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Aaron Bastani Profile picture
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2 Jan, 4 tweets, 1 min read
As Britain looks set to re-open schools after 4 consecutive days of 50,000 positive tests for Covid, let's recall that Vietnam closed schools on Jan 31st 2020 - and kept them shut for more than 3 months - when the country had 5 confirmed cases.

Since then they've had 35 deaths.
Vietnam has done nothing exceptional: it quarantined all visitors and anyone who contacted a Covid case in state centres, it closed schools, and it unrolled a huge test and trade system quickly.

This year they are posting GDP growth while UK GDP sinks 10%. Let's learn from them.
And I know its hard for anglo-exceptionalists to accept but Oxford professor's data tally with the Vietnamese government. They, like others in east asia, nailed it where we brutally failed.
test and *trace*

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More from @AaronBastani

Aaron Bastani Profile picture
2 Jan
Labour won't back the NEU and won't offer anything which differs from the Tories.

That's been Starmer's plan since he became leader, & everything is mood music until 2024. This isn't dithering, it's the plan.

Will it work? Who knows. But for now there isn't an opposition.
The model here is the Tories in opposition during the global financial crisis. But the difference is that unlike now Labour actually dealt with that. The equivalent would have been Brown allowing complete economic meltdown and opposition shrugging soldiers.
It's particularly odd seeing Starmer supporters like @paulmasonnews outlining smart, radical and necessary policies in response to the next few months ahead.

Labour won't adopt any of them. Again, Paul, that *is* the project for Starmer until 2024. He's been very open about it.
Read 6 tweets
Aaron Bastani Profile picture
12 Nov 20
In suspending @jeremycorbyn the Labour leadership defied the EHRC’s *key recommendation* within minutes of saying they would implement all of the report.

David Evans & @Keir_Starmer have questions to answer.

My latest for @novaramedia

novaramedia.com/2020/11/12/in-…
Here Starmer says the decision was made by the general secretary, but implicitly includes himself as well.

What is more the fact multiple MPs, including Tom Watson, appear to have encouraged Corbyn to act unlawfully (according to EHRC) has not been mentioned. Why?

As with Starmer & Evans now, political interference appears to be fine for media, as long as right people are doing it. ImageImage
Read 9 tweets
Aaron Bastani Profile picture
11 Nov 20
The US is a gerontocracy.

It’s President is 74, it’s President-elect is 77. The Speaker of the House & the House majority whip are 80. Almost half the Senate is over 65.

But why is this happening & what are the consequences?

Me for ⁦@novaramedia⁩ novaramedia.com/2020/11/11/ame…
This 2018 picture from Congressman Bill Pascrell says a thousand words.

Despite having a median age of 38, & being one of the youngest countries in the OECD, America’s politicians are getting older while Europe’s get younger.
Senate president pro tempore, Charles Grassley, runs the Senate Finance Committee at 87. Jim Inhofe, chairman of the Armed Services Committee, is 85. Chairman of the Appropriations Committee, Richard Shelby, is 86. Dianne Feinstein is 87.

This appears unique.
Read 15 tweets
Aaron Bastani Profile picture
29 Oct 20
The most important line in today’s EHRC report:

“Our investigation found that the Labour Party breached the Equality Act 2010 by committing unlawful harassment through the acts of its agents in *two* of the complaints we investigated.”

Two.

equalityhumanrights.com/sites/default/…
Two too many, of course but still...two. It continues:

“These included using antisemitic tropes & suggesting that complaints of antisemitism were fake or smears. As these people were acting as agents of the Labour Party, Labour was legally responsible for their conduct.”
It goes on” A further 18 ‘borderline’ cases. In these cases, there was not enough evidence to conclude that the Labour Party was legally responsible for the conduct of the individual. These were people such as local councillors, local candidates &...” >
Read 7 tweets
Aaron Bastani Profile picture
27 Oct 20
After declaring the climate crisis is a threat to most life on Earth David Attenborough said disruptive protest was unacceptable and that the answer is individuals using less.

The disconnect between analysis & prescription couldn’t be more irrational.

novaramedia.com/2020/10/26/are…
“Don’t waste electricity. Don’t waste food. Don’t waste power.”

This isn’t a remotely serious response. Two degrees is likely already locked in, mostly as a result of CO2 already emitted. We are living amid the 6th great extinction & immense change is on the way.
A lot of this boils down to the idea that ‘cultural change’ is the decisive factor in change happening, it isn’t.

The factory acts, the abolition of slavery, civil rights and so on had to be legislated for. They also needed a measure of coercion - the state.
Read 4 tweets
Aaron Bastani Profile picture
2 Sep 20
The report on allegations of sexual harassment in the @GMB_union, & their handling, is remarkable.

“The GMB is institutionally sexist. The General Secretaries and all regional secretaries are, and always have been, men. Women are underrepresented throughout the GMB’s ranks.”
>
“There is significant job segregation at regional level, with officer grades disproportionately filled by men and staff grades disproportionately filled by women.”

“Bullying, misogyny, cronyism and sexual harassment are endemic within the GMB.”

>
“The culture in the GMB is one of heavy drinking and late night socialising, salacious gossip and a lack of professionalism.”

Strong conclusions on how hundreds of thousands of members are being best served.
Read 4 tweets

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