Board Thread:Episode Discussion/@comment-25396609-20191130155818/@comment-26397825-20191201090346

The way Jacques worded the shutdown is that Ironwood forced him to close the SDC wprkshops, not that he shut them down himself. It's a subtle misdirection on his part to make it seem like he did it under duress, not of his own violition. As viewers, we know that isn't the case, but the citizens of Mantle don't know what we know.

As for why - well, it casts doubt on Ironwood. It makes Jacques look like the 'lesser of two evil' by saying "Put Jacques in power and he'll fight Ironwood for the ability to reopen the SDC workshops, and then you'll get your jobs back! Can Robyn do that?" And it was most certainly suggested by Watts, who doesn't actively care which person wins the election. His goal is to cause strife and unrest in Atlas for Salem's cause, and the best way to do that is a civil war.