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Aaron Bastani Profile picture
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25 May, 4 tweets, 2 min read
In the name of ‘anti racism’ Cambridge University Labour club have expelled a BAME student from their executive for disagreeing with the IHRA definition of antisemitism.

Kenneth Stern, the definition’s lead author, wrote ‘it was never intended to be a campus hate speech code’.
Stuff like this is why I, and others, tried to make arguments against it. The IHRA, used as it now is, curtails criticism of Israel and its government.

The fact someone is expelled from an executive for even questioning something?

Puritanism of the worst kind.
A brown guy was expelled from a labour student club for writing this.

God help us if that’s the future of British politics.

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More from @AaronBastani

Aaron Bastani Profile picture
25 May
Starmer is now *21pts* behind Boris Johnson in Best Prime Minister polling.

In December 2019, Jeremy Corbyn was 13pts behind Johnson.

A brilliant article from @LeftieStats - Labour’s biggest problem is its leader.

novaramedia.com/2021/05/25/kei…
Things started to go dramatically wrong for Starmer, and Labour, late last year. The party’s old policies aren’t the problem.
This feels right from @LeftieStats

As members leave you suspect another centrist would replace Starmer as leader anyway. He deserves the chance to lead Labour into the next GE. But going on last 6 months it won’t be pretty....💀
Read 4 tweets
Aaron Bastani Profile picture
25 May
Xi Jinping recently claimed China had ended extreme poverty. On a meaningful measure it hasn't, but since 1990 its taken around 900 million out of $5 a day or less - a huge achievement.

All while ignoring the Washington Consensus. Me for @novaramedia

novaramedia.com/2021/05/25/did…
If we adopt $5 a day as measure for extreme poverty that would require global GDP to increase *175 times* to end it. In other words, using this benchmark, it's impossible to eradicate extreme poverty with our present economic model.

That's the context for China's achievement.
Achieving the millennium development goal of halving global poverty from 1990-2015 (measured on $1.25 a day) came to depend *entirely* on China. Success there masked worsening situation elsewhere in global south.

The 'good news' story of international development isn't true.
Read 4 tweets
Aaron Bastani Profile picture
17 Apr
As the US announces withdrawal from Afghanistan you can't help but think about the lack of accountability for the Blair government in becoming embroiled in a hellish, historic defeat.

One figure, Labour's John Reid, exemplifies that. Thread (1/5)
In 2006 Reid oversaw the deployment of 3,300 soldiers to Helmand, a prospect about which he was optimistic saying, “we would be perfectly happy to leave in three years and without firing one shot” (2/5)

theguardian.com/world/julian-b…
Yet within twelve months British soldiers there had fired *four million bullets* in some of the most intense fighting seen by any unit since the second world war (3/5).

telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews…
Read 6 tweets
Aaron Bastani Profile picture
24 Mar
Can We Solve the Climate Crisis Without Ending Capitalism?

My review of @BillGates 'How to Avoid a Climate Crisis' for @novaramedia

Thread covering key points below. Read on!

novaramedia.com/2021/03/24/can…
1) Gates talks about warming of 4-8 degrees this century in the absence of meaningful action. That is way beyond most liberal thought leaders or politicians. A new level of candour on the topic for someone so wealthy.

novaramedia.com/2021/03/24/can…
2) Elsewhere he writes that over next "decade or two" economic damage caused by climate change will “likely be as bad as having a Covid-sized pandemic every ten years”. A powerful way to talk about catastrophe ahead & one we rarely hear. It surprised me.
novaramedia.com/2021/03/24/can…
Read 22 tweets
Aaron Bastani Profile picture
23 Mar
Labour’s @johnmcdonnellMP arguing for PR & a more democratic electoral system.

More than one person has told me the Labour leadership is looking to return to the electoral college for choosing a leader. Under Starmer the party walking away from democracy, not toward it.
Can a party whose leadership is opposed to internal democracy meaningful reform the state’s democracy? Very hard to see.

All of this was lost on anti-Corbyn liberals in recent years. They’ll find out hard way!
Response to this is often ‘but the left can shape this!’

Questionable. Many around Starmer want thousands of members to go. A party of 1-200,000 people isn’t seen as a problem if money comes from elsewhere. Meanwhile has support of GMB & Unison.

>
Read 4 tweets
Aaron Bastani Profile picture
8 Mar
WOW. Speaking to @theJeremyVine today @Keir_Starmer said quite clearly he personally decided to suspend Jeremy Corbyn. On the day he said he had nothing to do with it, later his team briefed #Newsnight he was merely 'consulted'.

This man has a profound inability to be honest!
. @Keir_Starmer told the BBC it was not his decision to suspend Corbyn on October 30

bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politi…
Later it was briefed to #newsnight that he was 'consulted' on the decision to suspend Corbyn.

Read 6 tweets

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