On those referendum Twitter bots...

It was, of course, the Russians:

The researchers also analysed the type of content the suspected bots were producing, finding this pool of accounts were eight times more likely to tweet slogans associated with Vote Leave, and tweeted more than average accounts in the run-up to the referendum – then less afterwards, before their removal from the network entirely.

There were, these researchers tell us, 13,000 of this sinister bots burst onto the social media platform spraying relentless pro-leave sentiments. And these bots - or so the MP who chairs the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee thinks - have snow on their boots.

In other news, we're told that the reason for choosing to leave was because about 2.5m mostly older, primarily working class and regional people - many of who seldom vote - toddled down to their local primary school, church hall or library to put a cross in the leave box. Just the sort of voters who use Twitter a lot!

At some point the rump of disappointed remain voters will stop trying to find some sinister external force - Russians, American data companies, Facebook - that explains why we voted to leave and recognise that, in truth, we voted to leave because the EU is a distant, anonymous, unapproachable, corrupt and interfering undemocratic institution. That's it - all of it. And if you ask people a slightly different question, they'll tell you that London is also a distant, anonymous, unapproachable, corrupt and interfering undemocratic place too. One run by and for people with more connection to New York or Paris than Barnsley or Stoke. Perhaps those still angst-ridden by us leaving can begin to learn this?

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