After months of controversy, James Graham’s new Brexit drama finally aired tonight, portraying the bitterly fought campaign to win the Brexit referendum. Defying the expectations of many, the show has been praised for its reasonably accurate portrayal of events, and for striking a balanced tone between Leavers and Remainers.
But as is normal when a drama is based on real-life, as the closing credits rolled viewers could easily be left wondering: how much of what took place was real, and how much was wrong, exaggerated or distorted? Happily for those wondering, Mr S is on hand to distinguish the fact from the fiction:
Vote Leave’s dodgy data
Following the Observer’s investigation into Vote Leave’s spending, it has been suggested by some that Leave only won because the campaign used nefarious data-driven tactics to trick unwitting voters into backing Brexit. Brexit: The Uncivil War appeared to take inspiration from this idea, with multiple scenes showing Leavers using data to drive their campaign, while the Remain camp were only shown holding traditional focus groups.
In reality, the Remain campaign used social media and targeted advertising just as much as their opponents, and at times during the referendum even suggested that they were better at doing it.
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