The economics of the truth

There are no good guys [View this email in your browser]( April 29, 2021 [Mail & Guardian]( [Mail & Guardian]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Instagram]( [YouTube]( Hi there, The walls around the Guptas’ chamber of plenty are slowly closing in. This week we learned that the UK hit the Guptas — Atul, Ajay and Rajesh — and their associate, or “[money-laundering lieutenant]( if you prefer, Salim Essa with a set of sanctions. The family form part of a (un)lucky two dozen or so that are the first targets of the country’s new [New Global Anti-Corruption Regime](. Under the new dispensation, the UK will impose travel bans and freeze the assets of those who have made their list. In its statement, the UK government said the Brothers Gupta made the cut thanks to their “roles in serious corruption”. It continued: “They were at the heart of a long-running process of corruption in South Africa, which caused significant damage to its economy.” Although the move is welcome, it is a fine irony to watch the Tory government so easily name global corruption without looking in its own yard. Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson — or Major Sleaze depending on where you’re standing — is dealing with his own miniature Nkandla saga. The father of five (or more at the time of publication) is the [subject of an inquiry by the Electoral Commission]( that has the potential to imperil his premiership. The “cash for curtains” row has increasingly engulfed the prime minister, with some quarters calling for his immediate resignation. With sweeping powers to call witnesses and refer matters to the police, the watchdog said its investigation was necessary, because it already believed there were “reasonable grounds” to suspect that payments for expensive renovations to Johnson’s Downing Street flat could constitute several offences. Johnson insists he’s done nothing wrong, sticking to the claim that he had paid the costs “personally” — but did not deny receiving a donation or loan of £58 000 from a Conservative peer and party donor, David Brownlow (aka Baron Brownlow of Shurlock Row), to foot the bills, despite no record of such a transaction being published. But that’s not all. Months after being turfed out of Downing Street, Johnson’s once most senior adviser and trusted ally — Dominic Cummings — has turned on him in a blame game over a series of incendiary leaks. The pair seems to be on the outs over an SMS exchange between the prime minister and the entrepreneur James Dyson, in which the prime minister promised to “fix” a tax issue. Another leak revealed that the Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, told Johnson in a text message that UK-Saudi relations would be damaged if the British government failed to intervene to “correct” the Premier League’s decision not to [allow a £300-million takeover of Newcastle United]( last year. The most explosive row, however, is focused on who leaked news of England’s second national lockdown, nicknamed the search for the “chatty rat”. Johnson is facing mounting pressure as insiders added weight to claims that he said he would rather see bodies pile up than order another lockdown. He is alleged to have shouted, “Let the bodies pile high.” The steady trickle of revelations about former prime minister David Cameron’s lobbying, Johnson’s texts with the Saudi crown prince and the costs of the refurbishment of his Downing Street flat were followed by the exposure of his texts with Dyson. That’s what set the pair off on their verbal fisticuffs. In a fit of pique, it has even been suggested Johnson personally picked up the phone to newspaper executives to target Cummings. Writing for The Conversation UK, Ivor Gaber describes both Johnson and Cummings as [pioneers of “strategic lying”](. The technique involves the deliberate spread of mistruths with the objective of nudging the news agenda towards their intended destination. He elaborates: “It doesn’t matter if the lie is easily rebutted. Indeed, in one sense rebuttals are part of the plan because they result in the subject of the lie being amplified and kept on, or near, the top of the news agenda. The ultimate goal of strategic lying is to have an impact on the salience of issues. South Africans are all too aware of how this game is played. We are getting a masterclass at the Zondo commission of inquiry into allegations of state capture. The “priming” and “framing” of certain events and how they are perceived, was on display yesterday. Before the country, comes the party. There’s no “good faction” — just a country at stake. The Mail & Guardian is exploring how we can make our comments and opinion website, [Thought Leader,]( more engaging, accessible, and relevant to South Africans. Your [answers to this survey]( which should take no more than ten minutes, will help us do that. You have been asked to take part in this questionnaire because you have expressed an interest in, or interacted with, one of our opinion and comment areas online. Your answers will only be used to inform our decisions about Thought Leader. Until tomorrow, Kiri Rupiah & Luke Feltham [Subscribe now]( Enjoy The Ampersand? Share it with your friends [Share]( [Share]( [Tweet]( [Tweet]( [Forward]( [Forward]( [Share]( [Share]( Copyright © 2021 Mail & Guardian Media LTD, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted in to receive communications from the Mail & Guardian either at our website or by taking out a print subscription. Our mailing address is: Mail & Guardian Media LTD 25 Owl St BraamfonteinJohannesburg, Gauteng 2001 South Africa [Add us to your address book]( Want to change how you receive these emails? You can [update your preferences or unsubscribe here.]( This email was sent to {EMAIL} [why did I get this?]( [unsubscribe from this list]( [update subscription preferences]( Mail & Guardian Media LTD · 25 Owl St · Braamfontein · Johannesburg, Gauteng 2001 · South Africa