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[thread] We’re hearing more & more stories of left-wing party members being abused, threatened, harassed & slandered on social media & offline. It’s not a new phenomenon, of course. But this is unacceptable & we need to understand what has brought us to this point. (1/8)
The 1st thing to say is that there are political bullies in & around @UKLabour. It’s unfortunate that this is the case, but it would be delusional to deny it. Like all bullies, they rely on not being confronted & throughout the New Labour years, this was the case. (2/8)
Because of the lack of challenge, these people grew used to having their own way & go about their business without any hindrances, whether that was party selections, control over CLPs, or at conference. This embedded a culture of entitlement, which remains to this day. (3/8)
The rapid rise of the movement around Corbyn gave them a massive jolt: suddenly there was opposition & their world views weren’t shared by a majority any more. Like all bullies, they fought back in the only way they could: by playing nasty & trying to reassert themselves. (4/8)
The aggression has reached fever pitch the more they lose ground in the party. These bullies, using passive aggressive as well as more open tactics, have specifically targeted people who stand up to them, in the hope that others will lose heart if these fighters are beaten. (5/8)
The latest tactic is to report people who oppose them, using smears to create a scandal where there’s often none, tying people up in disciplinary procedures & attempting to get mud to stick. Again, it’s an old age tactic, but it’s successful because people are scared. (6/8)
There are 2 ways to beat bullies. One is to stand up to them & build solidarity amongst those who are being targeted & their supporters. Bullies are always seeking to isolate their targets & make others frightened to defend them. They’re less effective against a collective. (7/8)
The other way is to get protection. This is where @UKLabour comes in: we do need some sort of defence against these attacks on members, whether through the party rule book or a strong policy to oppose malicious complaints & harrassent, as part of a duty of care to members. (8/8)
