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Tim Almond's avatar

Did Kemi personally check the code to make that claim? Or did someone tell her? Or did she just presume it was faked? If she doesn't have the browser cache from the time she made that claim, I would not fancy her chances in a libel suit.

https://timsthoughts.substack.com/p/a-forensic-examination-of-the-reform

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Ted Morris's avatar

Interesting piece. I think it is important to distinguish popularist Reform from traditional Conservatism. Wouldn't mind hearing your take on that.

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Lee's avatar

I’ve been thinking about this a lot in terms of my side of politics (boring centre-left) that membership of even activist numbers aren’t enough. What needs to happen is creating a community, not just an online one either, but hard as it may be to create something like the Union Halls used to be in the 60s or what the evangelical church is for Republicans in America, not just a bunch of people to pay membership dues, not even getting together to knock on doors is enough. But especially now in our atomised online culture something that gets people out of house, together with like minded people to do political stuff and get political education to be sure but also just a fun place to be and meet people and form a real community

Talking about it is much easier than doing it but it’s what my side is politics desperately needs and would be effective for all sides

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Eliot Wilson's avatar

One complicating factor, I think, although this anecdotal observation and intuition, is that people have many more aspects of their “identity” now, especially younger people. We interact with others in real life and online in various personae, so to say you’re a “Conservative” or “Labour” or whatever it might be has less weight and meaning: you might also be a Christian, or a Harry Potter fan, or a gamer, or a vegan, or trades unionist, or a feminist, or involved with a sport, and this - I suggest tentatively - dilutes the sense of party allegiance.

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Lee's avatar

Yeah that’s a fair point

Which does make it ironic that at this time an identitarian ideology that tries to put people in simple boxes has gained so many adherents or maybe those 2 things (your point and identity politics) are connected

Seems like the kind of thing a decent writer (you) could write an essay on that the reader (me) would find interesting 😀😀😀

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Eliot Wilson's avatar

This is an interesting starting point (and thank you!).

https://www.cityam.com/letting-go-of-the-dream-of-mass-membership-political-parties/

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paul teare's avatar

Party loyalty save for small number is dead. Most people don't care. People are complicated and messy. Other people put them in nice neat boxes. They don't. Hierarch structure family are and always have been multi dimensional and stretchy. One reason why FPP doesn't work any more.

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