As batshit tech billionaire Elon Musk further spreads racist fake news and disinformation across his X feed, while courting far-right fascists (probably because he is one), UK Lib Dem leader Ed Davey appears to be one of the few politicians talking sense – as he directly calls for the UK government to intervene.
Elon Musk: a far-right pastiche of a Bond villain
As the Canary previously reported, Elon Musk has now turned into a pastiche of a Bond villain. While he may excel in building rockets and electric cars, his political interventions reveal a disturbing combination of arrogance, ignorance, and a tendency to wield his influence irresponsibly.
Musk’s latest foray into British politics reportedly involved a series of posts criticising the UK’s handling of issues ranging from climate policy to economic strategies. His comments, often riddled with disinformation and vague libertarian ideology, have been amplified by his massive following, creating ripples far beyond his sphere of expertise.
For example, as the Canary’s Ed Sykes wrote:
The billionaire has been helping to revive racist lies about child sexual abuse. And on 5 January, he amplified a post from fake-news account Visegrád 24 that relied on misleading and discredited statistics.
However, it’s Space Karen’s most recent pinned tweet which has particularly rattled most people:
America should liberate the people of Britain from their tyrannical government
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 6, 2025
Apparently, around two-thirds of respondents agree that effectively the US should invade the UK. This latest bizarre interference comes after he said Keir Starmer and Jess Phillips should be jailed over historical child sexual abuse scandals.
Far-right, racist miscreants have jumped on Musk’s bandwagon. For example, faux-academic Matt Goodwin shared this piece of junk research – claiming the corporate media was ignoring multiple and systemic child sexual abuse:
Today, a number of prominent journalists criticised my suggestion that the UK media class has failed to sufficiently cover the rape gangs scandal, which will go down as one of the biggest scandals in our history
So, I decided to take a closer look at the data.
Trust me, you'll… pic.twitter.com/qeaTxPH5qA
— Matt Goodwin (@GoodwinMJ) January 5, 2025
Now, the Canary would be the first one to criticise the corporate media, where warranted. However, Goodwin’s bullshit stats are exactly that.
Because he only used the search term “grooming gangs”, he has ignored all other coverage of child sexual abuse.
For example, Goodwin claims the Guardian only reported 113 times on grooming gangs from anywhere in the UK. However, a basic search of its website shows it had around that many articles just on the Rochdale scandal. This is because the Guardian calls it a “child sex abuse ring”, not a “grooming gang”.
Yet this hasn’t stopped a) Musk sharing Goodwin’s disinformation, and b) it being viewed eight million times.
Enter everyone’s favourite political clown
Now, amid a far-right feeding frenzy what is the Labour Party government doing about it? Moaning on TV by all accounts. So, enter Ed Davey to actually suggest something sensible:
https:/twitter.com/EdwardJDavey/status/1876258736131416409
Now, let’s not get it twisted. Tech billionaires – and billionaires more broadly – interfere in UK politics. The issue of corporate lobbying which, as the Canary previously reported, Labour is failing to address because it benefits from it, is another matter entirely that has to be dealt with.
However, Musk and his support for Reform UK and Stephen Yaxley-Lennon are an immediate threat to Black and brown people, and trans people, in the UK. Undoing institutionalised interference in UK democracy is one thing – but stopping Musk from turning the UK into a far-right vassal of the US is another.
Tech bros thinking they rule
Elon Musk’s behavior is symptomatic of a growing trend among tech billionaires who believe their wealth and success in one domain grant them unassailable authority in others.
This technocratic arrogance is particularly dangerous in politics, where decisions require nuanced understanding, a sense of history, and the ability to balance competing interests. Musk’s simplistic takes on British politics, delivered with the bluster of someone who has never faced electoral accountability, do more harm than good.
His interventions also highlight the inherent risks of allowing billionaires to dominate public discourse.
Musk’s ownership of X, for instance, enables him to shape political narratives and silence dissenting voices, as critics of his policies have discovered after being deplatformed or algorithmically marginalised. By leveraging his platform, Musk not only amplifies his voice but also suppresses those who challenge his views. This creates a dangerously skewed public discourse where the loudest – and often least informed – voices prevail.
The irony of Musk’s criticism of British politics is that his own ventures are heavily reliant on the very types of policies he derides. Tesla, for instance, has benefited immensely from government subsidies and tax incentives designed to promote electric vehicles.
Similarly, SpaceX thrives on lucrative contracts with NASA and the US Department of Defense. Musk’s success, far from being the product of pure market forces, is deeply entwined with state support.
Yet, when it comes to policies that don’t align with his libertarian ethos – such as stringent environmental regulations or social safety nets – Musk is quick to cry foul. This selective disdain for government intervention reveals the hypocrisy at the heart of his worldview.
Musk is more than willing to accept public funds when it benefits him but balks at the idea of governments using those same funds to address societal inequities or tackle climate change.
Elon Musk is a menace
Elon Musk’s interference in British politics is a cautionary tale about the dangers of allowing billionaires to dominate public discourse. His forays into political commentary are not only ill-informed but also corrosive to democratic debate.
While Musk may see himself as a visionary, his actions reveal a troubling disregard for the complexities of governance and the responsibilities that come with influence.
The Canary is no fan of the Labour government. However, we’re also no fans of far-right racists and fascists. If you want to overthrow the government, then a) do it for the right reasons, and b) let the people of the UK decide on their own – thank you.
Featured image via the Canary
