Restore Britain, Merlin the duck, and FIFA's content farm
About this episode
The episode discusses the rise of the right-wing party Restore Britain and the impact of social media on political campaigning, alongside viral moments from the World Cup.
After achieving 7% of the vote in last week's Makerfield by-election, the social-led strategy of emerging right-wing party Restore Britain has come under the spotlight. Various anecdotal reports have concluded that their relative success feels disproportionate to their presence on the ground, but their growing prominence online is inarguable - leader Rupert Lowe has over 2m followers across X and Facebook, and Elon Musk has repeatedly backed the party. So, was this a party born out of social media, and are they rejecting traditional campaigning? Marianna has been speaking to the party's chief strategist, Charlie Downes, about their approach and similar online movements which may have inspired them. Also this week - as the World Cup group stage approaches its climax, internet discourse surrounding the tournament is already moving at a lightning pace. From the overnight fame of Vozinha and Merlin the duck to Lawrence, Kansas falling in love with the Algerian national team, it has provided a conveyor belt of viral moments. Matt and Marianna discuss whether global events like this represent an idealist vision of the benefits social media platforms could have, and why some may see it…
More episodes of Top Comment
- Erling Haaland, crypto billionaires, and the foxes incident
- Solo-maxxing and the femosphere (live at Crossed Wires)
- Gabriel Shemirani on medical misinfo and rejecting Conspiracyland
- Agartha explained, and hot girls revolt on BookTok
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Top Comment podcast page.