Labour anti-Semitism, resistance from the left

The crisis inside the Labour Party took new twists and turns tonight as Chris Williamson faced suspension for his comments about Labour being "too apologetic" about anti-Semitism. Even Owen Jones the faux journalist tweeted his support for the move.

Meanwhile a variety of Corbyn supporters are sending a letter to "the top" protesting about the anti-Semitism in Labour but of course they just have to say the accusation against prop-Palestinians is flawed. So make of that what you will. Here's their letter still available for people to sign apparently:

Antisemitism Open Letter

We are Labour members who support Jeremy Corbyn in his leadership and the progressive, socialist programme and anti-racist principles of the Labour Party.
We have seen antisemitism from Labour members and supporters, online or offline. We recognise that as a movement we have been too slow to acknowledge this problem, too tolerant of the existence of antisemitic views within our ranks, too defensive and too eager to downplay it.

We sincerely apologise to the Jewish community, and our Jewish comrades in the party, for our collective failure on this issue to date.

We believe that a small minority of antisemites are wreaking havoc in the Labour movement, alienating Jewish people, and sabotaging the Labour project. Some of these people are already expelled or otherwise suspended by the party, but remain active on social media. Moreover, there is a much wider problem of denial about the problem, including shouting down those who raise it or take action. 

We are acutely aware that confidence in the left is at an all time low within Jewish communities. It is our goal to rebuild trust and relationships with our Jewish compatriots. 

In addition, we understand our obligation to be sensitive to the concerns that have already been widely expressed. A particular issue is that many people, due to a general lack of education about antisemitism, are not recognising antisemitic tropes, and as a result often react defensively. We recognise that rising antisemitism in society at large, and in other parties, isn’t a reason to fall short here in the Labour Party. It is our party that has always led the fight against racism, which is why our failures are bitterly disappointing for Jewish members, and as such we affirm that there is no space for anti-Jewish prejudice and bigotry in our movement. We must be at the forefront of eradicating antisemitism from our own spaces and movement, which is where we have the power to hold ourselves to the highest standard in order to make a real difference.

Part of the difficulty is that when speaking out about the injustices of the Israel-Palestine conflict, progressive and radical activists have faced allegations of antisemitism when they have either not been antisemitic or when they did not intend to be antisemitic and took care to ensure they were not using antisemitic tropes or rhetoric. At the same time, we acknowledge that we face real currents of unchallenged and somewhat normalised anti-Jewish oppression in our movements and society at large including at times alongside criticism of Israel. In order to resolve this we call on all members of the Labour movement to seek an end to bunker mentality, demonstrate maturity and prove why, as a party awaiting government, we can be trusted to face up to the challenges we encounter in bringing about significant change both within and outside of the movement.

It is our ambition to arrive at a place where we can hold ourselves accountable, continuing to address important challenges and having meaningful discussions about topics including the Israel-Palestine conflict. All of this whilst being true and committed allies to our Jewish compatriots in the fight against antisemitism.

We are committed to proactively opposing antisemitism and antisemitic tropes wherever they occur and countering efforts to downplay concerns raised. We want to work with the party to urgently assign resources, in consultation with the Jewish community, to expose and isolate antisemites active online purporting to support Labour; to create and develop political education materials to assist in educating those who are ignorant of this subject and unaware of the nuances of antisemitism; to publish a dedicated page on the Labour Party website addressing antisemitism; to address both new and outstanding cases in a timely manner; and to raise up Jewish voices speaking out about their experiences; and to reiterate publicly and privately that dismissive attitudes and denial are part of the problem.

We understand that many Jewish members feel uncertain and have reservations, but we hope that you will stay in the Labour Party, so we can work with you and together eradicate antisemitism from our movement and society as a whole.

This has been signed so far by the following,

Owen George Emmerson - Wealden CLP
Ciaran McGurdy - Manchester Withington CLP
Iwan Doherty- Warwick and Leamington CLP
Danny Cheetham - Denton and Reddish CLP
Eamon Rooke - Islington South
Jack Turner – Hartlepool CLP & Durham University Labour (DULC)
Simon Foster - Hampstead & Kilburn CLP
Steve H. - Richmond (Yorks) CLP
Maxim Lundlack-Orr - Ealing and Southall CLP
Steve Lapsley - Nottingham East CLP
David Plant - Holborn and St Pancras CLP
Eli Edwards - Cities of London and Westminster CLP
Jeremy Green - Stroud CLP
David Hooke - Islington South & Finsbury CLP
Chris Spence - Newcastle-under-Lyme CLP & West Midlands Regional Board
Matt Steven - Chipping Barnet CLP
Natalie Faulkner - Sheffield Heeley CLP
Jane Heybroek - East Surrey CLP
Matt Wainman - Liverpool Walton CLP
Donach Malachy Wells CLP
Glyn Harries - Hackney South and Shoreditch CLP
Andrew Jeffery - Hackney South and Shoreditch CLP
William Sorenson - Henley CLP (Youth Officer)
Alex Blenkhorn - Denton and Reddish CLP
Barnaby Marder - Richmond Park CLP. Founder, Socialists Against Antisemitism
Gary Spedding - Tynemouth CLP
Kenny Love - Hackney South and Shoreditch CLP
David Clarke - Bootle CLP
Sean Smyth, Bristol West CLP
Ed Poole - Enfield North CLP
Charlotte Faulkner - Sheffield Heeley CLP
Tania Shew - Holborn and St Pancras CLP
Daniel Vulkan - Hornsey and Wood Green CLP
Henry Mendoza - Tooting CLP
Michael A. Rowan - Islington North CLP
Darren Mansell - Bromsgrove CLP
Freddie Bailey - North Preston & Wyre
Ali Dogan - Hackney South and Shoreditch CLP
Michael Shew - Holborn and St Pancras CLP
George Aylett - Hull North CLP
Patricia Neira - Tynemouth CLP
Hattie Mann-Peet - Holborn and St Pancras CLP
Gareth Anker Hamsptead and Kilburn CLP
Jacob Richardson - Haltemprice and Howden CLP
Christopher Whittaker - Nottingham South CLP
Mark Anderson - Almond Valley CLP
Morgan Paulett - Caerphilly CLP
Mike Hind - Labour International
Jennifer Thorburn - Brent North CLP
Jack Pearce - Stafford CLP
Steve Cooke - Stockton North CLP
Alison Whyte - Hackney North
Joe B - Norwich South CLP
Joel McKevitt - Blackpool North & Cleveleys CLP
Phil Jeffrey - Stockton South CLP
Connor Slomski - Newcastle Upon Tyne Central CLP
David Mazzocchi-Jones - Newcastle-under-Lyme CLP and former PPC for Staffordshire Moorlands
Matthew Green - Sheffield South East CLP
Ellie Mae O'Hagan - Hackney South and Shoreditch CLP
Jon Narcross - Hackney South and Shoreditch CLP
Daniel Round - Hornsey and Wood Green CLP
Paul Hilder - Lewisham Deptford
Kate Evans - Wells CLP
Jack Duncan - Putney CLP
Kirsty Warren - Buckingham CLP
Peter McCulloch - Stockton North
James Dudley, Darlington CLP
Joseph Robinson - Bournemouth West CLP
Ross Patrick Clark. Melton and Rutland
Muzakir Ahmed- Ilford South CLP
Rose Francis, North Cardiff CLP
Lewis Michael Waddingham - Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough CLP
Timothy Christian - Fylde CLP
Ewan Jobe - North Tyneside CLP
Emma Jones - Oxford West & Abingdon CLP
Jacqueline Gittens Norwich North CLP
Daniel Rayner - Carshalton & Wallington CLP
Barney Carroll - Reading East CLP
David Miles Islington South CLP
Ross Clark - Glasgow Kelvin CLP
Moshe Mankoff, Gateshead CLP
George Miller - Sleaford and North Hykeham CLP
Aled Iestyn Lewis - Runnymede and Weybridge CLP
Lynton North - Torridge & West Devon CLP
Charles Smith - York Outer CLP
Ann Pugh - Mitcham & Morden CLP
Julie Franklin Blackley and Broughton CLP
Nikola Stojsavljevic - Amersham & Chesham CLP
Aliy Faisal - Cambridge CLP
Harriet Hey - Selby and Ainsty CLP
Dion Saunders - Bristol East CLP
Adam Ageli - Blackpool South CLP
Harry McCarthy - Colne Valley CLP
Finchley and Golders Green CLP
Daniel Rayner - Carshalton & Wallington
Robin Arnold - Wolverhampton North East CLP
Daniel Nichols - Romford CLP
Syed Kirmani - Edinburgh Southern CLP
Lawrence Matthews - Manchester Central CLP
Sophie Stephenson - Midlothian CLP
Jaki Whyte - Colchester CLP
Nigel Spencer - Manchester Withington CLP
Nadia Whittome - Rushcliffe CLP
Thomas Kirkwood - Bradford South CLP
Theo Freedman - Bethnal Green and Bow CLP
Tim Phillips-White - Wyre Forest CLP
Phill brocklehurst -yeovil clp
Allan Callister - Salford and Eccles CLP
Adam Smith - Huntingdon CLP
Jamil Ismaili - Cardiff South and Penarth CLP
Martin Sellers - Stretford & Urmston CLP
Joy Coughlan - Cardiff North CLP
Fabian Newton-Edgar - Leeds North East CLP
Robert Broad - Portsmouth CLP
Chris Mears - Cardiff North CLP
Mick McAteer Hackney North and Stoke Newington CLP
Rebecca Fewtrell - York CLP
Stuart Nimmo - South Dorset CLP
Geraint James - Anniesland CLP
Neville Hutchinson - Canterbury CLP
Sandra Smith Warrington North CLP

Socialist Workers Party backs Shamima Begum

The extremist Socialist Workers Party has launched a campaign to bring Shaimima Begum home under the auspices of being a refugee. Posters supporting her return have been appearing around East London attacking so-called Islamaphobia (sic) in an appeal to the more extreme elements of the Muslim community since they burn't their bridges with the others following their bust up with George Galloway in the now defunct and disbanded Respect Party.

The organisation Stand Up to Racism is nothing more than a front for the SWP with the support of a few useful fools like Diane Abbott.

The latest issue of Socialist Worker rants:

Right wingers see the Shamima Begum case as an opportunity to bolster racism and the state’s powers over Muslim people in Britain.

Nothing could be further from the truth. This has nothing to do with racism, in fact even the majority of the Muslim community do not consider it anything to do with Islam either. Begum not only joined ISIS but has to the horror of her neighbours and local Imam not even repented her actions or those of ISIS.

Begum thought beheading was part of Islam. Recently the severed heads of 50 Yazidi sex slaves were found by the SAS in ISIS tunnels. Briton's af all faiths and none have been shocked by the evil of this organisation and do not want these people back in this country or their communities. 

Socialist Worker goes on to defend the others whose citizenship has been stripped:

The withdrawal of citizenship is a huge punishment, delivered without trial. Shamima Begum is now stateless and with no rights or home.

But such measures have become almost routine.

In 2017 the Sunday Times reported that “More than 150 suspected jihadists and criminals have been stripped of their citizenship and banned from returning to the UK”.

Another 100 suffered the same fate last year.

Most of us do not have a problem with that. 

One question the SWP and their ilk ought to ask themselves is where where they when we were campaigning for the release and saving of the totally innocent Asia Bibi falsely accused of Blasphemy. 

The so-called Socialist Workers don't care about people. They just use issues for their own gain. The SWP are part of the problem not the solution.

Join our campaign against the smears of Israel Apartheid Week

Our new campaign with the Israel Britain Alliance stands against the smears of Israel Apartheid Week (IAW).

During March, university campuses across the UK will see Israel smeared by IAW events, falsely comparing Israel to the racist South African Apartheid regime.

If you want to understand more about why this comparison is so wrong, read Chapter 4 of Professor Alan Johnson’s “Israel and the Palestinians: A Guide to the Debate”: click here.

The UK Government has adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism, which states that “Denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination, e.g., by claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavour” is antisemitic.

If IAW is saying that the actual existence of Israel as a Jewish state is intrinsically racist in the same way as apartheid was, that’s a breach of the IHRA definition and is therefore antisemitic.

We would like you to email your MP and ask them to confirm their support for the IHRA definition, and to ask them to write to the Prime Minister asking how any breaches of the IHRA definition in universities during IAW will be tackled.

Please take part in the campaign https://www.israelbritain.org.uk/wb/?referral=wb

If you haven’t used the IBA (Israel Britain Alliance) system before you need to add your first name, surname and email address on the first page.

On the next page, add your postcode and click “search” and the system will find the addresses associated with that postcode.

Click on your address and the system will automatically find your MP. You can't enter your MP's details manually. You can view and alter the text of the email.

Press “submit” and you’ll send the email to them.

Please send any responses you receive to luke@webelieveinisrael.org.uk

Every email counts so please join the campaign and forward it to your friends and family as well as sharing it on Facebook and Twitter.

https://www.israelbritain.org.uk/wb/?referral=wb

Best wishes,

Luke Akehurst,

Director, We Believe in Israel

Labour the undead

Sky News has just reported that Labour is to back a second referendum on the EU:

Jeremy Corbyn will tell a meeting of Labour MPs that the party will support or put forward an amendment in favour of a public vote to "prevent a damaging Tory Brexit being forced on the country".

"The prime minister is recklessly running down the clock, in an attempt to force MPs to choose between her botched deal and a disastrous no-deal," he is due to tell them.

The man who spent years campaigning against the capitalist club of Europe has been forced by the recent split in his party and the pressure of all the young political things that flocked to Magic Grandpa (as Julie Birchell calls him) to take a pro-European line

At the same time the leader of his Momentum flock Jon Lansman is reportedly trying to deal with the anti-Semitism that is so widepread amongst Corbyn's suppporters. The Evening Standard reports: 

Jon Lansman, the founder of Left-wing group Momentum who sits on Labour’s ruling National Executive Committee, said the party had a “major problem” with anti-Semitism with the “poison” spreading on social media.

He also told of his feeling of “enormous regret, sadness and some shame” over Labour members such as Luciana Berger MP leaving the party.

Mr Lansman, who is himself Jewish, spoke out amid reports that more MPs are poised to quit Labour over the failure to tackle anti-Semitism within its ranks....

Large numbers of Jewish members have abandoned Labour since Corbyn came to power and the scale of abuse led by the far left in Liverpool was exposed by The Jewish Chronicle

The hard-left plot to oust Jewish Labour MP Dame Louise Ellman from the Liverpool Riverside constituency is being spearheaded by a former member of the Trotskyist Militant Tendency group who has repeatedly denied allegations of antisemitism in Jeremy Corbyn’s Party.

The report also contains a copy of the unpublished report into the bullying and racism from the far left.

Members and MP's should not be taken in by these unprincipled manoeuvres by Corbyn and l

Lansman. These two men are responsible for what has happened to the Labour Party. Corbyn and Lansman have worked together for some 30 years. Even now they both refuse to accept that Labour has become institutionally anti-Semitic.

Anti-Semitism is racism. Anti-Zionism has become Anti-Semitism. Not that Corbyn cares. Lansman probably does since he's Jewish and guess what? Lansman's enemies on the left are already fingering him as a Zionist. The shame.

Labour cannot be reformed. 

The message must go out: support a new party the old one is undead .

Sunday Roundup - Time for change

Photo:By Chris McAndrew

Breakaway MP's bring new hope to broken politics

The decision of 8 Labour and 3 Conservative MP's to leave their respective parties to become an "Independent Group" on the backbenches was not just a brave decision but the right one. For too long the main political parties have been dominated by their extreme wings the Corbynistas a narrow minded mixture of old Trots, those that spend their lives going to demonstrations and the politically naive sprinkled liberally with anti-Semites.

Meanwhile the Conservative Party has been held to ransom by the ERG and the like of Boris Johnson and Jacob Rees Mogg, the latter being the MP for the 17th Century taking us backwards.

In a an interview with The Times newspaper (no link £) with Chuka Umunna explains the situation further:

The Independent Group is, he argues, different to the failed attempt to break the mould of politics in the 1980s. “The SDP was basically Labour 2.0, whereas this is a genuine coming together of people from different political traditions.” Those involved are nothing like the Gang of Four, he says. “We are a diverse group of people, of different generations, backgrounds and political traditions. We are two-thirds women and I suppose I provide a bit of ethnic diversity. We’re not grandees.” The political landscape has also been transformed, he says. “In the past people tended to vote along class lines but now other cultural issues play more strongly. It’s about whether you have an open, more global view of the world or whether you have a more closed nationalistic view.”

Westminster, he argues, is stuck in a previous age. “We’ve still got a politics that’s operating like it’s in the 20th century, with two old parties which have coalitions within them that are fighting each other and have fragmented.” More than two thirds of the electorate say they don’t feel represented by the existing system. “You’ve got a huge number of people voting for parties to keep the other lot out, or because it’s the least worst option. That’s just not sustainable.”

It's well known that the Labour Party has developed a toxic internal atmosphere with anti-Semitism (thinly disguised as anti-Zionism) which is why Jewish MP luciana Berger was forced to leave follwoing a witch hunt led by an adbmirer of mad conspiracy theorist David Ike.

The MP's are not alone.

Councillors leave the Labour Party

Three local councillors made the local news on Tuesday starting with Brighton & Hove Council.  Anti-Semitism UK reported:

The Labour Party is set to lose control over Brighton and Hove City Council as one of its councillors, Anne Meadows, has told the BBC that she is leaving the Labour Party and joining the Conservative Party after what she described as “18 months of antisemitism and abuse”. Her defection means that the Conservative grouping on the Council is now larger than the Labour one. The Council has been led by the Labour Party since 2015.A shame she went straight to the Tories but at the moment there is nowhere to go, though the following day a further resignation came from fellow councillor.


The Argus reported:

Cllr Morgan said: “This morning, after more than 27 years as a member, I have submitted my resignation from the Labour Party to the General Secretary Jennie Formby, citing Brexit, anti-Semitism and the toxic culture of aggression and bullying within the Party and the broader Corbyn-supporting base.

Warren Morgan has been standing up to Momentum bullies for a long time.

Finally The Derby Telegraph reports:

A Derby councillor has decided to leave the Labour Party because he feels its views and values at national level no longer mirror his own, especially with regards anti-semitism.

Councillor Dom Anderson, who was elected to represent Boulton ward in 2016, will continue to do so as an independent councillor on Derby City Council.

Mr Anderson was loathe to give many details about his decision but indicated that widely-publicised claims of anti-Semetic views in the Labour Party had helped to make up his mind.

He issued an official statement which said: "I took the difficult decision to leave the Labour Party but will continue to represent the people of Boulton as an independent councillor and vote with the values I have always held, in mind."

This morning The Sunday Times Reports:

Labour councillors in more than a dozen local authorities have resigned to become independents because of anti-semitism and bullying.

The news comes after eight Labour MPs defected to a new centrist grouping, the Independent Group (TIG), last week.

In Brighton and Hove, three independents intend to align formally with TIG as soon as this week. Warren Morgan, the former Labour leader of the council, is leading a plan that would see TIG hold the balance of power ahead of local elections this spring.

Labour representatives from 10 councils wrote a joint letter to The Sunday Times last night declaring they had defected. “Having witnessed the hard-left takeover of Labour, we believe that their harsh, uncompromising and dogmatic approach to politics poses a genuine threat,” their letter read.

“The Labour Party has changed beyond all recognition. A culture of bullying, intimidation and hostility towards Jewish people is becoming common-place. We therefore welcome the new Independent Group.”

Members leave in droves

The website of The Independent Group went down as 700,000 people attempted to access it at once. Thousands of ordinary people have been making donations. I have watched as people on one of the Labour Facebook groups I belong to have resigned cancelling their standing orders posting pictures of cut up membership cards.

One letter of resignation from academic David Hirsh read:

This is my resignation from the Labour Party, my political home since I was 18 years old.

Personally, I have had enough of being humiliated by antisemitism in the Labour movement. I have fought it for years, in the student movement in the academic unions and in the Labour Party. I won't subject myself to it any longer.

Politically, the most important thing to me at the moment is democracy. I mean by that our democratic states in which we look after each other and our civil society in which we are free to do what we choose.

I mean the principle that human beings are in a fundamental sense of equal value, and so opposition to discrimination against people on the basis of their designated race, gender, sexuality, religion or nation is a fundamental principle......

...I do not want Jeremy Corbyn to be the next Prime Minister; he is so wedded to antisemitic politics that he has been quite unable to address the antisemitic culture which he imported into the Labour mainstream. And that is linked to his anti-democratic worldview. While Corbyn himself may not be around for very long as leader, his politics and his culture will be, in my judgement.

Adam Langleben wrote his letter of resignation directly to Jeremy Corbyn in which he stated:

There can be no racial, social or economic justice whilst antisemites have completed a hostile takeover of the greatest force for achieving those aims. Antisemitism is a corrosive conspiracy theory that blocks the achievement of all justices. You represent the ultimate betrayal of Labour values. I thought naively that it and you could be changed. That very naivety or belief in the good in people is why I and so many others are part of the Labour Party. You have abused and manipulated the idealism of hundreds of thousands of good people, whilst allowing the antisemites to become evangelists for hate.

The time for the old Labour Party is at an end and the one nation conservatives need a new home. A new party is promised by the end of the year. Vince Cable seems exited but his party has lost all credibility so any Liberals wanting real change should be ready to defect.

It's time to build a new politics a radical party of the centre to change politics rejecting the outdated ideologies of centuries past.

The manifesto is yet to be written but there is now a glimmer of hope.....

And the usual piece of music on a Sunday to end this post with the latest single from Italian metal band Walk in Darkness:

New Music from Alien Weaponry & Test Department

It's Friday night and time for everyone to chill for the weekend. Time for some music. The first piece up is from a band I only came across as it came 9th in an open vote for best new band on Planet Rock radio. The name amused me so I decided to check it out.

Alien Weaponry is a metal trio from New Zealand and are rather good as this Maori influenced track illustrates nicely.



A reviewer from Overdrive Magazine writes:

Nothing makes me happier than seeing a group of young guns carrying the torch for heavy metal. It is clear that the sounds of metal are continuing down the bloodlines to the younger generations and should remain doing so for quite some time. In some weird sense, this allows me to actually sleep at night, knowing that the music me and so many others cherish is in good hands. Yet when I mention carrying the torch, Alien Weaponry are not only carrying it, but they are raising it damn high. The trio out of New Zealand is comprised of fifteen year old Lewis de Jong (guitar and vocals), fifteen year old Ethan Trembath (bass guitar), and seventeen year old Henry de Jong (drums). They are gearing up to release their savage debut album entitled Tū, which is set to be released June 1st, 2018 via Napalm Records.

For more info: alienweaponry.com




Meanwhile an old band, Test Department have released their first new album in twenty years which was proceeded by the single Landlord released in November last year. Missed that but much prefer albums in any case!

I saw them live, a long time ago somewhere in South London. They were banging an aircraft wing, hitting a septic tank, had bagpipes with Jimmy Somerville singing the high notes and Sarah Jane Morris singing the low. Amazing performance.

Here's a track off Disturbance due for release on March 1st  but my (vinyl) copy arrived today!



For more info: testdept.org.uk

Red and Purple momentums threaten democracy

Photo: By UK Parliament

The latest MP to quit Labour is Ian Austin, a Brexiteer who has not joined The Independent Group for probably that reason. Meanwhile there are reports that dozens of Labour MP's are are preparing to quit over Corbyn's Brexit shenanigans. At least there is somewhere they can go, however it is essential they act together outside the Labour Party as Austin with a majority of just 22 is unlikely to survive as an Independent.

Meanwhile Theresa may has written to the three departed Tory MP's admitting there has been a problem of entryism by a "purple momentum" which frankly was obvious to anyone who uses social media for political discussion. People have been chattering about this for a long time encouraging UKIP members and supporters to join the Tories to fight for Brexit and erm deselect remainers.

Both major political parties have been plagues by parasites seeking to end the broad coalitions that have stabilised and created  a healthy democracy in the UK. These red and purple extremists share so many traits. Intolerance, misogyny and racism. They need to be pushed back to the fringes. It's likely the Tories will be far more able to purge the "cuckoos in their nest" than Labour.

It's too late for the Labour Party which is why Labour MP's and hopefully MP's from other parties can be encouraged to join The Independent Group and form a new party of the political centre and rally a defence of democracy from the the political extremists undermine the countries body politic.

Meanwhile a campaign has been launched to keep the odious George Galloway out of the Labour Party......