Like the vast majority of the Jewish community the election of Jeremy Corbyn and the subsequent rise of unbridled antisemitism from the former far-leftists and others who joined Labour in droves to support his project alienated me from a party I have voted for and supported for decades as a trade unionist.
As a member of the unaffiliated Civil Service trade unions I had always argued for a Labour vote while recognising that the civil service unions themselves should remain unaffiliated from any political party due to need to retain an "independent civil service" which I consider an important part of Britains democratic process.
That said the main civil service trade trade union to which I belonged to for some years including fifteen as a Branch Secretary was dominated by the far/hard left in particular the remains of the Militant Tendency now known as the Socialist Party and had a General Secretary in the form of Mark Serwotka a former member of the AWL (Alliance for Workers Liberty group) who was now close to the Socialist Workers Party.
These elements along with others were hostile to the Labour Party and spent much of their time and effort using the unions resources to get members to support various far left projects including electorally Respect and the Trade Union & Socialist Coalition. These activists were openly hostile to what they called a right wing and reformist organisation preferring to pursue revolutionary politics which after all is the aim of both the SWP and SP.
Along with others this was opposed and despite their efforts these organisations remained peripheral to members in general. Those who spoke up against this anti-Labour, hard left direction were demonised and bullied in much the same way that was seen after the rise of what became known as Corbynism. Many of these activists including Serwotka himself joined the Labour Party to deselect MPs and frankly just take it over.
I found it galling to see so many of these individuals hounding long term ordinary members out of the party and pursuing ideological mores that do not belong in a democratic organisation. Then there was the racism. Antisemitism both open and disguised.
Since then like many others I have kept an interest in party affairs and though have not voted Labour during the Corbyn era the election of Keir Starmer and the pushing back of the hard left has encouraged me to think Labour has a future though the party will in my view have to change. The old model of a "broad church" failed. Those we defined as "Corbynistas" proved that as they had no intention of tolerating anybody that did not te their "line".
Indeed the hard left as usual even at the height of its influence managed to fall out in internal faction fighting. Momentum once claimed over 42,000 members. Today it appears to have just 8,000. The bubble has burst. The left proved it could not live with others or even itself.
Today many activists that I know and respect have rejoined the Labour Party. Many, particularly in the Jewish community remain unconvinced that Labour remains unsafe. Indeed recently I found my self subjected to racist abuse from a left-winger who claimed he didn't know what antisemitism was and referred to me as a "self identified member of the Jewish faith" and that I was a "Semite pushing a Semitic line"
No other members of an ethnic community would be treated and described in such a fashion. It is simple racism. Think about it. I'm "self identified Jew". We all know where that led...
I was at first shocked. The I realised that I can no longer attempt to influence Labour from the outside via articles aimed a Labour supporting pages and although I do not feel ready to join the local constituency party yet I have decided to take that first step by joining an affiliated organisation and where better than one that fights directly for the Jewish community inside the Labour Party, the Jewish Labour Movement.
In due course I will consider joining the main party but will see how this goes.
Website: www.jewishlabour.uk
Facebook: www.facebook.com/JewishLabour
Twitter: twitter.com/JewishLabour
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