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28 Sep, 5 tweets, 3 min read
What a sad state of affairs. In recent years, the FBU reaffiliated to Labour and RMT consulted its members on doing so.

BFAWU announced its decision to consult its members on disaffiliation weeks ago, only 2 days ago did anyone from Labour leadership even get in touch with them
This tweet from @BFAWUOfficial shows the current Labour leadership made little effort to speak to the union and its thousands of members.
So much for I'll work "shoulder to shoulder with trade unions" ... Image
.@BFAWUOfficial statement pretty unarguable #Lab21 Image
@BFAWUOfficial It's the job of us socialists and trade unionists in the party to turn this around and ensure @BFAWUOfficial members want to reaffiliate before too long - and in the meantime continue to back BFAWU in their industrial struggles.

Solidarity @IanBFAWU @sarahwoolley01 ✊

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More from @FisherAndrew79

Andrew Fisher Profile picture
29 Sep
Despite promising not to trash the last four years, Starmer declared in his #Lab21 speech that Labour would “never again go into an election with a manifesto that is not a serious plan for government”

But was it not credible? 🤷‍♂️🧵

Me for @ipaperviews
inews.co.uk/opinion/keir-s…
One key pledge in 2019 was universal free broadband. The pandemic proved how necessary that was with children home-schooled and many working from home.

Now the DWP has partnered with TalkTalk to offer jobseekers six months free broadband

So universal free full-fibre broadband?
Labour also promised a ‘Warm Homes for All’ policy – which Starmer re-announced it in his #Lab21 speech.
mirror.co.uk/news/politics/…
The retrofitting scheme would create jobs, reduce bills, reduce emissions, so ..?
Read 9 tweets
Andrew Fisher Profile picture
26 Sep
Today at #Lab21 conference will debate the rules for electing Keir Starmer's successor.

This has been a damaging spectacle over the last few days, but the consequences of today's vote could be more damaging to the party in the long term ... 🧵
The first thing to note is that the original proposals to revert to a less democratic electoral college have been withdrawn, after a huge backlash

To focus on internal politics at this time is misjudged. To do it incompetently ...
The proposals being debated today keep OMOV but would change the rules in the following ways
-Raise threshold of MP nominations from 10% to 20% (currently c.40 MPs)
-Ditch registered supporters
-Freeze date for members 6 months prior to start of contest (new members can’t vote)
Read 8 tweets
Andrew Fisher Profile picture
25 Sep
Wow! That's narrow. Assumed he'd walk it. Show real discomfort with way Labour members and staff have been treated.

Remember, even having a vote on this is unprecedented, it usually goes through on the nod. #Lab21
Has anyone yet seen the union/CLP split on this?
Labour official texts to say they think c.65/35 for among unions, and c.55/45 among CLPs.

Nearly half of CLPs rejecting is big, if right ...
Read 5 tweets
Andrew Fisher Profile picture
18 Sep
Really interesting piece in tomorrow's Observer on Labour's potential support base 🧵 1/n

"Of those [open to voting Labour], 27% voted Conservative, 17% voted Lib Dem, 3% voted Green and 5% voted for other parties. (The rest did not vote.)"

theguardian.com/politics/2021/…
Right so, of those open to voting Labour, 48% did not vote in 2019.

So why target soft Tories, and not non-voters?

The piece argues: "When the group is adjusted for its likelihood to vote, soft Tory supporters account for 43% of the group"
2/n
But here's the difference. Non-voters require a different strategy. They haven't voted, so you have to inspire them.

As I argued in this piece a month ago "electoral strategy isn't a value-free science", it depends on the coalition you want to build
3/n
 theguardian.com/commentisfree/…
Read 14 tweets
Andrew Fisher Profile picture
24 Aug
Today marks the 90th anniversary of the second Labour government falling when then Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald proposed a 20% cut in unemployment benefit

Today Johnson and Sunak are about to cut #UniversalCredit by 21%

My piece for @ipaperviews ...🧵
inews.co.uk/opinion/univer…
The Labour government was elected in 1929, just before the Wall Street Crash provoked a global depression. Despite many on the left of the party putting forward what would become known as Keynesian solutions, MacDonald and Snowden insisted on cuts to the incomes of the poorest
At Labour conference in 1930, James Maxton had attacked the leadership for their “timidity and vacillation” and said the Government should “use all its powers towards increasing the purchasing power of the workers, reducing workers’ hours, initiating a national housing programme”
Read 6 tweets
Andrew Fisher Profile picture
18 Aug
A little anecdote from 21 years ago … 17 months before 9/11 happened, when an aeroplane hijacked in Kabul landed at Stansted airport.

It was a scheduled domestic flight to Mazar-e Sharif and had 165 Afghan people on board ... 🧵
This was how the BBC reported the Government’s response in February 2000

Then Home Secretary Jack Straw refused to offer asylum to any of those on board fleeing the Taliban
If Straw’s response seemed callous, then check the response from then Leader of the Opposition William Hague:

"We must not allow this country to reinforce its growing image as a soft touch for asylum seekers."

This was the UK view of people fleeing the Taliban in 2000
Read 8 tweets

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