A politician blaming social media for members of the public misunderstanding a policy announcement isn't only patronising toward voters, it's a stretch of the imagination. Social media isn't the enemy here; it's the party's failure to harness it.
Labour made the critical mistake of not pre-empting how the policy would be met by opponents and farmers. Real farmers, instead, got caught in the crossfire as numbers were hurled between government and the opposition.
The assurance from the environment secretary, Steve Reed, that only 500 farms would be affected in a single year lacked persuasive energy after thousands of farmers had already taken to the streets.
Poor explanations of policy can lead to an information vacuum, in which there is no established consensus and false claims can flourish. We know that heightened emotions can make us more vulnerable to inaccurate information.
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