Yeah, yeah, “not all”, only enough to make sure there isn’t even a hint of socialist influence left in the party. Also, he doesn’t have to personally have removed someone from the party, for his actions and the actions of those who would fall in line with his establishment backed agenda to affect members of the party being sabotaged out of the party or leaving because they were made to feel unwelcome. The few that are left are relegated to the back benches and left with no real power to speak of.

In this thread there is already evidence of his dirty, unethical, and down right bigoted tactics, you not being comfortable enough to confront it doesn’t change the reality - Labour under Starmer is a neoliberal party that is serving capitalists and the establishment, and doesn’t have a hint of socialism nor solidarity or concern for the working class left in it (because when it does prop up as enough of a threat to the status quo, the threat is removed by whatever means necessary, it’s not like he has to go far when he’s deliberately stacked the party with other bootlickers who easily tighten ranks against anyone they no longer want around).

Obviously they won’t because that same system put them in power

Yes

and is currently holding far-right at bay

No, they’re acting as an establishment backed placeholder while the right regroups in preparation for a surge even further right next elections (when they get to blame all of the countries problems on “lefties”). Also the far right has made pretty significant gains this election.

Either way though you’re right - he has no reason to fix the voting system. People really need to let this sink in - Starmer isn’t there for the good of the country or the people, but his own and that of the establishment.

Absolutely, in case anyone needed more proof that the guy is 100% dedicated to the establishment and furthering his own career, not working class, and definitely not otherwise marginalised people (sadly, many do, so spreading this kind of info far and wide is not only welcome, but necessary).

If you’re not from here, my issue isn’t with you, people aren’t obliged to know the politics of all countries (though wherever you are, something similar is likely happening - the Overton window is shifting to the right globally), it’s the masses of locals who buy in to the idea that Starmer is a leftist that I find frustrating…

Corbyn was also at the helm of a horrible Labour defeat in 2019.

Corbyn lost by less than 3 million votes (E: in spite of a brutal years-long smear campaign literally designating him “unelectable”). A “horrible defeat” is the narrative the neoliberal media wants you to follow because it makes him seems like less of a threat to the establishment than he really was.

The media is pushing the narrative that Labour is on the left of politics as a way to fear monger and ensure his failures will be seen as failures of left wing policies, and shift the Overton window further to the right as a result, but they haven’t even been in the centre, but rather completely past it and in to mild right wing since Starmer took over and purged all the actually left leaning members from the party, and made it clear that he has zero class, or any other conscious.

His entire career in opposition has been proof that he’s nothing but a Tory in a red tie, since he didn’t oppose them on anything of any substance, and his entire election campaign was cantered on benefitting businesses, not the people of the country.

He’s gone against unions, he’s neglected health and social services, he’s ignored disabled people, he’s mocked the fight against racism, he’s made it clear over and over and over again that he’s in politics to serve the establishment, and his own career, not the country or the working class people who carry it on our backs.

So like, yay, Tories are out, but actually, we just have more of the same, only this time the veil is thicker and there is a pretence of progressiveness, that is only going to lull liberals in to a false sense of security, and push centre and right winged voters even further to the right, and leftism remains unrepresented in our parliament, because it’s too big a threat to the establishment (why Starmer was brought in in the first place - damage control after Corbyn).

They could, but aren’t going to.

So far they have u-turned on every pledge they’ve made, specifically those about nationalising services, saving the health and social services from complete destruction from underfunding and privatisation, and stopping further cuts to a cruel benefits system they have no intention of addressing.

Meanwhile taxing the rich more wasn’t even in their pledges, all they talk about is making Britain “better for business” and making the population less “work shy”.

Anyone pinning any hope for significant change on Starmer’s blue Labour, hasn’t been paying any attention (or is out enough of direct harms way to not give a shit about those of us already at the bottom who will continue getting pounded).

What’s next? World War III?

Already in the works… 😬

The soundtrack for the first one was a banger, too…

Thanks for the reminder!

Plenty of young people agree with him, because this isn’t a generational issue, it’s a class one.

So clearly I don’t speak for all disabled people, and as you say, and as is with any group, the needs of disabled people are individual and can change depending on many factors, so I don’t know if I can really give a conclusive answer to that.

You do touch on respect, and that’d probably be the top priority (and again, probably applies to interacting with all people) - we don’t need saviours, we need comrades. Respect the individual and their boundaries, they know themselves better than you do, and if they say no to something, trust that they know what’s best and back off without taking personal offence (and if helping is contingent on someone being nice and eternally grateful - don’t do it. Only help another person because you want to help them, not because you’re looking for praise and adoration. Nott saying you’d do this op, but far too many do - like people who grab your wheelchair and push without asking or being asked and then get angry when you ask them to stop).

I think other than that, the main almost universal one would be electricity. Even if someone doesn’t depend on it to power life sustaining machinery and/or aids (and many do), or seems like they immediately need electricity to survive, things like maintaining and controlling bodily temperature can be difficult or even impossible for some, so things like air conditioning, or heating pads (which are also vital for many for pain management), are essential. So having portable generators or other alternative sources of backup power in case of emergency can be a huge help.

Beyond that, the only way you can know is to get to know the disabled people in you community, build relationships friendships and trust, listen to them and let them know you’re there to offer help and support if they need it. If they feel safe and comfortable, they will come to you when and if they need it.

I agree with everything you’ve said, just one tip: please don’t call us “differently abled”, we’re disabled, and there is nothing wrong with calling us that.

Otherwise, thank you for actually including us in the first place, not many people do.

This is like reading a reverse horoscope - you’ve just thrown as many negative traits as you could think of at the wall, knowing at least a few will stick.

Nothing on your list couldn’t also apply to an adult, especially those most privileged and entitled in society.

To add to the extensive information you’ve already been given, I would highly recommend the Anarchist FAQ, which is all good, but specifically section J breaks down the “what can we do about it” part.

The anarchist Library in general is a fantastic resource, another good place to start might be David Graeber’s Are You An Anarchist? The Answer May Surprise You! or Kropotkin’s Mutual Aid.

Happy exploring!

We’re all learning, all of the time, being open to it just makes it more interesting!

I’m glad we’ve had this exchange, it’s honestly been really refreshing.

I’m glad you’re finding the info helpful and insightful.

I think with regards to use of language, this is another good read (E: also the understanding-disability link I attached earlier will will probably help with the “why” behind thinking “disabled” is a slur). It might be coming at this from a slightly different angle, but I think the point still stands - “politeness”, “offence”, “political correctness” these are terms most often used by the privileged to police the speech of and control marginalised people (aka “respectability politics”), rather than the other way around, but I might be digressing a little at this point lol…

You’re welcome.

I think why you think “disabled” is rude is the thing to focus on (and the answer very briefly is because you, we all, were socialised to think that way).

I’ll just drop this link in too, I think intersectionality is vital, and understanding how systems of oppression stand alone and interact with each other is vital to unlearning them, and I think this is a good starting point that goes in to several: https://www.yorku.ca/edu/unleading/systems-of-oppression/

That’s the fucking point - there is nothing disrespectful about the word disabled, while there definitely is a lot of disrespect in using bullshit euphemisms like the one you used. The fact that you’re arguing back rather than listen and try to do better proves that you don’t care about respecting disabled people at all, but only about making yourself comfortable.

Feel free to read the links I shared with the person bellow if you actually want to start showing respect to disabled people. Either way, I’m done here.

I am not a spokesperson for all disabled people, nor are we a monolith, but yes, it is the correct term, and enough disabled people care that there have been several campaigns and there are probably thousands of articles and other pieces of media discussing why it’s important people #SayTheWord. Look that hashtag up to find this content, here are a couple of examples:

https://www.creativeconnector.art/why-its-so-important-to-saytheword/

https://crippledscholar.com/2017/11/12/euphemisms-for-disability-are-infantalizing/

You might also benefit from reading through this: https://www.drakemusic.org/blog/nim-ralph/understanding-disability/

People saying it’s escapism inadvertently proving that it’s working as intended, because it isn’t there for escapism, it’s a distraction, a very deliberate choice to do with keeping poor people “aspirational”.

It’s about reinforcing the lie that is “The American Dream” (or the “trad life”), and the idea that the people watching really are just the temporarily embarrassed millionaires they’ve been made to believe they are, that are actually just Christian white supremacist patriarchal capitalism doing what it needs to to maintain its control - promote the “perfect” cis-heteronormative nuclear family, living in the house with a white picket fence (now evolved in to a McMansion), with 2 cars in the drive, not only as an ideal, but as the norm.

The idea that a movie can’t provide escapism if the people in it aren’t rich, again, just goes to show just how well this specific brand of propaganda works.