Democratic socialist, Breakthrough Party, NHS safety manager, Unison, Villa. Free typo in every tweet. Views my own. he/him
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Aug 8, 2021 • 6 tweets • 1 min read
Thread:
For months a vicious battle has been raging on twitter about racism on the left. I've stood in solidarity with people receiving increasingly vile racist and ableist abuse. I have tried to use my modest platform to amplify their voices.
I call out discrimination to help educate people and advance the fight against discrimination not as a political weapon. I try to listen to marginalised people and stand with them in their fightback against their oppression.
Aug 7, 2021 • 11 tweets • 2 min read
Let's talk about Jonathan Ashworth and the insidious power of political celebrity.
I have worked in the NHS for over a decade since Andy Burnham was Health Secretary. I care passionately about how services are decided on and run. And I feel I'm pretty knowledgeable about it.
So as a passionate and dedicated supporter of Jeremy Corbyn's Labour I was disappointed by how thin Labour's health policy was in the 2017 and 2019 manifestos.
It made the right noises about renationalising amd scrapping the Health and Social care Bill but there was no detail.
Aug 4, 2021 • 7 tweets • 4 min read
So people have been asking me what's been going on with all the bickering. I want to make it clear that what has happened to me is a fraction of what others, particularly Balck and disabled peoplehave been through at the hands of Resisiting Hate and their friends
This battle has been going in for months and over the course of that I've been threatened with doxing, had racist comments made about my wife and had conspiracy theories invented about me.
Feb 28, 2021 • 6 tweets • 1 min read
Thread about the pragmatists:
For decades they told us that they were socialists. The difference was that we were idealistic and self indulgent while they were practical and realistic. They wanted left wing policies but they told us voters would never support them.
They told us that you can't do anything if you don't win. That some positive polices are better than none. Compromise is required for power. So what did they learn from the Corbyn years. Were they pragmatic? Did they do all they could to win? What have they learnt?
Aug 5, 2020 • 4 tweets • 1 min read
Thread:
Like many people on the left I recently left the Labour Party. Heart broken but determined to fight back against the rising tide of the right I've been finding out what others like me are up to, by making a series of videos interviewing them about it!
The Harmony Party
#coronavirus Coronavirus
I am the manager of a GP practice in Barnet. Although the picture is changing everyday we are advising patients with symptoms consistent with the virus like a new persistent cough and or a fever to stay at home and self isolate for seven days.
If your condition worsens or you feel like you need advice go to the NHS website 111.nhs.uk/covid-19
Or call 111. But they are overwhelmed at the moment and I'm hearing call back times up to twelve hours.
Feb 11, 2020 • 9 tweets • 2 min read
Rambling Thread
The two of the most common reasons voters gave me on the doorstep for not wanting to vote Labour were "they're all the same. Just in for themselves" and hatred of Jeremy Corbyn but they couldn't explain why. Neither of these responses were common in 2017.
That represents two problems for Labour. Firstly Labour's vote has been declining since after 1997. There are a host of factors for this; changing demographics, decline of unions and the failure of New Labour to do enough to address in equality and neglect of much of the country.
Jan 3, 2020 • 10 tweets • 3 min read
How did Labour Leadership and Deputy Leadership hopefuls respond to the US attack on Iranian general Qassem Suleimani in Baghdad? #IranWar#LabourLeadershipElection
This was Angela Rayner's response
Thread: Labour's switch from soft Brexit to a second referendum with remain on the ballot did more to damage Labour than just alienate leave voters who wanted to leave the EU and felt they were entitled to see their vote carried out.
The switch in Brexit policy strengthened every line of attack against us and weakened us where we should have been strong: trust.
Corbyn is fearlessly honest. But when we switched to a second vote we made liars of our MPs and the triangulation made even remainers distrust us.
Dec 20, 2019 • 11 tweets • 2 min read
Thread: A lesson the next Labour leader must learn is that whatever it is it is not going to blow over. Our opponents in the Conservative party, the press and even the PLP will keep flinging whatever mud they can until it sticks and sometimes persistence is enough
In the run up to 2017 the leadership team ducked many issues just to survive until the end of the day. There are lots of conversations about long standing myths we need to start, that they avoided. I think this strategy was vindicated by the 2017 result.
Dec 19, 2019 • 10 tweets • 2 min read
The coalition of interests that led to Tony Blair's and new Labour's electoral success is no longer possible. No Labour leader can duplicate that trick. It was a once in a life time deal.
As Labour leader, Blair was able to count on the support Labour's traditional power base in the formerly strong trade union, industrial areas of the North East and the Midlands, on votes in Scotland and Wales and working classes in cities.
Dec 14, 2019 • 11 tweets • 3 min read
Thread:
I'm incredibly proud to have been part of the Corbyn project. When he first stood I thought if we can just get someone on TV who says austerity is a failure then we've achieved something. But we've done so much more. Unfortunately ultimately we failed the final test.
There are a host of long term deeper reasons that the Labour party has to contend with; the decline of our industrial base and trade unionism, the mainstream media, the erosion of socialist ideas in our communities etc. But we almost won last time so what happened this time?
Yes I'm a Labour party activist! Well spotted! One of the reasons I joined the Labour party was that as someone working in the NHS I could see what the Conservatives were doing to it.
Jun 19, 2019 • 21 tweets • 3 min read
Thread: Ever since the referendum there has been a campaign to stay in the EU and it's been a disaster. Again and again they have alienated the very people they needed to win over and failed to make a case for the EU
They attacked the legality of the vote because Leave over spent. Anyone breaking electoral rules should of course be pursued to the full extent of the law. But to suggest we should rerun or null the referendum because of Facebook ads is patronising and undemocratic.
Jun 18, 2019 • 8 tweets • 2 min read
Thread: Since the day Corbyn was elected leader for the second time by members of the Labour Party, Labour MPs on the right of the party have been biding their time waiting for an opportunity to bring him down
Brexit is the main issue they've identified as a possible wedge between Corbyn and us, his supporters. From Labour live to Tom Watson's video yesterday people on the Labour right who used to be so worried about immigration are now champions of 'free movement'.
Jun 5, 2019 • 4 tweets • 2 min read
In general is there any group in the UK with a poorer grasp of politics than political journalists? I'm embarrassed for them every day.
A lovely example
Thread: I've recently realised that joining the Labour party has pacified me. I have often set issues aside to focus on short term political battles. The Labour party has ducked too many issues. I think it's wrong. I'm not going to do it any more.
Labour has bottled it on economic policy. The idea that a government with it's own currency has to 'balance the books' is infantile Thatcherite nonsense. Labour should be arguing for grown up economic policies.
Mar 12, 2019 • 9 tweets • 2 min read
Thread: I don't know a lot about running a political party but I do know a bit about complaints handling. Here are some thoughts on how our procedures should work. Firstly I think @JennieGenSec has made a great start and much of this might be being set up already but here goes..
All complaints should be taken seriously and investigated thoroughly. All accusations should be treated as good faith. Anyone accused should be considered innocent until proven guilty. These aren't contradictory.
Jan 4, 2019 • 9 tweets • 2 min read
Thread: I'm an IT manager in a GP surgery. I've been involved in multiple borough wide IT projects across London. I've worked in Primary care for a decade.This is absolutely the worst idea I've heard in a long time. It sounds like nothing more than more plundering the NHS
GPs don't have outdated or frustrating technology. We don’t need new IT systems. We need existing systems to be better integrated with other healthcare provider systems. The NHS has been working on this for a decade and we’re almost there.
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