GET A GRIP Profile picture
May 2 4 tweets 5 min read
#THREAD

Putting to one side @BBCNews's grotesque focus on the channel crossings, a few days ago hundreds of tweets from hard-right 'patriot' accounts made the absurd & misleading claim that the Govt's immoral #Rwanda plan had been 'successful in deterring channel crossings'.
Typically, despite clear evidence showing that it was weather conditions which paused the channel crossings, the right-wing press - including The Sun, Mail, & Express - amplified the absurd & easily disprovable lie that the Government's #Rwanda plan had worked as a deterrent.
Unhinged GB "News" presenter Patrick Christys joined in with the lie: “Goodness gracious me. It’s only gone & bloody worked... This can’t only be down to wind direction or offshore conditions... This is down to the threat of being deported!" which was amplified by Murdoch's Sun.
"The one thing that has worked excellently is the #Rwanda policy: this came out, I said this would put people off coming, & sure enough, for nine days now nobody has come!" - delusional Concrete Grower "Iron" Mike Graham, on Rupert Murdoch's cancerous Fox "News" wannabe, #talkTV.

• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh
 

Keep Current with GET A GRIP

GET A GRIP Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

PDF

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video
  1. Follow @ThreadReaderApp to mention us!

  2. From a Twitter thread mention us with a keyword "unroll"
@threadreaderapp unroll

Practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @docrussjackson

May 3
In 2021, Priti Patel published a consultation paper with proposals to reform the Official Secrets Act which could mean 14 years in jail for journalists publishing stories which embarrass the Govt.

Media North hosted a panel of experts for @FestOfDebate:

The proposed bill includes a major crackdown on 'unauthorised disclosures', or leaks of sensitive information.

Much hard-hitting investigative journalism is based on such leaks, & equates investigative journalism with spying.

theconversation.com/official-secre…
It represents a direct threat to the ability of journalists & their sources to make public their information about wrongdoing. Indeed the proposals want to eliminate a 'public interest' defence.

theconversation.com/official-secre…
Read 4 tweets
May 3
"The architects of neoliberalism believed that if capital markets and global trade were connected via a series of institutions that floated over the laws of any given nation-state, the world would be less likely to descend into anarchy." - Rana Foroohar.

ft.com/content/c709bc…
"For a long time, this idea worked... Even during the Reagan years, despite the anti-Govt rhetoric, there was a sense that global trade needed to serve the national interest rather than merely itself (or, more particularly, the interests of the large multinational companies)."
"Consider the way that the US fought back when Japan tried to dominate the entire physical infrastructure of the computer. The Reagan administration response included putting tariffs & quotas on Japanese exports & subsidising the development of next-generation computer tech."
Read 10 tweets
May 3
Susanna Reid: "Are you honest?"

Boris Johnson: "I think you, y-yes... what the UK is doing & has done since the start of this conflict began is lead the world in helping the Ukrainian people to protect themselves".

A whopping great lie within a minute.

@GMB #BorisTheLiar Image
On the #CostOfLivingCrisis, Boris Johnson says "the cost of chickens is crazy" & Britain's dependence on foreign electricity is "insane", "because we haven't done enough to invest in our own security of energy" - the #Conservatives have been in power for TWELVE FUCKING YEARS.
Susanna Reid: "Why dont you impose a windfall tax?"

Liar Boris Johnson doesn't say. Living standards are set to fall at their fastest rate since records began in the mid-1950s, & since the financial crisis, productivity has barely grown & sits 15% below the US, Germany & France.
Read 7 tweets
May 2
#THREAD

On May 1st, 1949, the essay 'Why Socialism?' was published in the first issue of Monthly Review, written by actual genius, Albert Einstein.

It addresses some of the main & ongoing problems with capitalism, predatory economic competition, & growing wealth inequality.
It highlights how control of the mass media by private capitalists makes it difficult for citizens to arrive at objective conclusions, & how political parties being influenced by wealthy financial backers results in an "oligarchy of private capital".

Sound familiar?
Einstein concludes that these recurring problems can only be corrected with a mixed/planned economy which maintains a strong democracy to protect the rights of individuals.

Below are edited highlights from the essay which imho still have a strong resonance & relevance today.
Read 75 tweets
May 1
#THREAD

Let’s take a closer look at some of the foundational ideological positions that the @Conservatives publicly claim to support, & how their actions & policies all too often run in complete & total contradiction to them.
They claim to support free speech - but criminalise protest & control what charities can say & do publicly in the 12-month run-up to elections.

They claim to be against ‘red tape’ - but gave Ukrainian asylum seekers a 100-page form to complete.
They claim to support a 'free press' - but support, appease & fear foreign billionaire Rupert Murdoch, who owns swathes of the UK right-wing media, non-dom billionaire Jonathan Harmsworth, who owns the Daily Mail, & non-dom billionaire Frederick Barclay who owns the Telegraph.
Read 18 tweets
May 1
#THREAD

New report from the @Global__Future independent think tank, claiming that despite elite's systematic attempts to divide Britain - not least with constant 'anti-woke' 'culture war' rhetoric - a tolerant, open, & nuanced majority still prevails.

ourglobalfuture.com/reports/the-ce…
@YouGov polls show that while a healthy diversity of thought exists, there is strong consensus amongst the British public on many issues broadly perceived as divisive, including race, gender, British history & the monarchy.

theguardian.com/society/2022/m…
While a strong majority of us (77%) believe that Britain has done good in the world, 67% also accept that it has also done damage. How can an Empire not inflict damage?

The data also suggests almost two in three of us believe that change is needed to make society fairer.
Read 15 tweets

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!


This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Don't want to be a Premium member but still want to support us?

Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal

Or Donate anonymously using crypto!

Ethereum

0xfe58350B80634f60Fa6Dc149a72b4DFbc17D341E copy

Bitcoin

3ATGMxNzCUFzxpMCHL5sWSt4DVtS8UqXpi copy

Thank you for your support!

Follow Us on Twitter!

:(