Are conspiracy theories getting worse, with Jonn Elledge

The New Statesman | UK politics and culture

The New Statesman

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🗓️ 26 July 2022

⏱️ 32 minutes

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Summary

After Boris Johnson talked of a "deep state" undermining his ability to govern, have we entered an era of conspiracy theories? Jonn Elledge, one of the authors of a new book, Conspiracy: A History of Boll*cks Theories and How Not To Fall For Them, talks to Rachel Cunliffe about how conspiracy theories are nothing new.

They discuss QAnon, whether a few hundred years of European history were just made up – and why Britney Spears shows that sometimes obscure internet theories can be true.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Whether you're driving to work, cycling to a friend's place,
0:03.2	or on the way to your next holiday,
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0:12.3	To start listening, download the Amazon Music app
0:15.1	or visit amazon.co.uk-slash-on-the-go-news.
0:18.7	That's amazon.co.uk-slash-on-the-go-news
0:22.0	and listen to your favourite podcasts on the go.
0:30.5	Hello, I'm Rachel Cunliffe.
0:32.5	And on today's podcast,
0:33.6	I'm talking to new statesmen columnist, John Ledge,
0:36.3	all about conspiracy theories.
0:38.3	So, John, you have quite literally written the book
0:42.8	on conspiracy theories.
0:44.5	Well, I've written half the book.
0:45.8	I should probably mention as a co-writer, Tom Phillips,
0:47.6	early on, just out of the generosity of the book.
0:49.9	I've written half the book on conspiracy theories.
0:51.8	I've written half the book on conspiracy theories.
0:54.4	I've written half the book on conspiracy theories.
0:56.4	I've written half the book on conspiracy theories.
	...

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