Thread by @docrussjackson

#THREAD

A refreshingly candid political analysis. But who is it by?

"The destructive legacy of Thatcherism is typically analysed through an economic lens, namely that free-market dogmatism rewarded corporate greed at the expense of our public services."

"Less focus is paid to another kind of war she had to wage to win this economic battle; by curtailing the rights of trade unionists, disempowering local governments and handing over public resources to unaccountable private companies, Thatcher was waging a war on democracy."

"40 years later, the Conservative government’s anti-democratic assault rages on. The Minimum Service Levels Bill overrides our fundamental right to strike."

"The Public Order Bill curtails our right to protest. And new voter ID laws will effectively deny millions of people the ability to exercise their right to vote. Across the board, our democracy is under attack."

"However, if the government’s recent theft of our democratic rights is cause for concern, so too is recent behaviour of the @UKLabour leadership, which casts serious doubt over their willingness to win these rights back."

(Last week, @UKLabour’s National Executive Committee passed a motion – proposed by Keir Starmer – to bar Jeremy Corbyn from standing as a Labour candidate in Islington North).

"This was a flagrant denial of natural justice, and a shameful attack on the democratic rights of Islington North @UKLabour Party members. It is up to them – not party leaders – to decide who their candidate should be."

"At a time when the government is attacking our rights to strike, protest and vote, the @UKLabour leadership should be defending democracy. Instead, it is debasing it."

"Ultimately, only a democratic movement rooted in its local communities can generate the bold solutions needed to tackle the crises facing us all. It is no coincidence that the NEC’s anti-democratic motion took aim at our political campaign between 2015 and 2019."

Blocking Corbyn's candidacy is "an insult to the millions of people who voted for our Party in 2017 & 2019, & to all those who voted for his leadership on the basis that he would “defend [the] radical values” we put forward."

FYI @UKLabour achieved 40% of the vote share in 2019.

"Keir Starmer has abandoned his pledges to defend trade unions, bring key industries into public ownership, reverse #NHS privatisation, raise corporation tax, protect free movement & abolish tuition fees."

"#Solidarity is now saved for CEOs, not striking workers. Trust is placed in corporate interests, not party members. Human rights issues are cherry picked at the expense of a consistently ethical foreign policy."

"And empathy for desperate refugees is eschewed to appease the right-wing press.

As the government plunges millions into hardship, Keir Starmer has decided to attack the democratic foundations of his own party and the principles he once proclaimed to support."

"There is huge demand for a more hopeful alternative: decent pay rises, democratic public ownership, housing for all, a wealth tax to save our #NHS, and a humane immigration system grounded in dignity, empathy and care."

"Those who continue to campaign for these transformative policies – and against the NEC’s assault on democracy – show great courage. Indeed, they have sent a message to all those who have been hesitant to fight back."

"Ultimately, if the @UKLabour leadership is happy to denigrate its own party’s internal democracy, how will it treat democracy more broadly if it is given the chance to govern?"

"One thing’s for sure: the @UKLabour leadership will not be able to defend democracy in society if it cannot even respect it in its own movement."

So I'm assuming you've already guessed the author of this candid political polemic...

Regardless of what you think of Starmer or Corbyn, almost everyone now wants an end Tory misrule, but given our antiquated FPTP electoral system, the ONLY REALISTIC way of achieving this is through most people voting @UKLabour at the next general election.
islingtontribune.co.uk/article/jeremy…