Thread by @D_Raval

Thread 🧵 - Now is the time to stand up, yes, that includes you!

We need to stand up right now to what's going on in this country. I didn't get to this recommendation strictly by political analysis. I get to it by life experience.

If you don't stand up for yourself against bullies, they'll keep coming back and it'll be worse each time they do. Right now we, the overwhelming majority in this country, are being taken for granted by a powerful but tiny clique at the top.

If they get away with what they're doing now, it only goes one way here on in, much worse. Worse for us whenever they want, in whatever way they want.

The last week or so has brutally exposed this.

https://twitter.com/D_Raval/status/1569359499789570048?s=20&t=Ujc7DUpVlwGi7jMHSG7e7g

We’ve seen the full resources of the state, the media and corporate worlds in the UK being deployed.

Billions have been earmarked for energy crisis but that money will go to energy companies. Billions being spent on a billionairess' funeral and her son’s induction day at work.

A family which has skipped inheritance tax possibly in the hundreds of million because of secret deals with the governments blue and red. People are being arrested for the mildest criticism of this.

https://twitter.com/Jairo_I_Funez/status/1568218548505280517?s=20&t=Ujc7DUpVlwGi7jMHSG7e7g

All of this has all been fully backed by the media with a 24/7 bombardment of distraction and emotional manipulation. Minimal to no dissenting voices or alternative opinions are allowed on air.

The BBC even deleting critical comments on its Africa website from people in Africa, The corporate world has reinforced all this with a blanketing of images and slogans that would put North Korea to shame.

https://twitter.com/ToryFibs/status/1568516107425796097?s=20&t=Ujc7DUpVlwGi7jMHSG7e7g

Our politicians at time of crisis that they themselves acknowledged only a week ago will now take over a month off before resuming normal service at Parliament. Not that many of them want to challenge what’s going on.

They are too embedded in the distraction and they benefit from it too. This is at all levels; national, the devolved nations and councils. They’ve all been roped into endorsing the distraction and all that goes with it.

So who is left to stand for us?

Who will demand that the #CostOfLivingCrisis is urgently tackled? Who will defend our democratic rights to question and criticise the unchecked transfer of power and wealth we’re witnessing with the royals? Who will talk to the other storm of crises facing us, from:

- sewage ridden rivers and seas
- the continuing collapse of the NHS and social care
- the crippling effects of the cuts to everything from the justice, police, prison, education to council services
- the prospect of real terms pay cuts from employers?

- the coming disastrous escalation of the #ClimateCrisis, the urgent actions we need to take now to slow it down and mitigate against the damage to come?

Who? Us, the public, the vast majority, the workers, consumers and citizens who make this country run and fuel its economy.

That has to be clear learning from recent events. No one stands with us. Not the politicians who do any and everything except what their voters want. Not the media who can never speak to truth to power because they too are part of that power establishment.

Not the corporates or our employers, the exploiters can’t protect the ones they’re exploiting. We can’t even rely on the police to protect our political rights.

So, it is us, ourselves who have to defend and protect ourselves and push for what we need.

That’s why I titled this “we need to stand up”, all of us and all of us now. This is not the time for waiting for the right time. The challenge and the crises are now and are getting worse by the day.

What does “standing up” mean? I don’t have specific recommendations.

All I can suggest is do what you can. Do what is within the reach of your capabilities and time and what is an acceptable level of risk to you. Whatever that is do it, do it now. It could be as easy as “liking” social media content that talks to this.

If you can re share (eg retweet) the strongest content.

Beyond that if you can directly support protests, strikers and anyone else standing up. They maybe doing things bolder or riskier than you might do yourself but they will still appreciate and need visible signs of support.

Others are better than me at suggesting what to do beyond that. Look out for the people and organisations doing that and support them, share what they’re saying and participate if you can.

I finish where I started. We need to stand up right now to what's going on in this country. The transfer of wealth and the curtailing of our rights that we've seen in just over week has been fast, massive and frightening.

The establishment have shown us who they are and what they're capable of. It can only get worse. This "success" will embolden to do it again, worse and bigger. So, do what you can, do it now. The more we do now will make it harder for them in the future.

Let's put down a marker, we're onto them and we're not going to keep on taking this. All the best with what you chose to do, you won't be alone.

This Thread as text blog post for easier reading and sharing: dravalblog.wordpress.com/2022/09/12/now…