David Wearing
@davidwearing.bsky.social
8.3K followers 2.3K following 1.4K posts
Assistant Professor in International Relations at the University of Sussex (own views, obviously). Interested in British (and Western) foreign relations in the Middle East and elsewhere, and how they're shaped by legacies of colonialism.
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davidwearing.bsky.social
Thanks that's saved me watching it :)
Reposted by David Wearing
davidwearing.bsky.social
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.
Reposted by David Wearing
davidwearing.bsky.social
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
Reposted by David Wearing
davidwearing.bsky.social
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
davidwearing.bsky.social
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.
nickhartleygreen.bsky.social
The first time I’ve been looking forward to watch Question Time in quite a while!

Go on @zackpolanski.bsky.social!

#bbcqt
davidwearing.bsky.social
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.
yairwallach.bsky.social
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.
davidwearing.bsky.social
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.
davidwearing.bsky.social
As if "the Middle East" is the problem, and not us.
davidwearing.bsky.social
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.
davidwearing.bsky.social
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
davidwearing.bsky.social
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
davidwearing.bsky.social
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.
saulstaniforth.bsky.social
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.
Reposted by David Wearing
davidwearing.bsky.social
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.
Reposted by David Wearing
davidwearing.bsky.social
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.
saulstaniforth.bsky.social
James Cleverly: "I cannot understand the motivation for protests of this type so regularly"
davidwearing.bsky.social
Man of integrity, which is no small thing
davidwearing.bsky.social
In this economy I will take whats good where I can find it tbh
davidwearing.bsky.social
A moderate technocrat with some surprisingly comrade tendencies, that one
Reposted by David Wearing
davidwearing.bsky.social
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.
huwcdavies.bsky.social
In what’s *not* racist this week: finding the growth of non-white populations ‘concerning’ or ‘disturbing’.
davidwearing.bsky.social
And it's not like the Granada interview is the only example of such elite messaging and signaling from the Thatcher era, to put it extremely mildly. We can acknowledge what's new/different about Jenrick while remaining clear about that.
davidwearing.bsky.social
The 78 Granada interview was part of that elite messaging, no? Her remark about swamping was specifically about Commonwealth immigrants, i.e. black and brown people, and the remarks about "culture" are self-evidently racialising. The poster is just a disingenuous denial of that racism.
davidwearing.bsky.social
The infamous '78 Granada interview was more representative of the actual position. The remarks about "swamping" referred specifically to people like the man in the poster, and to my own family.
Well now, look, let us try and start with a few figures as far as we know them, and I am the first to admit it is not easy to get clear figures from the Home Office about immigration, but there was a committee which looked at it and said that if we went on as we are then by the end of the century there would be four million people of the new Commonwealth or Pakistan here. Now, that is an awful lot and I think it means that people are really rather afraid that this country might be rather swamped by people with a different culture and, you know, the British character has done so much for democracy, for law and done so much throughout the world that if there is any fear that it might be swamped people are going to react and be rather hostile to those coming in
davidwearing.bsky.social
Seen that one a million times and I still dont know how he did it