How many people actually know that the EU runs its own database of what it considers as 'fake news' and puts out its own news to counter it?
If there's anything out there that gets the conspiracy juices flowing, its a state broadcaster telling the proles what to believe and think.
The euobserver is running an opinion piece on why the EUvsDisinfo.eu website should be shut down.
"EUvsDisinfo.eu is a website that reports about disinformation fake news spread by Russian state or private actors." It reports.
For those that don't know, EUvsDisinfo was set up by an official EU body called the East Stratcom Task Force of the European External Action Service and it maintains an extensive and constantly-updated online database of currently, 3,500 media reports, that it says constitute "disinformation".
So, as euobserver says, the website is a state publication that puts out its own news and says which publications have the correct views and which ones don't. That's what most people would call state propaganda.
Anyway, if you want to do the job properly you just get the BBC in, don't mess about with amateurs and websites.
But in the final analysis, as the article points out, it is the job of the media to hold the government to account and not the other way round and there are other free media, watchdogs as well as libel and slander laws already in existence to combat damaging fake news and keep the press in line.
It finishes by saying:
"In any case, we do not defend democracy, freedom and truth by taking over the methods of those who would like to destroy them." Good point!
Now you know the Brexit Remain side must be getting desperate when a football celeb is wheeled out to make the case for the EU.
"Liverpool Football Club’s manager, Jürgen Klopp, said he sees few advantages for Britain in leaving the EU, which is “the best idea we had so far” in Europe." Reports Politico.
And it says that Klopp went on to say that the referendum vote was a bad example of democracy that had just pitted old countryside dwellers against city living youngsters.
"If you have to make a decision for the whole country then find a solution for the whole country and not for old people in the countryside." He said.
I wonder if he's been talking to Gary Lineker? Klopp did though admit that he was not the best informed person, which probably explains why he can't see the hideous democratic flaws in the system he is supporting.
So, the EU Commission has announced just before the Easter break that it will be building ‘military corridors’ throughout the EU.
"We must be able to quickly deploy troops," said EU transport commissioner Violeta Bulc, adding that the plan was "one of very practical steps towards a fully-fledged defence union by 2025." She also stressed that this was part of the EU defence strategy and nothing to do with NATO.
Establishing ‘military corridors’ will include upgrading transport infrastructure, such as bridges and railways across the EU so that they can take the large size and weight of the military hardware to be transported.
The interim UKIP leader, Gerard Batten, said that this was just more evidence of the EU’s intention to create its own armed forces and, pointing at the UK establishment’s seeming drive towards joining this EU set up, he went on to say that:
"NATO should be the engine of driving Europe’s defences, as it has successfully done since 1949. Mrs. May’s intentions to sign a post-Brexit Security and Defence Treaty with the EU merely encourages the Brussels Napoleons in their military ambitions and endangers all European nations, whether they are EU members or not."
And the UKIP Deputy leader, Mike Hookem, said:
"It is a head-on charge towards PESCO and EU Military union, as revealed in a secret meeting between British and EU diplomats two weeks ago. This represents a move towards the dissolution of national boundaries and further erodes the territorial sovereignty of EU member states."
Isn’t it strange that we never needed such things even during the worst days of the Cold War, when missiles and fighter jets etc were far less capable and we had millions more troops and thousands more tanks and artillery pieces to move around than we have now. In fact we could probably manage today with some caravans, tents, trailers and bicycles.
Then there’s the question of how do we stop these ‘military corridors’ being used against us by the other side to gain fast and unhindered access into the heart of the EU? Isn’t that an argument for not having them, especially when you don't have the military wherewithal to defend them all? Or is this all just about deploying security forces within the EU?
