The party’s started too early

In academic political communications studies there is this idea of the ‘informed society’. I even once chaired a World Economic Working Group devoted to realising it. It suggests that given enough time and media resource you can make sure that voters have all the facts and arguments to make considered, evidence-based judgements when they make their choice at an election. And so rational discourse will triumph over knee-jerk reactions and emotional responses. This year’s UK election is about to smash that theory to smithereens.