Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by David Wearing

David Wearing @davidwearing.bsky.social · 7h

None of us are safe in a world where basic norms in respect of the sanctity of human life are blithely disregarded. Those norms must be enforced, and enforced visibly. There must be political and legal consequences for every politician who made the genocide possible. The alternative is unthinkable.

Saul Staniforth @saulstaniforth.bsky.social · 7h

The foreign secretary says the UK has been contributing to the peace process.

No. What the UK govt has been contributing to is the extermination of the Palestinian people.

1 38 90

Reposted by David Wearing

David Wearing @davidwearing.bsky.social · 7h

When centrists affirm and validate racist grievance politics - that refugees are a burden, that racists have "legitimate concerns" about refugees - they empower the far right to take steps like the below, which would be unthinkable had the underlying assumptions not been turned into a common sense.

Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · 15h

Restore Britain's convoluted way of calliing for Britain to take no refugees at all.

UK should only ever give refugee status to genuine asylum seekers from neighbouring countries, which, given every one of our neighbours is a safe country "would effectively mean scrapping our whole asylum system"

9 33

David Wearing @davidwearing.bsky.social · 6h

Obviously

3

David Wearing @davidwearing.bsky.social · 6h

They're so bad on foreign policy

1 1

David Wearing @davidwearing.bsky.social · 6h

As far as I can see (and remember), the Tory view of the time was, "we'll tolerate you - despite your inferior origins - to the extent that you conform and assimilate".

David Wearing @davidwearing.bsky.social · 6h

But Omar, given that Thatcher was complaining of Britain being "swamped" by Commonwealth immigrants from a different "culture", how can we say that there was a consensus of the kind you describe? Never mind the Tebbit test and any number of other similar examples?

2

David Wearing @davidwearing.bsky.social · 7h

None of us are safe in a world where basic norms in respect of the sanctity of human life are blithely disregarded. Those norms must be enforced, and enforced visibly. There must be political and legal consequences for every politician who made the genocide possible. The alternative is unthinkable.

Saul Staniforth @saulstaniforth.bsky.social · 7h

The foreign secretary says the UK has been contributing to the peace process.

No. What the UK govt has been contributing to is the extermination of the Palestinian people.

1 38 90

David Wearing @davidwearing.bsky.social · 7h

When centrists affirm and validate racist grievance politics - that refugees are a burden, that racists have "legitimate concerns" about refugees - they empower the far right to take steps like the below, which would be unthinkable had the underlying assumptions not been turned into a common sense.

Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · 15h

Restore Britain's convoluted way of calliing for Britain to take no refugees at all.

UK should only ever give refugee status to genuine asylum seekers from neighbouring countries, which, given every one of our neighbours is a safe country "would effectively mean scrapping our whole asylum system"

9 33

David Wearing @davidwearing.bsky.social · 20h

Thanks that's saved me watching it :)

1 1

David Wearing @davidwearing.bsky.social · 1d

Three representatives of the reactionary right, one centrist, and one person from the left. Not even the pretence of balance or journalistic professionalism from the BBC. Good luck to Polanski in this set up.

Cllr Nick Hartley - Green Party @nickhartleygreen.bsky.social · 1d

The first time I’ve been looking forward to watch Question Time in quite a while!

Go on @zackpolanski.bsky.social!

#bbcqt

1 7 22

David Wearing @davidwearing.bsky.social · 1d

Nauseating

1

David Wearing @davidwearing.bsky.social · 1d

This is the point. There is no horizon for the Palestinians whatsoever in the "Trump plan", and no reliable, long-term commitment from the White House to restrain the genocidal regime. The new "peace" consists of far worse conditions than those that led to the events of the last two years.

Yair Wallach @yairwallach.bsky.social · 1d

Make no mistake. Those who spearheaded the Gaza genocide will try to relaunch it in a more ruthless manner, at the earliest opportunity.
They will fail only if there will be an alternative vision, one of recognition, life and equality for everyone.

11 21

David Wearing @davidwearing.bsky.social · 1d

The Qataris were part of a big push for a ceasefire from the Arab states, which formed much of the impetus for what's happening now, so yeah, they definitely want some credit for that.

1 4

David Wearing @davidwearing.bsky.social · 1d

As if "the Middle East" is the problem, and not us.

1 11

David Wearing @davidwearing.bsky.social · 1d

We will also hear a lot about Washington's "diplomatic achievement", a travesty of a framing. The US could have pulled the plug on Israel's genocide at any point over the past two years, and chose not to. The basis of a ceasefire has long been there, but Israel and its allies weren't interested.

4 38 120

David Wearing @davidwearing.bsky.social · 1d

The discourse in the West for the next few days will be e.g. "for all the caveats, let's just be relieved". And no, let's not. That's a feeling for Palestinians, not us.

Palestinians are human beings who deserve much better than the choice we've given them between genocide or colonial subjugation

1 38 120

David Wearing @davidwearing.bsky.social · 1d

Palestinians will feel understandable relief. The West should feel nothing but shame. Gaza has been obliterated. The territory rendered uninhabitable. Tens of thousands murdered in cold blood. The entire population subjected to starvation tactics. And now, colonial subjugation under Trump and Blair

3 99 240

David Wearing @davidwearing.bsky.social · 1d

Even the change to formally calling for a ceasefire was meaningless given that there was no "or else" attached. The arms and intel sharing continued to flow, no sanctions were applied. They were complicit throughout.

Saul Staniforth @saulstaniforth.bsky.social · 1d

Jonathan Ashworth: "I've wanted to see a ceasefire for 2 years"

The collective position of the Labour shadow cabinet (which you were part of) for months after October 7th was to reject a ceasefire & Labour instructed its MPs not to vote for a ceasefire in Nov 2023.

1 48 220

Reposted by David Wearing

David Wearing @davidwearing.bsky.social · 2d

90% of Westminster-Fleet St discourse on the Gaza protests and the pro-Palestine movement more generally can be explained by the sheer desperation of guilty people to change the subject.

1 27 100

Reposted by David Wearing

David Wearing @davidwearing.bsky.social · 2d

Let's spell it out then. The motivation is
1/ empathy for our fellow human beings
2/ to raise the political cost of the British government's complicity to the point where London is forced to withdraw its support, thereby increasing the international pressure on Israel to cease its genocidal acts.

Saul Staniforth @saulstaniforth.bsky.social · 2d

James Cleverly: "I cannot understand the motivation for protests of this type so regularly"

3 48 170

David Wearing @davidwearing.bsky.social · 1d

Man of integrity, which is no small thing

1 1

David Wearing @davidwearing.bsky.social · 1d

Certainly seems that way

1 1

David Wearing @davidwearing.bsky.social · 1d

In this economy I will take whats good where I can find it tbh

1 1

David Wearing @davidwearing.bsky.social · 1d

A moderate technocrat with some surprisingly comrade tendencies, that one

1 6

Reposted by David Wearing

David Wearing @davidwearing.bsky.social · 2d

How on Earth did Goodwin get "radicalised" from the entirely moderate and non-racist Legitimate Concerns About The Rate Of Change In Communities to here in a mere ten years? A real mystery that has baffled many great minds.

Huw C. Davies @huwcdavies.bsky.social · 3d

In what’s *not* racist this week: finding the growth of non-white populations ‘concerning’ or ‘disturbing’.

5 32