Read on Twitter
1. Reading this article again (sub-tweeting my thread with another thread, here... soz folks!) and my first overwhelming feeling was "How are the Left ever going to win against such a well-oiled populist machine prepared to throw any minority, anywhere, under the bus for power? https://twitter.com/0Calamity/status/1298175632938065921">https://twitter.com/0Calamity...
2. Then I thought back to the 2017 GE. How did we make such huge strides, despite the Tories and their dirty tricks? We took the establishment by surprise. They weren& #39;t ready for us. How? One word: dialogue #ixzz5AEJMjzck">https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4044728/Theresa-wants-use-army-computerised-Trump-mind-readers-help-win-Election.html #ixzz5AEJMjzck">https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...
3. The etymology of "dialogue" is not, as many think, from "two" ie a discussion between two people. The ancient Greek meaning is "through words". (I won& #39;t go into an exposition of all the different types of dialogue recognised by social scientists here as it would take a book)
4. For the first time that I can remember, we had a political party that was seeking to have a meaningful conversation with the electorate, and listen to - and act upon - people& #39;s needs. For the first time we had a leader with the skills to be able to do that.
5. @mattzarb came in for a lot of stick and ridicule when he said this (thread here: https://twitter.com/mattzarb/status/1297166468208107521?s=20">https://twitter.com/mattzarb/... ) but whatever your personal likes or dislikes he is right.
6. Corbyn could not have become leader if organisations like People& #39;s Assembly had not done years of groundwork, of dialogue within the community. Momentum rode the crest of that wave but changed the nature of the grassroots movement into top-down control rather than dialogue.
7. So when organisations like Red Labour say "Don& #39;t Leave! Organise!" this is what they mean. The only way to bypass the populist media machine is on a local, grassroots level. People mocked Corbyn for his rallies, but hundreds of thousands were inspired by them. Even in the rain
8. That spirit hasn& #39;t disappeared. It was important for the Right to choose the right moment to deploy their own icon - loveable, affable Boris, ooh he& #39;s such a charmer and such a card! - when the time was right. He& #39;s no leader, though. He& #39;s a figurehead to "Get Brexit Done".
9. Rumblings in the media today confirm my view that he was only ever put in place for that sole purpose. After 2 years of an establishment vilification process (see the article in 1.) they deployed a cartoon caracter politician to garner their majority. He& #39;s served his purpose.
10. What comes next? Well, we are headed for a cliff-edge Brexit, and if you think there is poverty and suffering in the UK already, you ain& #39;t seen nothing yet. The Tories will blame Covid for it. But the one weakness they have is short-termism.
11. Modern Toryism is all about instant gratification, for themselves and their pals. So they don& #39;t plan ahead. They will take the money and run, like they always do, leaving the mess for Labour to clear up in their wake. That inspiration of 2017 hasn& #39;t gone away, though.
12. Half-hearted attempts to demoralise the Left by constant attacks on Corbyn won& #39;t work. One think the British collective psyche has in spades is the spirit of the Blitz. When we are under attack, we galvanise into a strong resistance. We must organise. And we must resist.
