James O'Brien On Why We Need To Listen To Experts More

24 July 2018, 13:26

James O'Brien asked how Britain has reached a point where people think "John down the pub" knows more about International Trade than the head of Lloyd's of London.

The Brexit debate has regularly stumbled as one side criticises the knowledge of an expert.

And James believes it's time to start listening more to people who know what they are talking about and not giving a platform to people with no knowledge.

Speaking on his LBC show, he said: "It frightens the life out of me how successful these manipulative, successful billionaires have been in directing the news agenda in the last few years.

"We should all be talking about climate change now. And none of us are, because they have so successfully closed down the conversation. We're living in a period of unprecedented heat, Europe is on fire, and no one is talking about climate change because that false equivalence was so successful.

"The false equivalence beloved of the BBC allows them to create the idea in people's minds that maybe a fag-packed fascist with a camera crew really does know more about Charlie Gard's health than of the doctors in Great Ormond Street.

"The vaccines - maybe the medical establishment does know less than some blogger or Elle McPherson's partner.

"And it leads inexorably to the idea that maybe John down the pub really does know more about international trade than the head of Lloyd's of London."