what odds I’d give on that succeeding now that everyone’s seen the immense success of Murdochization. But we have to try.

BEFORE YOU CLICK AWAY!

“Lying.” “Disgusting.” “Scum.” “Slime.” “Corrupt.” “Enemy of the people.” Donald Trump has always made clear what he thinks of journalists. And it’s plain now that his administration intends to do everything it can to stop journalists from reporting things they don’t like—which is most things that are true.

No one gets to tell Mother Jones what to publish or not publish, because no one owns our fiercely independent newsroom. But that also means we need to directly raise the resources it takes to keep our journalism alive. There’s only one way for that to happen, and it’s readers like you stepping up. Please help with a donation today if you can—even a few bucks will make a real difference. A monthly gift would be incredible.

payment methods

BEFORE YOU CLICK AWAY!

“Lying.” “Disgusting.” “Scum.” “Slime.” “Corrupt.” “Enemy of the people.” Donald Trump has always made clear what he thinks of journalists. And it’s plain now that his administration intends to do everything it can to stop journalists from reporting things they don’t like—which is most things that are true.

No one gets to tell Mother Jones what to publish or not publish, because no one owns our fiercely independent newsroom. But that also means we need to directly raise the resources it takes to keep our journalism alive. There’s only one way for that to happen, and it’s readers like you stepping up. Please help with a donation today if you can—even a few bucks will make a real difference. A monthly gift would be incredible.

payment methods

We Recommend

Latest

Sign up for our free newsletter

Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

Get our award-winning magazine

Save big on a full year of investigations, ideas, and insights.

Subscribe

Support our journalism

Help Mother Jones' reporters dig deep with a tax-deductible donation.

Donate