Liar liar

On Wednesday, former British prime minister Boris Johnson was hauled before a committee of MPsMembers of Parliament. MPs are elected to represent people in 650 different geographical areas. . He was accused of misleading Parliament over lockdown parties at 10 Downing StreetThe official residence of the British prime minister. .²

Johnson huffed and puffed. He lost his temper more than once. He pleaded he had done nothing wrong, partially because he did not understand his own lockdown guidelines. 

The committee was unimpressed. Chair Harriet Harman noted his "flimsy" explanations. They might recommend that Johnson is suspended from Parliament. This could eventually lead to a by-electionAn election held outside a general election to replace an MP who has resigned or otherwise left office. . He could even lose his seat in Parliament.

Many worry that politics is entering a post-truth age.³ Politicians around the world entered office on the basis of false promises and distortionsChanging the shape or meaning of something. of the truth.

But their lies have caught up with them. Johnson is shamed. In the USA, Donald Trump faces arrest. Meanwhile, British prime minister Rishi Sunak has published his tax returns: a move that signals honesty.

Others are cautious. Johnson may be out of power, but he is still a presence in politics.  Truth may have stung twice - when he was ousted from office last July, and now over lockdown parties. But otherwise Johnson has succeeded despite being a "known liar". 

He was sacked from The Times for making up a quote, but soon hired by the Daily Telegraph. He was even accused of lying to the Queen to shut down Parliament. This is the tip of the iceberg. Yet he still won a landslide victory.⁴

Johnson might fall, but lying and spreading false information often works. Worse, it has become more difficult to tell them apart. The internet is full of conspiracy theoriesTheories that explain world events by blaming shady groups of powerful people operating in secret. Some conspiracy theories have a basis in fact, but many more of them are completely invented. What is more, they often play on dangerous prejudices such as antisemitism. It's worth being especially cautious and critical when you come across accounts that ascribe enormous agency to small and secretive groups., deepfakesThis technique uses artificial intelligence to change the identity of a person in an image or a video - or to make it appear that a person is saying or doing something that they never said or did. and opinions presented as fact.

Yes: People lie all the time. We often lie, for example, when we tick a box saying we have read the terms and conditions. There is no reason to think politicians will be more truthful than the rest of us.

No: Truth was in trouble. But now it is back and ready to fight. In a democracyA system of government based on the idea of rule by the people., liars can only function as long as they remain in power. Once defeated, in the words of Shakespeare, "truth will out".

Or... There is not just one truth. Truth has always been a complex idea. The post-truth age is actually just a different stage in the history of truth, rather than its end.