As a labour movement, we must care about gig workers & casualisation. Me, on the government’s many climbdowns on the Employment Rights Bill & what it means for the most precarious workers: open.substack.com/pub/mrbensel...

The government's climbdown on day one rights against unfair dismissal was sold to us as a way out of the impasse on the Employment Rights Bill. Pragmatism, eh? Well guess what? The business lobby (via the Lords) isn’t giving up & is pushing for more concessions. Funny that. 🤔

I’m slightly worried about some of the narrative around Zack Polanski from other parts of the left, particularly those attracted to Your Party. Read here: substack.com/@mrbenseller...

[thread 🧵] In its journey from Labour’s 2019 Manifesto to its current iteration, the Employment Rights Bill has been watered down in many ways, including: (1/10)

I’m not going to be in Liverpool this weekend. If someone had said to be even a year ago that I wouldn’t be involved in the foundation of a new, left party, I would have laughed at them. I’m not all that important, but I think it is a tiny example of what has gone wrong with Your Party.

We should be really clear that the effect of this climbdown on day one rights throws Deliveroo riders, Uber drivers, those on casual, temporary & agency contracts under the bus. That’s the reality of what this is about. It has real world impacts.

Here we go. The Govt has u-turned on its manifesto pledge to give all workers protection against unfair dismissal from their first day in a job. A predictable u-turn for Starmer’s Labour, this was a crucial jigsaw piece if you want to protect the most precarious workers. (1/2)

This is how it works: 🫵🏻 A tiny number of sexual assault cases amongst the asylum seeking community are highlighted by the far right and are recycled relentlessly to tar a whole group …

There are now so many nails in Labour’s coffin that the corpse inside will have problems being identified. If it could be, it would surely be a not-very-funny Reform parody. (1/7)

Important union busting story involving @rockstargamess.bsky.social Worth watching the video that accompanies the piece on @ieruk.bsky.social website (link below). www.ier.org.uk/news/say-sor...

Overnight, there have been multiple Israeli attacks across Gaza – from Beit Lahiya in the north to Khan Younis in the south. Israel has now killed at least 245 Palestinians and wounded 627 in Gaza since the ‘ceasefire’ came into force on October 10.

👉 Mamdani’s key policies: 1. Freeze rent: Mamdani says he will immediately freeze the rent in rent-stabilised housing, which he says is home to more than two million people in New York.

‘Be careful who you hate. It could be someone you love.’ - Bodo/Glimt tifo.

**Coming to Redhills Durham this Saturday. Really looking forward to it.** We are the Lions, Mr Manager! The story of Jayaben Desai and the Grunwick Strike Written by Neil Gore & Directed by Louise Townsend. Tickets here: redhillsdurham.org/event/we-are...

Hmm. I’m not sure that’s how a ceasefire works …

My latest blog on The World Turned Upside Down: Momentous mistakes - ten Momentum failures and what we might learn from them: theworldturnedupsidedownne.wordpress.com/2025/10/19/m...

🧵 The point about this protest isn’t that Britain First or the two men invading the pitch were trying to prove Gary Neville wrong, but that voicing an opinion in opposition to the far right-led, ‘raise the flags’ nonsense is “treachery”. (1/4)

The IDF are still acting with complete impunity, in case there was any doubt. Yesterday, they killed 11 members of the same Palestinian family in Gaza, the largest single violation of the “ceasefire” since it took effect 8 days ago. 7 children and 3 women were among those killed.

🧵 We know Starmer has thrown his lot in with Zionist Israel, but why is he going in so hard in defence of a load of Israeli football hooligans? Would he do the same for violent, racist supporters of any other nation, or even our own? 1/7

In the Palestinian context ‘Intifada’ means civil disobedience & resistance against an occupying force. Living under that occupation, Palestinians have the right to self-defence under international law, incl the use of force in defence of their cities, villages & communities. 1/7

Of course we’re all relieved that Israel are out of the World Cup, unable to qualify after another defeat, 3-0 against Italy. But they should never have been in the competition, not during a genocide in #Gaza. Shame on FIFA for their hypocrisy & complicity. #FreePalestine

They got me. 😂

We need to get democracy & accountability right from the start. I’ve joined with Eric Barnes, Mike Forster, Ian Hodson, Ken Loach, Audrey White & Naomi Wimborne-Idrissi to write an Open Letter to those currently leading ‘Your Party’. Add your name here: shorturl.at/Iv4xA

Tragically, I think we’ll now see a more accurate reflection of the loss of civilian life in Gaza, as displaced Palestinians return to the bombed out, flattened landscape they used to call home & search through the rubble. www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/10...

I have friends & comrades at this conference. To call them transphobes is nonsense akin to the antisemitism weaponisation. When will we learn that the answer to complex differences on the left isn’t simplistic sloganeering, toxic labelling or violence but real, honest discussion?

Geordies are Black & White. #StopTheFarRight

“Despite these acts of aggression, the flotilla continues its course with determination. Our mission remains clear: to challenge Israel's illegal siege on Gaza, stand with the Palestinian people, and deliver aid to a besieged population facing starvation and genocide.”

Launching our new publication by Ben Crawford & Jamie Houghton: Shareholders' Rights v Workers' Rights! The ERB is a big step for workers - but can it succeed without tackling corporate law & shareholder power? Blog: www.ier.org.uk/comments/emp...

Assembly point: Side, on the way down to the Quayside. #NoPasaran

This, by Darren McGarvey, is well worth reading on Your Party: “The answer isn’t to become less radical. It’s to become less self-absorbed.” … “The organisers who have proximity to working class communities should be the faces and voices of the left.” open.substack.com/pub/darrenmc...

[🧵thread] Parties are always coalitions, no matter how unified they seem to be. Parties-in-formation even more so, because they haven’t had time to forge a sense of unity. (1/7)

The centre left, having stayed silent throughout nearly 2 years of genocide, is desperate to whitewash the UK’s role so we can all get back to business as usual - but what that buries is the 77 yr history of bombing, occupation, blockade, land theft, settler violence, apartheid, ethnic cleansing etc

Malcolm X wasn’t known for being a soft touch, but he understood this. Yes, we’re in politics. Some of us have celebrity and / or notoriety because of it, but we’re all human, all make mistakes, and all have feelings.

The death toll in Gaza has now reached 65,000. In reality, it is likely to be much higher, due to the difficulty of recording data in bombed out residential areas out & the fact that thousands will be buried under the rubble. 1/4

I’ve written a piece for Red Pepper on Reform in County Durham & the challenges it represents for the way we do our politics on the left. www.redpepper.org.uk/political-pa...

There’s no place for any Israeli teams in UEFA competitions, but esp Maccabi Tel Aviv. Their fans are almost entirely genocide-supporting racists, always vocal about it & often violent, so when the game comes, I hope they’re met with opposition by Villa fans & anti-racists in Birmingham.

🧵 I realise that many people get frustrated talking about past events (‘old history’), especially when we are supposed to be ‘moving on’. The past is the past, right? Why stir things up? But I’m afraid that isn’t the way it works. (1/2)

I’ve been contacted about Palestinian students unable to take up their studies in Durham due to strict rules around biometric data which cannot be produced in Gaza.The students, who have lost everything, have achieved scholarships to study so that they may return to rebuild 🇵🇸 for the future.

Just to be clear, there was absolutely no way that UEFA would have done this without enormous public pressure. Speaking up, in any way, no matter how small, works. #FreePalestine

What’s incredible is that, after 22 months of lie after lie after lie, there are still gullible fools who believe them.

These people are not supporting terrorism, because Palestine Action is not a terrorist organisation. Everyone knows. Their proscription was based on a lie - a cynical abuse of anti-terrorism legislation by this Labour govt to silence & stigmatise anyone telling the truth about the genocide in Gaza.

This is such a disgrace, it’s almost beyond belief. The Met & other police forces are willing accomplices, sure, but the blame lies principally with Keir Starmer, Yvette Cooper & this utterly shameful Labour government. They are digging their own grave.

Starmer talking about the occupation of Gaza being “wrong” as if it was some teenagers playing on a swing. After 22 months of a genocide, after countless war crimes, after months of forced removals & ethnic cleansing. After 77 years plus of the same. He’s a disgrace.

We are delighted to be working in tandem with the @gftu.org.uk to deliver a brand new course, 'Empowering Workers: a Trade Union Certificate in Labour Law and the Labour Movement', accredited by Birbeck University, London. Details & registration here: gftuet.org.uk/courses/empo...

No doubt he thinks he’s ’exposing the truth’, but this is really poisonous by Darren Grimes. If you want to see the whole grubby little post, it’s here: www.facebook.com/share/v/1A2W... (1/3)

Very sad to say that we lost Lotta early this morning. In the end it was very peaceful, just like they say. She was the best dog we could have hoped for, when the kids were little, right through to today - even managing a little wag of her tail as she got some attention at the vets. Farewell, cutie.

🤯 Lucy Bronze played the tournament with a fractured tibia & a fair bit of the final with a badly damaged knee. Hard as nails. I’m not recommending it, but it symbolises the never-say-die attitude we’ve seen from England all tournament. 👊

A couple of summers ago, I spent a few weeks researching the formation of parties of the left, mostly in Europe but also from around the world. (1/8)

On holiday, so will just make this a quick 🧵. Apparently the new (temporarily named) ‘Your Party’ has had 140,000 sign ups in the first 24 hours. (1/10)

Well done to everyone involved in the @orgreavejustice.bsky.social campaign in winning a public inquiry into the events at Orgreave in June 1984. It’s been a long hard road, and their absolute determination is to be massively applauded. (1/3)