Talk:1958 Southern Rhodesian general election

Latest comment: 1 month ago by Number 57 in topic On British propaganda

On British propaganda edit

@Number 57 I think the way the British defended their conduct regarding a former colony of theirs at the time is very much valuable context. That the election was held to be 'undemocratic' and that that fact was acknowledged as well.

Also, none of these additions were me colouring things, I was very much quoting the source. -- Potentially the section felt off-topic because I was trying to write on a different article, but felt the addition fit better here. JackTheSecond (talk) 22:08, 23 March 2024 (UTC)Reply

I just found the addition a bit bizarre, lacking in context and also WP:UNDUE – it says the results were deemed undemocratic, but it is not explained why (presumably as the vast majority of black people were unable to vote?). Also, stating in Wikipedia voice that the defence was "in a racist manner" comes across very oddly.
More importantly, the British government had no involvement in the elections; Southern Rhodesia had responsible government at the time and the elections were entirely conducted by their own administration, so it's not even clear that the quote is about the election, or about the colony more generally. Number 57 22:14, 23 March 2024 (UTC)Reply
I think I'll accept that my source was writing, perhaps offhandedly, on a peripheral topic to their subject of research. JackTheSecond (talk) 22:31, 23 March 2024 (UTC)Reply
I am more than happy that the article be clarified to mention the restrictive franchise that barred nearly all black citizens from voting, which I'll do now. Number 57 22:37, 23 March 2024 (UTC)Reply