Thread by @shaunjlawson

Great stuff from the mighty @johnmcdonnellMP, a giant among pygmies. 🙏

theguardian.com/commentisfree/…

"He has abandoned the platform on which he was elected Labour leader, sidelined much of the broad team that got him elected, reached for the Blairite playbook and resuscitated Blair’s old crew of Peter Mandelson as his consigliere..."

"combined with an appetite for internal factional purges that makes the Kinnock era look tame.

We are witnessing something akin to the performance of a Blairite tribute band with the same old stunts and strategies being rolled out on schedule but with a great deal more venom..."

"It starts with setting up a confrontation with his own party members to demonstrate the strong leader, exercising mastery over his party.

Serious political analysis within the party is replaced with meaningless statements that have been focus-grouped to absolute banality..."

"In prospect is a policy review that subjugates a meagre policy programme to the lowest common denominator demands of the rightwing media, big business and the City..."

"The New Blairites have had to adapt their strategy to the massive surge in membership under Corbyn and they have done so by an old-fashioned, ruthless purge of party members and an attempt to stitch up rule changes that neutralise the power of the membership".

McDonnell goes on to make the correct policy suggestions, and does so without the remotest hint of bitterness or any sense of revenge.

That's because he's a gentleman and a scholar. And a SUPERB Shadow Chancellor with brilliant ideas.

At least someone can see the woods for the trees here.

And I can only reiterate what @AaronBastani said about vote rigging. The McCarthyite purges going on are awfully similar to Republican purges of voters across the US.

So stand up and condemn this as the outrage this is.