Twitter Tattle

How do we differentiate between what we say as individuals and what we say corporately?

This is not a post about Ukraine. I like most people am in shock and horrified by what is happening. I am scared for the future and for the people of Ukraine. But I don’t know what to say beyond that as a post. I am not a foreign policy, international diplomacy or defence expert. In terms of the soft left and how they should approach these issues, I can sum it up in this Twitter exchange with Sunny Hundal. Labour should look at conflict on a case-by-case basis but consider a commitment to NATO an unequivocal pledge. I’m not writing beyond that, because I don’t think I have more than that to add. This is not a post on anything like as important. Consider it displacement activity if you like. But instead of buying me a coffee this week, consider donating some money to British-Ukrainian Aid.

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Some time ago, I was the co-chair of Open Labour. For those who know what happened, they will know my tenure there came to an abrupt end of my leadership, membership and support of that organisation. That came about because of things on Twitter and a very different understanding of what was meant by being ‘open’, but this is not that story.

Sometime before that incident, I got a text from my co-chair asking “Are We [my emphasis added] at war with Unite now”. The co-chair was responding to a tweet at our corporate account quoting me calling Len McCluskey a Bellend. I don’t remember what prompted that on this specific occasion, but I am happy to reiterate that it is definitely my opinion that Len McCluskey is a twat and I will and always I am happy to say so publicly. Which is the response I sent to my Co-chair.

They continued to badger me to “think about what I tweeted” and the impact it might have on the organisation. I gave him extremely short shrift (posh for telling him to fuck off) for several reasons.

Firstly, by the time I had been elected and re-elected as Co-Chair of Open Labour I had been on Twitter, being very much myself, for several years. My members knew who I was and what I was likely to share as an opinion from my own account. It was not their individual right, nor Open Labour’s right to try to suppress me on my own account.

Secondly, my co-chair frequently expressed equally strong (if usually less sweary) opinions. It would never even have occurred to me to ask him not to do so. If I disagreed, I would do so publicly, and in the spirit of open debate I thought we had established OL to pursue.

Finally, and most germanely, sometimes the co-chair would tweet his own opinions from the Open Labour account and - to be honest - that did piss me off. But stupidly I didn’t say so until I was pushing back against this first attempt to quash me.

Today, it has been reported that access to the Young Labour Twitter account has been restricted. Looking at some of their recent tweets, I can see why. The opinions expressed are not outwith the bands of ordinary debate - however much they may go against the opinions of the party and its leadership.

If those opinions had been tweeted from the personal account of the Chair or a member of the executive of Young Labour and there was a move to have them silenced or thrown out of the party as a result I would be defending their right to be wrong to the death.

The UK’s relationship with NATO is a legitimate area for political debate. It should not be treated in the same way as either antisemitism or the denial of Labour’s antisemitism problem. It shouldn’t be because there can’t be two sides of that debate - certainly post EHRC. It also shouldn’t because what happened as a result of that report should be exceptional, because we should treat this problem as exceptionally bad. If we expand this kind of treatment to individuals who disagree with leadership policy then we will cease to be a political party. Debating and disagreeing is essential to politics and we have to model how to do it with each other as much as we model how to do it with our opponents.

However, this is not that. This is a corporate account that has a role in disseminating information about the role Young Labour can and should play in the politics of Labour. It should not be there to argue against (or for really) individual leadership policies without a mandate to do so from the membership. Unless YL went through a thorough and widespread democratic consultation in record time as to what its members thought about the complex and ongoing and fast-moving situation then tweets from the corporate account are not appropriate.

As a movement, we are going to have to get better on both sides about the difference between the political opinions of political people and the use of the right space to express them.

I worry considerably about the notion that we should quash the dissenting voices of Young Labour or anyone who has a legitimate disagreement with the leadership. That means I am deeply uneasy at the reported cancelling of their conference and cutting of funding being related to such disagreements.

If this is the case, Young Labour have been shabbily treated and that bodes ill. The leadership have done the divorce from Corbyn. They now risk sounding like a bitter ex (and I should know, I wrote a whole blog series about my divorce from my dreadful husband). the separation has happened and the best revenge is not harping on, not looking back and not grinding down anyone who disagrees with you. It’s being strong and confident enough to be generous to those who disagree with you. Continuing this fight feels like insecurity masquerading as macho.

Young Labour are, of course, too up for a fight. But they are not in a position of strength. They should stop doing dumb things like tweeting from the wrong account. But beyond that, they should be allowed to explore their own politics at the age when we all do that.

Please donate to British-Ukraine Aid

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I run a political and communications consultancy called Political Human. Please get in touch if you are looking for political or media consultancy advice, strategic communication and campaign planning, ghostwriting, copywriting, editing, training or coaching.

You can read some lovely things that some of my clients have said here.

I am also a playwright and director. My debut piece No Cure For Love can be seen here.

Work on my next piece Triggered is continuing apace with a view to staging it next summer. I have set up a Go Fund Me with details and would be delighted to receive donations to help pay my actors (I don’t believe in asking for free labour).

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What I have been up to is finishing the first draft of the play, having my birthday and working for clients, so no pieces or podcasts this week. Sorry!

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Questions, comments and arguments are very welcome. Insults will get you summarily blocked on every platform that no longer hosts Donald Trump. I’m at emmaburnell@gmail.com or on Twitter (far too often) at @EmmaBurnell_.