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Ben Sellers

@MrBenSellers

Oct 23

[thread] Let me explain something, for those who think politics is about “objective conditions” rather than human emotions. (1/16)

@jeremycorbyn

Hundreds of thousands of people joined the Labour Party under @jeremycorbyn. Many more identified with the project’s message. Corbyn & the movement he represented spoke to them in a way that hundreds of left projects & parties had failed to do over decades. (2/16)

That was because it offered an open space where you didn’t have to be an expert on socialism to take part, but you could find your voice alongside other, ordinary people who wanted a better world. It offered hope in a simple way that was accessible & exciting to people. (3/16)

Read 16 tweets

Ben Sellers

@MrBenSellers

Sep 14

🧵 At times like this, I understand why some people are shocked & maybe even a bit angry at people who stick by their guns & speak out. 1/14

Politically, at least, I don’t think we see much of that in our daily lives: we are a nation who were told at an early age not to speak of politics & religion at the dinner table. 2/14

I think a lot of people, therefore, see anything that stands out against this national period of mourning as deliberate provocation or rudeness. 3/14

Read 14 tweets

Ben Sellers

@MrBenSellers

May 29

🧵 on #Jubilee2022: Parts of the left have become so defensive & lacking in confidence that they are swallowing a Blue Labour politics that has been discredited time & time again. (1/21)

Just to be clear, Blue Labour isn’t Blairite - it’s the strand of Labour politics that has its origins in the old Labour right & emphasises “faith, flag & family”. It fundamentally believes that the working class are unmovable in their social conservatism. (2/21)

The Jubilee is a gift for these people. The pressure to go along with this ‘bread and circuses’ is overwhelming & think Blue Labourites prey on the insecurities of that section of the left which buys a mythologised version of working class past & present. (3/21)

Read 21 tweets

Ben Sellers

@MrBenSellers

Apr 3

@pplsassembly

[thread] This weekend, a series of @pplsassembly #CostOfLivingCrisis demos were held across the UK, with P&O workers - represented by their unions @RMTunion & @nautilusint. I agree strongly with the linking of these two issues - and I want to quickly explain why. 1/10

@IERUK

After the ‘fire & rehire’ scandals of the last few years, P&O was the next logical step, except - as the @IERUK’s Keith Ewing has said - it isn’t #fireandrehire but #fireandreplace. The tactic is borrowed from the outsourcing playbook - but it happened overnight. 2/10

@POferries

It was significantly more radical & newsworthy because @POferries management decided to ignore employment law & take the hit of possible penalties as part of the price of creating a cheaper, casualised workforce. They had done the maths. 3/10

Read 10 tweets

Ben Sellers

@MrBenSellers

Apr 1

@LauraPidcock

🧵 People right across the political spectrum, but especially on the right of the Labour Party, are keen to throw around accusations of racism like confetti, but they should be particular careful when throwing them at @LauraPidcock. 1/9

@SRTRC_England

Apart from being a long-standing anti-racist activist, Laura spent 8 years working for a brilliant anti-racism charity @SRTRC_England, starting as an education worker & eventually taking a significant leadership position in the organisation. 2/9

@LauraPidcock

Now, to understand where @LauraPidcock comes from, it’s important to understand what @SRTRC_England is - because it’s not like other anti-racism organisations. It’s wholly focused on education & how we take (young) people on a journey away from ‘learned’ racist attitudes. 3/9

Read 9 tweets

Ben Sellers

@MrBenSellers

Mar 27

@UKLabour

[thread] Apart from losing the chance of a transformative @UKLabour Govt (one actually equipped to deal with the multiple crises facing us), one of the tragic consequences of the fracturing of the left project since 2017 has been the degeneration of our political culture. (1/20)

We did a lot of good things during the heady days of Corbynism around policy, grassroots democracy, debates, conversations. There’s lots to celebrate & be proud of. But I think one thing we haven’t really confronted was the importance of the space to speak, debate & argue. (2/20)

Argument & discussion are the lifeblood of grassroots socialism. It’s where we learn ourselves & understand how to convince other people. To the centre & right, with their top down politics, debate is a nuisance, gets in the way of the message & opens them up to challenge. (3/20)

Read 21 tweets

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