When political arguments cannot be defeated with more convincing arguments, opponents tell you to shut up, use tactics to silence & smear you & work to place restrictions on freedom of expression/assembly. These tactics are not from a place of political confidence. 1/9 We see motions blocked - from councils to Parliament - a woman’s speech trying to detail the horror of the genocide in Gaza at a council meeting was literally drowned out by petulant singing, ‘Free Palestine’ is being met with the furious bashing of the chair’s gavel. 2/9

6 years ago I gave this speech on the banks of the river Tyne. I was 29, very hopeful, a bit disorientated and naïve, but so excited about what was to come. 1/5 It was wet, so wet. Me and my dad were speculating how many people would come on the way over in the car - few hundred, a thousand maybe? Never in our lives did we expect 10,000 people would turn up outside the Sage! 2/5

🧵There are elements on the ‘left’ who instigate & cheer de-platforming / no-platforming tactics, contributing to a culture that’ll never bode well for socialists. Surely we should be welcoming dialogue, challenge & debate - which takes us to a place of higher awareness? (1/8) Yet we’re now in a position where a PM, passing some of the most authoritarian legislation, is able to position himself as a defender of free speech (see comments on Kathleen Stock). Of course it is prize hypocrisy, but contributing to this culture is a gift for the right. (2/8)

[thread] The Shadow Cabinet position of the Minister of Labour (later Minister of Employment Rights) has essentially been deleted in the latest reshuffle. There are rumours that it will be replaced with a junior role, but that will still be unsatisfactory. (1/11) This is a brazen political move from this leadership, but I think it’s a monumental error. People might say some of the responsibilities could be subsumed into other Shad Cab roles, but that fundamentally misses the whole point of the political project around this Dept.(2/11)

[thread] Members are the Labour Party & they should have control over it. When we talk about control, it’s often misinterpreted. Control is fundamentally about democracy. This is a very important principle to many Labour members. Why is it so important? (1/8) Vote #GV6 Many people on the left who have joined @UKLabour over the years, have done so because of a determination to change the system. They have joined because of the burning passions they hold and to participate in political activity which is meaningful, not superficial. (2/8)

[thread] Politics doesn’t have a start & an end point, but is a process & is evolutionary. It’s really important that we don’t see ourselves as finished products, with closed minds, who have learned everything there is to learn & who’ll only talk to those who agree with us. (1/7) At the heart of our political organising & activity must be a belief in the potential for change, otherwise why would we keep going with our political activity? (2/7)

[thread] When an economy is orientated towards private profit & towards decisions based on maximising that profit, our humanity is often lost. There can be an immense personal & collective turbulence to just living within this economic system. (1/6) Our humanity is fundamentally based on loving & caring for one another. If you think about our daily lives: at its best, it is laughing with each other; sharing food; enjoying music together; exploring each other’s communities, being in each other’s company. (2/6)

[thread] What does power mean to most of us in this country? What kind of power is actually useful to the majority of us? Is it the power of Governments committed to a harsh, uncaring capitalist system? #GV6 #GrassrootsVoice (1/7) Is it powerful corporations extracting more & more resources from our earth & more wealth from the workers who inhabit it? Do powerful banks work in our interests? What about powerful landlords? (2/7)

[thread] It is interesting that those in power talk about security in nationalistic terms: national security; military capabilities, border control. But I wonder if, when thinking about the times you have felt your most insecure, if you ever think of it like that? #GV6 (1/8) When we feel worried, scared, insecure, it is usually about completely different things. Have I got enough money to pay the rent? Will I get enough hours work to be able to do a food shop? Will I get a permanent contract at work? Will my children have a good future? (2/8)

[thread] When our opponents talk about socialism, they either talk about it as though it is some sort of utopian, fantasy idea that can never happen or a dangerous alternative to what we have right now. I just don’t connect with that view at all. (1/8) #GV6 #GrassrootsVoice My view of socialism is as a political expression of love for one another - a system based on our natural drive to love one another. The truth is, for so many millions of people in the UK & elsewhere in the world this capitalist system is hard, scary & uncertain.(2/8)

Rough sleeping has more than doubled since 2010. The number of people dying homeless has risen by 50% in the last 5 years (726 people last year). This shames us as a society. @UKLabour is right, as a party, to see it as a ‘moral mission’ to end it, within 5 years, via: (1/5) 👉 A £600 million ‘Modern Hostels Fund’ for good quality homeless accommodation with 5,000 additional bed spaces to take people off the streets & help them rebuild their lives. (2/5)

[thread] What would higher wages do for your local economy? In Preston, the @UKLabour council introduced the Real Living Wage to its workers & procured services from local companies who agreed to pay it too.(1/4) Living wage employers in Preston range from multinational giants to SMEs; public sector institutions to charities. As a result of this investment in local business & the local workforce, the employment rate grew faster than in neighbouring towns and than the UK average.(2/4)

[thread] There’s been some discussion over @UKLabour’s tax policy in the last 24 hrs, given a bit of prominence by #bbcqt. An audience member said that, though he earned over £80k, he was nowhere near the top 5% of earners & went so far as to say he wasn’t in the top 50%. (1/8) This is clearly false, but it has given rise to an interesting debate about tax, high pay & low pay. bbc.com/news/50517136 (2/8)

[thread] On Sunday, @UKLabour announced we’d be introducing a £10 Real Living Wage, regardless of age. Many welcomed this policy, but some questioned the impact that it would have on employment. Here is the recent history of commitments to the minimum wage / living wage: (1/6) 👉 In 1997, when the Labour government announced the introduction of a minimum wage, some employers & right–wing parties said there would be job losses en masse. (2/6)

[thread] This Parliament has ended & it’s time for the people to decide who they want to put in the next one. I am going to give the campaign everything I’ve got. I just wanted to offer some personal reflections before I get on with it. (1/8) Since that election in 2017, I have become a mother & lost my father & those two intensely personal experiences were met by the people I represented with love, patience & compassion & for that I will be forever grateful. (2/8)

[thread] Of course, @realDonaldTrump telling @AOC, @RashidaTlaib, @IlhanMN & @AyannaPressley to “go home” to their “country of origin” is racist. I’m disgusted & appalled by the callousness of these remarks, aimed at these amazingly strong women. #Solidarity to them. (1/7) But crucially, Trump’s consistent racism gives confidence to others with racist attitudes & builds a terrifying atmosphere for targets of that racism. These are the real, painful, consequences when political or community leaders foster racism & play on xenophobic attitudes. (2/7)