Propaganda emanating from the Unity Labour Party (ULP) shares many techniques, which include advertising and public relations. In fact, as is commonly understood, some believe the term only refers to political or nationalist messages. But it can take the form of Internet, leaflets, posters, TV broadcasts or radio broadcasts.
In a narrower and more common use of the term, ULP propaganda refers to deliberately false or misleading information that supports the political cause or the interests of those currently in power. The propagandist seeks to change the way people understand an issue or situation, for the purpose of changing their actions and expectations in ways that are desirable to the interest group. In this sense, propaganda serves as a corollary to censorship, in which the same purpose is achieved, by filling people’s heads with false information, therefore by preventing people from knowing true information.
What sets propaganda apart from other forms of advocacy is the willingness of the propagandist to change people’s understanding through deception, confusion and downright lies, rather than persuasion and understanding. The leaders of the ULP organisation know the information to be one sided or untrue but this may not be true for all the rank and file members who help to disseminate the propaganda. Besides those who are ignorant and misled believing what they are expected to believe, they are paid propagandists, even some that are paid from government treasury funds (perhaps illegally) but they work broadcasting propaganda solely for the ULP owned radio station. Paid for from government funds, yet employed for and on behalf of the ULP to churn out propaganda.
Propaganda is a mighty weapon in war. In this case its aim is usually to dehumanize the enemy and to create hatred against a special group. In the ULP’s case it is any one who they determine is not a ULP supporter, so therefore must be an enemy, they are waging war on half the population. The technique is to create a false image in the mind of the ULP followers, and hopefully in those minds of others. This can be done by using special words, special avoidance of words or by saying that the enemy is responsible for certain things they never did. In every propaganda war two things are needed to instil and install in the minds of the perceived enemy: The injustice may be fictitious or may be based on facts, the aim is always to create hate. Most of us know about the hate, spite and sheer evil that the ULP churns out day after day. Calling decent people nasty and spiteful names, in the hope of damaging their image, damaging their good standing in public life. Remember how people like Arnhim Eustace and all the NDP politicians have been lied about, how they have been called nasty false and some say, sometimes racist names, how they have been subjected to hateful and spiteful behaviour.
Propaganda is also one of the methods used in the ULP’s psychological warfare against those they perceive as being against them. More in line with the religious roots of the term, cult activists, the leaders of cults in using propaganda extensively to recruit followers and keep them under their totalitarian control. The ULP has been described as a cult on many occasions. A group of people following blindly a ruler who can never be wrong, can never do any wrong. Even when they are knowingly blatantly lied to and knowingly fed a whole bunch of rubbish, they will accept that as true because the leader said it. That is cult culture.
Do you know the story of how prior to called elections in many Vincentian villages, villagers were bribed with building materials which they didn‘t really need, roofing, lumber, cement, etc., they were told to make sure they vote ULP, because if NDP win they will take back the materials. That is what you can call double bubble propaganda. It’s bribery followed by the threat of the people losing their ill got building materials, they felt they had no other choice than to vote ULP. I am sure some ULP politicians may describe this as a “master stroke”, but regardless of that it was an illegal act which people should of been locked up for, no not the recipients, the politicians and dealers in dishonesty, bribery and general political filth.
Time is longer than twine, we must see that politicians are punished. I for one will continue to expose if it is ULP or NDP. Expect from me the same treatment to whoever deals in filth.
Peter Binose
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Peter Boy you hit really hard with this piece. I have come to the same conclusions like yourself, It’s a cult disguised as a party, disguised as a government, Nazi Germany became a cult to so we have to be careful in SVG. I have tried listening to their radio station more than once, and I have never heard anything of substance on it, all they do is pulldown Vincentians night and day, and these are people who are paid to pull us down. This elections will be one the liked SVG has never seen before, the stakes are very high, they are so high that we can expect anything at this point.
There are many people who will be seeing jail cells if the ULP lose, and for more than one reasons. People who are sucking the country dry with their big contracts who are on radio everyday would lose those contracts, So expect anything from the ULP. You think what they did to get into power was something, well you haven’t seen what they will do this time to stay in power. It is not going to be easy, expect anything from them.
This is not old Labor anymore, I have Julian Francis saying that the party was formed in 1994, so this cannot be the same party that Cato formed or the same party that you’re familes were aligned to, this is MNU, the same party that no one wanted. These MNU guys took over the labor party and took our country to the bottom of the barrel with corruption, I can’t wait for them to go to jail.
Like how they have the nasty character assassination of Mr Eustace going on right now as if Mr Eustace is responsible for the murder of the young man Bramble from Sion Hill which occurred some time back. And like how they have so-called sensible people driving round with bumper stickers reading “me ah labour’ and “me nah tun back”. Those who are paid with funds from the treasury to churn out propaganda should not have been allowed to go on for so long. The reason being it is becoming the accepted standard, Peter! How are we going to root this thing out?
Same old, same old.
E.T. Joshua did all this; Milton Cato did all this; James Mitchell did all this.
Where do you think Ralph Gonsalves learned how to rule Hairoon?
This is the nature of Caribbean politics. This is the nature of Third world governance. This is the nature of power in poor countries everywhere.
The only difference is that in the tiny, tin-pot dictatorships like ours there is no military (as in Pakistan, Egypt, Turkey, Thailand, etc.) to step in and clean up a little when the corruption and violence get out of hand.
Do you all believe that anything will be different — except a change of those on the make and those on the take — with a change of government in SVG?
If you think so or say so, you are either a fool or a member or supporter of the opposition greedy for a slice of our very small pie.
If you think that I’m just cynical, you are worse than a fool.
Maybe NDP should explain to the takers they can “have their cake and eats it to”. No one will know who they voted for. Here is a good sticker for NDP: “eat them out and vote them out”.