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Stephen Pihlaja

@stephenpihlaja.bsky.social

1.1K followers 1.4K following 820 posts

Labour Candidate for Moseley Ward 🌹 Also: Language Linguistics Religion Education Aston University Birmingham Community Organising Running Immigration Veganism bit.ly/m/SPihlaja

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Stephen Pihlaja @stephenpihlaja.bsky.social · 2d

Please follow my Candidate FB page for updates about my candidacy at Labour Councillor for Moseley Ward.

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Stephen Pihlaja @stephenpihlaja.bsky.social · 11d

Moseley Farmers Market! Ftw!

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Stephen Pihlaja @stephenpihlaja.bsky.social · 13d

The art of the FB argument is giving a person the last work right as it makes them look like an asshole.

Stephen Pihlaja @stephenpihlaja.bsky.social · 15d

Here we go 💪

Stephen Pihlaja @stephenpihlaja.bsky.social · 15d

If you are a thoughts and prayers person, please keep me and my family in them over the next month, particularly as parts of this work can be quite unsafe and we live in challenging times.

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Stephen Pihlaja @stephenpihlaja.bsky.social · 15d

I love being able to show some care to people who suddenly open up to you about things you wouldn't expect to hear people open up to about: the death of a husband or the pain an obscure policy has caused them. I love listening to people talk about what matters to them.

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Stephen Pihlaja @stephenpihlaja.bsky.social · 15d

I don't think everyone should be a politician, but after completing my first doorknocking session as a candidate, I am certain this is the right path for me. I absolutely love it. I love speaking to people about their concerns, I love arguing about policy.

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Stephen Pihlaja @stephenpihlaja.bsky.social · 15d

This has been a difficult decision for me, as the groups and people I have worked with over the years have been dear friends to me, and I will miss seeing all of them so regularly. The fight continues, just from different perspectives.

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Stephen Pihlaja @stephenpihlaja.bsky.social · 15d

Taking on this partisan role means that I need to resign my leadership positions at Birmingham Citizens, the community organising charity I have worked with over the last nine years.

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Stephen Pihlaja @stephenpihlaja.bsky.social · 15d

Regardless of whether I win or lose this by-election, I will also stand in the citywide election next year in May.

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Stephen Pihlaja @stephenpihlaja.bsky.social · 15d

For those unfamiliar with the UK council system, to be a city councillor in Birmingham means to represent one part of the city, around 21,000 people in Moseley. It is a part-time post and I will continue my day job at Aston.

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Stephen Pihlaja @stephenpihlaja.bsky.social · 15d

She was deeply respected and worked incredibly hard on behalf of the people of Moseley. In a fairer world, I would not be standing in this election, but in this imperfect world, I'm so honoured to be given a chance to take her legacy forward.

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Stephen Pihlaja @stephenpihlaja.bsky.social · 15d

🧵Big news thread incoming🧵
Tonight, I participated in my first doorknocking session as a Labour candidate in the Moseley Ward for the city council by-election on 23 October. This summer, the Labour councillor in this Ward, Kerry Jenkins, passed away after a sudden illness.

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Stephen Pihlaja @stephenpihlaja.bsky.social · 15d

I challenged my colleagues yesterday to come up with a seven-word definition of Stylistics. This is as close as I could get:

Stylistics is the study of how language choice affects meaning.

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Stephen Pihlaja @stephenpihlaja.bsky.social · 16d

Take, Take, Take // It was not a dream open.substack.com/pub/stephenp...
In which I go and come back

It was not a dream

In which I return to and from Japan, and in which I am honest

open.substack.com

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Stephen Pihlaja @stephenpihlaja.bsky.social · 23d

Now we have state sanctioned grieving?

Stephen Pihlaja @stephenpihlaja.bsky.social · 23d

If a Union or a political party is having an internal election, they should not tell you how to vote in that election. Honestly.

Stephen Pihlaja @stephenpihlaja.bsky.social · 24d

Threatens to call the police. I love it.

Stephen Pihlaja @stephenpihlaja.bsky.social · 25d

I love a BBC interview with an American gun expert where the gun expert is going on and on and on about things like muzzle velocity like there moment has finally come, someone will finally listen to them and the BBC interviewers is like, You realise this whole thing is completely crazy, right?

Stephen Pihlaja @stephenpihlaja.bsky.social · 25d

A new standing desk is great and I have solved the wobble. Yes.

Stephen Pihlaja @stephenpihlaja.bsky.social · 26d

Aaaaaand the internet is terrible there.

Stephen Pihlaja @stephenpihlaja.bsky.social · 26d

I have a place to work in my home for the first time in about 11 eleven years and it's incredible.

Stephen Pihlaja @stephenpihlaja.bsky.social · 26d

I have a place to work in my home for the first time in about 11 eleven years and it's incredible.

Stephen Pihlaja @stephenpihlaja.bsky.social · Sep 8

New article up on Social Compass: Positioning in discourse about religious belief and practice in superdiverse contexts. It's Open Access so download and read for free!

Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.

journals.sagepub.com

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Stephen Pihlaja @stephenpihlaja.bsky.social · Sep 8

I can't tell if this is profound or not.

Stephen Pihlaja @stephenpihlaja.bsky.social · Sep 8

I feel like leadership is wrapping your mind around the task that needs doing and then communicating to your team how that task will get done.

Stephen Pihlaja @stephenpihlaja.bsky.social · Sep 8

I feel like leadership is wrapping your mind around the task that needs doing and then communicating to your team how that task will get done.

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