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A UKIP MP Doesn't Understand Tides, So We Asked People If Politicians Need to Know Basic Shit

Douglas Carswell MP disputed that tides are primarily caused by the moon.

The earth's sun (Photo by Catherine Singleton)

Who needs the facts? The post-truth backlash against so-called-experts and all the silly empirical nonsense they espouse continued on Monday thanks to UKIP MP Douglas Carswell.

Douglas got into a Twitter spat with someone I believe is called a "science professor" when he argued that the moon, in fact, does not cause the world's tides. He tweeted to Professor Paul Nightingale, deputy director of Sussex University 's Science Policy Research Unit, that, "Actually, it's the gravitational pull of the sun." The sun does affect tides, but they're primarily caused by the gravitational pull of the moon orbiting the earth. Admirably, he stuck to his guns and apparently refused to Wikipedia the matter even once, blustering on through the situation with ignorance half-masked by self-righteousness – the true UKIP way.

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Which begs the question: should our politicians know about space and water and gravity and all that stuff in order to run the country for us?

I took to the streets to find out if the people of East London think Douglas 's apparent lack of a science GCSE matters in the grand scheme of things.

VICE: Can I ask you a question about politics?
Chinwe, 25:Yeah, sure.

How do tides work?
As in the ocean? Haha. Yeah. The moon.

UKIP MP Douglas Carswell didn't know that – he thought it was the sun. Do you think politicians should have a basic understanding of how the world works?
I think a level of basic general knowledge is important, just because politicians and their actions affect a large amount of our lives. It might be asking a bit to expect politicians to know a lot of random facts, but I think obvious stuff like the moon – that 's pretty general stuff that politicians should know. Knowing general facts is indicative not of intellect but of engagement, so it makes sense for politicians to be more aware of trivia and general knowledge.

Do you think politicians who perhaps don't know this stuff should listen to the experts more? Michael Gove thinks the UK is better off without them.
Experts are human and they are fallible, too. I think it 's important to use experts as guidelines, because otherwise no calculated decisions would be made, which would be risky. I think it 's audacious to say we don 't need them any more, but we should take in other sources, like history and the things we see around us. I mean, economic crashes and stuff still happen whether experts are there or not.

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Do you think Brexit would have happened if the UK had listened more to experts and less to politicians?
The EU wasn't perfect, but I think Brexit was a vote made very much on impulse and misinformation. Essentially, it boiled down to a lot of xenophobia. If people had listened to experts more in a less sensational manner, the vote wouldn' t have happened in the way it did.

How do ocean tides work?
Jack, 22: The gravitational pull of the moon.

**Correct! A UKIP MP argued otherwise on Twitter **the other day. Do you think he should have a better general knowledge as an MP?
They're managing multiple facets of people 's lives. You need to have a good working knowledge to apply that to everyday living and decision-making processes that affect industry and running the country.

Even knowing about the moon?
I think so. I think having a good understanding of everything is important.

Heather and her anonymous husband

Do you know how ocean tides work?
Heather: Through the moon.

A UKIP MP said tides are primarily caused by the sun. Do you think his lack of general knowledge is a big deal?
I think it would help if politicians had general knowledge, and if they are going to talk about something they should make sure they are well educated and well read about that subject. Otherwise, don 't make a comment at all, in any format.

Do you think listening to experts would help politicians make big decisions like Brexit?
Heather's husband: How can you have an expert about Brexit when it 's part of history? You can only find out when it 's done. Just saying "it's going to work" or "it's not going to work", no matter who the experts are, it doesn't matter. Whatever they say, are you going to put your money on that? In ten years time, only history can tell you whether it worked out.

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So you think it doesn't matter what anyone says about politics?
Heather: You can take into account their opinions, but they are only opinions, not guidelines. People who see expert opinion as guidelines have to be very careful that they 're not putting all their eggs in one basket. You don 't have crystal balls, you can't look into the future and you can't say things are fixed in concrete.

Hi Alan. Do you know how ocean tides work?
Alan, 47: Yes.

Douglas Carswell, a UKIP MP, recently said they were because of the sun rather than the moon. Do you think it's important that politicians have good general knowledge?
It's helpful. Well, [ignorance] certainly hasn't stopped anyone in the past. And it probably won't do in the future.

So you don't mind?
Of course I mind. But what can you do?

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