Northerner. Socialist. Lapsed surfer. Co-founder @Majority_uk. Former Advisor to @JamieDriscollNE. Once stood for parliament. Views my own etc. #YNWA
Newcastle Upon Tyne, England
Joined May 2018
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Hundreds out in the west end of #Newcastle. Amazing show of support from the local community protecting refugee support services. No sign of the far right here!
#Riots #Solidarity #NoPasaran #RefugeesWelcomeHere
Hugo Fearnley retweeted
“We can’t afford it” is the biggest lie in British politics. The money for warm homes, decent transport and lower bills already exists.
@JamieDriscollNE, explains to @BylineTimes how we can escape those four little words that have done so much damage.
youtube.com/watch?v=AQhfrwWG…
Hugo Fearnley retweeted
The full report is now published. One proposal is for a National Infrastructure ISA, a new savings account where there would be tax advantages for investments into domestic assets (such as the grid, house building). The report says the tax relief on current ISAs costs the Exchequer somewhere around £9.4 billion a year, but there is no requirement to invest this into the UK so "British taxpayers end up underwriting the capital of American corporations".
Former BoE economist Andy Haldane also touched on this issue in his Field of Dreams speech to the British Chambers of Commerce in June, saying tax relief on both ISAs and pension funds deliver a low return on investment - with less than 5% of pension assets currently going into UK equities, much lower than international counterparts.
Haldane said: "The Government extends over £50 billion in pension tax relief, and more than £10 billion in ISA tax relief, each year. As a country we spend more on savings tax relief than on defence. Yet these benefits are conferred without any accompanying commitment to support UK growth. Most are implicitly supporting US companies and governments."
🟢EXC: Former Labour Mayor Jamie Driscoll will release a 200 page report tomorrow aimed at boosting the Greens' credibility on the economy after joining Zack Polanski’s party last year.
The report, called Hostage Nation, will argue the UK has become hostage to the idea we can't afford the things that will make ordinary life cheaper.
It will say the UK has outsourced financial security to the global markets for the past 40 years and suggest a range of ways that UK financial markets could be used to rebuild Britain, including scrapping self-imposed fiscal rules.
While wanting to show there are figures within the Greens thinking seriously about public finances, it is hoped the document will also catch the attention of Andy Burnham ahead of the budget. The pair were previously close colleagues when working as Metro Mayors together.
Speaking ahead of the report launch Driscoll told me: "A lot of people very much like the values of the Green Party... but before they are going to vote for Greens they want to see, how would they run the economy?
"I' ve looked under the bonnet of the economy, the money is there, the powers are there, but the political bravery is missing."
Full details will be released tomorrow. While this isn't official party policy it has been presented to the Greens' economic working group with the hope it could be adopted by next year.
It comes amid efforts within the party to break with the current fiscal regime and offer a credible economic alternative to attract the left wing vote. As @EthanCroft98 reported last week, that includes a motion to be voted on at conference which would drop the use of interest rates as the main means of controlling inflation.
Read More: news.sky.com/story/politics-…
Britain acts broke. It isn’t.
I’m incredibly proud of the work I’ve done with my great comrade @JamieDriscollNE on #HostageNation - Britain’s Escape Plan.
Well worth a read, @yanisvaroufakis thinks it’s pretty good 👍🏼
Of all the blueprints I have read on how to redress the long-term damage austerity and financialisation have inflicted upon Britain's society, this one is the most impressive - and hope inspiring. A must read. hostagenation.com/
Here we go!
1/4
After many years campaigning in the Labour Party, I finally left in 2023. Call me crazy but strangling party democracy, keeping kids in poverty and supporting a genocide just didn’t sit right with me.
3/4
People are working multiple jobs and still can’t afford to put the heating on, let alone manage a family holiday. This is wrong in the sixth richest country in the world. We must get bills down, rebuild our public services and restore faith in politics.
4/4
Reform is in the pocket of billionaires and doesn’t have the answers.
It’s time to be bold. It’s time to vote Green.
#greensurge #greenparty #greenpartycandidate #localelections2026
Tomorrow night! This is going to be great!
Hugo Fearnley retweeted
EXCLUSIVE: Steve Reed is preparing to slash affordable new homes in London as part of his drive to Build Baby Build.
In a private memo, his officials say: "“The key test is that developers welcome the package strongly on the day."
My column
theguardian.com/commentisfre…
Can progressive regionalism help to defeat toxic English ethno-nationalism?
Or as one of the signs at the recent #Newcastle anti-fascist demo said:
“Racism. Nah you’re alreet pet.”
My recent article for @LeftBerlin 👇🏼
ALT THE LEFT BERLIN Decentralised, democratic, but disciplined - politics in 3D As the English Left struggles to reproduce itself, positive regionalism should play a part in what comes next
Hugo Fearnley retweeted
Join us on Saturday 6th September at Newcastle’s Discovery Museum for our Annual Conference.
Keynote speakers include @JamieDriscollNE and @zarahsultana, who will give an update on Your Party.
Book today - tickets going fast. Free for Majority members, £6 for non-members. 👇🏼
ALT MAJORITY ANNUAL CONFERENCE WITH JAMIE DRISCOLL & ZARAH SULTANA MP Saturday 6 September 1pm to 4pm Discovery Musuem Blandford Square, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 Image of Jamie Driscoll and Zarah Sultana
Hugo Fearnley retweeted
Let's run our public services democratically.
We need to kick out the profiteers and put people at the centre.
@HugoFearnley makes the case on Times Radio
1/8 Environment Minister Steve Reed is telling you that he won’t nationalise the water industry, because it would cost £100bn.
👀but where does that figure come from? 👀
Reed claims that it comes from within his own department.
🚨However, it looks suspiciously like it might have come from the private water companies themselves. 🚨
Steve Reed and his £100bn: a timeline
#ComeCleanSteve
Is the British left making a comeback?
We never went away. We just got battle hardened and better organised.
Join us and let’s put politics back in the service of our communities. ✊🏽
theguardian.com/news/ng-inte…
Wrote the alt text description for this pic - then realised, that’s probably the whole tweet.
‘Picture of two bearded men in selfie style. One is the famous stand-up comedian, podcaster, presenter, agitator and all round top bloke, Alexei Sayle. One is not.’
@AlexeiSaylePod
ALT Picture of two bearded men in selfie style. One is the famous stand-up comedian, podcaster, presenter, agitator and all round top bloke, Alexei Sayle. One is not.
And whilst we’re at it
Here it finally is: Alexei Sayle’s new Tik Tok dance. Part 1.
GET DANCIN’!!!
Also get The Alexei Sayle Podcast wherever you get podcasts!
#marxism #marxist #dance #challenge #tiktok