The Erasing Of Rachael Cousins

While nothing about today’s tribal, bullying and aggressive politics should surprise any seasoned observer, the sight of the rich and well-known throwing their weight about and trying by a variety of means to bully those who are not is one of the most dispiriting. If it isn’t the constant resorting to legal threats in order to put the less well-off in their place, it’s the use of a variety of devices to deny the poor their place at the discussion table.

A well-known Twitter avatar ...

Which brings us to Rachael Cousins, who, as @rachael_swindon (cos she’s from Swindon), was an unswerving supporter of Jeremy Corbyn when he was Labour leader. She is equally unswerving in her support for the plight of the Palestinians - but her criticism of the state of Israel does not extend to Jew-hatred. She doesn’t do anti-Semitism.

... a minor thesp ...

The world knows Ms Cousins’ circumstances, as they were covered by a BuzzFeed article back in September 2018, part of the oeuvre of Mark Di Stefano, although this one was clearly written up as a result of straightforward journalism. As he told, “Cousins said her husband is living with fibromyalgia, a painful long-term condition causing extreme pain and fatigue. She has osteoarthritis in her legs. Neither are working at the moment”.

... and another minor thesp

And so we come to the present: Ms Cousins had a Tweet RTd by Gary Lineker. It was about a 100 year old man doing laps of his garden to raise money for charity. Ms Cousins’ point was that, unlike Captain Tom Moore, this man was not white. And he was not garnering nearly as much attention. But after Lineker’s RT, all hell broke loose.

Minor thesp Frances Barber went first. “Never RT Rachel Swindler Gary please!” That would be actionable, were Ms Cousins as flush with dosh as her accuser. Lineker did not know who she was. “I’m sorry to tell you. Look at your TL” sneered Ms Barber. Lineker does not look as this TL. But soon there was another minor thesp on the case.

Tracy Ann Oberman was clearly on a mission. “Gary of all the many many people who led a Corbyn troll army to hate on me and [Rachel Riley] it was Swindon [she means Ms Cousins]. She posted and RT some of the most vile abuse and whipped hate and racist lies. It caused pain. To see a hero like you legitimise her is difficult x”.

He wasn’t legitimising her. But back she came once more. “I guess the debate was always by amplifying these hate merchants like Cousins and Icke do we draw traffic their way. The story deserves all the plaudits. Not the messenger x”. If she had tried the David Icke smear on someone with enough money to sue … but she knows Ms Cousins doesn’t.

Then Ms Oberman took the biscuit. “She’s vicious.ill [sic] get [Rachel Riley] to fill you in. I hear you but if I end up et [?] RT a wrong un I always try and delete”. Tracy Ann Oberman calling “vicious” on others. That’s a most interesting one.

Rachael Cousins is political, opinionated, insistent, and yes, persistent. But she is not a “swindler”, she doesn’t have a “troll army”, she’s not racist, and not a hate merchant. Yet there are the well off, trying to have her erased from Twitter conversations.

She knew that when she gave BuzzFeed that interview. “I am a woman who has got a voice … They are trying to take that away from me”. Free speech is for everyone, whether you agree with their politics or not. Maybe Ms Cousins’ detractors should remember that.

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