“Let us do more to end the oppression of the Palestinian people. The 60 year occupation - gabble gabble gabble - two state solution. ...the values we share are not served by building walls.”
Says Jeremessiah Corbyn.
Or to be more precise, here’s a more accurate transcription from the Spectator:
“And let’s give real support to end the oppression of the Palestinian people, the 50-year occupation and illegal settlement expansion and move to a genuine two-state solution of the Israel-Palestine conflict. Britain’s voice needs to be heard independently in the world. We must be a candid friend to the United States, now more than ever.
The values we share are not served by building walls, banning immigrants on the basis of religion, polluting the planet, or pandering to racism.”
I knew the way the BBC has been behaving was reminding me of something. Yes, of course! It’s like the Arab Spring all over again.
“The Labour Party is the gov’ment in waiting!" "Feel the euphoria!" "Jeremy Corbyn is the next PM.”
Recently I’ve held back a bit on the anti-Jew stuff that emanates from the BBC. I’m not sure that everyone is as interested in the topic as I am. The BBC certainly hasn’t featured antisemitism in the Labour Party (there isn’t any, you know) as much as, say, Sky. Sky featured it prominently all day yesterday.
On the occasions the BBC has mentioned it, presenters like Jo Coburn and Emily Maitlis have been ever so gentle on their interviewees.
I’m not keen on rabidly adversarial interviewing. Repeated interruptions can all too easily make one sympathise with the victim. The aggressive, intrusive interviewing style has become so commonplace that pleas from interviewees are becoming almost routine: ‘Let me make my point’ or ‘if you could just let me finish one sentence’ they say, sometimes preemptively. I mean before an interruption has even occurred.
There much to be said for allowing a speaker enough rope to hang him/herself, which is fine if the interviewer or presenter is capable of making the occasional informed and intelligent interjection. That’s a long way from constantly interrupting and challenging every word. Meritless (that’s my autocorrect but I’ll leave it in) let Shami Chakrabarti get away with a complete load of bollocks yesterday. As if it isn’t bad enough watching the baroness’s smug little countenance and listening to her pedestrian insights, we were invited to ’read my report’ as if her wretched report into antisemitism in the Labour party (there isn’t any) was some kind of definitive decree and not a superficial, narcissistic whitewash.
Take Len McCluskey. He was allowed to state that he hadn’t seen any antisemitism (ever) in the Labour Party.“You have to prepare for the worst” Shami Chakrabarti says senior civil servants stress-test threats to the economy all the time #newsnight pic.twitter.com/B26sZsVsed— BBC Newsnight (@BBCNewsnight) September 26, 2017
Len McCluskey tells @maitlis that Labour’s anti-Semitism row was “mood music” created by people trying to undermine Jeremy Corbyn #newsnight pic.twitter.com/38Ri6Nc41v— BBC Newsnight (@BBCNewsnight) September 26, 2017
(Yet it transpires (allegedly) that he actually attended the controversial ‘fringe’ event that everyone but him acknowledges was unspeakably offensive.)
More of the BBC’s favourite socialist filmmaker here:
Possibly fearing a reputation of last year’s embarrassment, Corbyn didn’t attend Labour Friends of Israel’s ‘final night’ event. He sent Emily Thornberry along instead. She apologised, and lied, stating that Jeremessiah was too busy preparing for the Big Speech next day. Only he wasn’t.
Here is Karen Pollock in the Times (£)
“We have elected Labour politicians suggesting that antisemitism has been “weaponised” – a suggestion that it is being used to promote some other agenda.
And we even have activists handing out material at the Labour party conference quoting Reinhard Heydrich, one of the leading architects of the Final Solution.
How many times do we need to explain the hurt and offence that it causes when people question the truth of the Holocaust? How many times do we need to explain that there are survivors – who lost their homes, communities and entire families - still among us, who register these comments with disbelief?
How many times do we have to defend basic truths that should be considered sacrosanct?”
Some people do recognise what is going on.
Labour council leader Warren Morgan for one. He wrote to the Labour Party general secretary:
Dear Iain,
I hope that you and the entire Labour team here in Brighton and Hove are enjoying your stay and that the facilities offered by the Brighton Centre are everything that you would expect from us. As a city we very much appreciate the business that Conference brings to our hotels, restaurants and shops.
I am however very concerned at the anti-semitism being aired publicly in fringe meetings and on the floor of Conference. We have a significant Jewish community in Brighton and Hove, and I met with them only last week to discuss the anti-semitism already on our streets, causing them fear and alarm. We have the prominent activist and suspended Labour Party member Tony Greenstein here, who indeed was present at the fringe meeting where it was suggested that Holocaust denial should be allowed. His expulsion, in my view, is long overdue.
As the Labour leader of Brighton and Hove City Council I will undoubtedly face questions as to why we allow any event where anti-semitic views are freely expressed to happen in the city, particularly on council premises. As a Labour Party member I expect the enquiry announced today to take firm action; as Leader I will need reassurances that there will be no repeat of the behaviour and actions we have seen this week before any further bookings from the Party are taken.
I must apply the same standards to Labour as I would to any other Party Conference or political event; whilst none of us can control what is said at meetings we do not run, I have to make the strongest possible representation on behalf of the residents of the city who are Jewish. We are a City of Sanctuary and I have to speak up against any form of racism as and when it is given a platform in the city.
Best wishes,
Finally, here is (Jewish vice president of the NUS) Izzy Lenga’s Tweet:
I didnt think it was possible, but I feel a whole lot more unsafe, uncomfortable & upset as a Jew on #lab17 floor right now than I do at NUS
— Izzy Lenga (@izzyjengalenga) September 26, 2017
Sue, Like you I am interested in this topic.
ReplyDeleteI was baffled and horrified recently during a long running argument with a self proclaimed Corbynite. He openly admitted: "I hate the very existence of lsrael" yet refused to accept that this was anti-semitic (to use the jargon). Not "hate" a particular lsraeli government policy but hate lsrael's existing at all.
His view seems to be shared by many in the Corbyn/McDonnell axis.
I think hatred of Israel certainly builds on anti-semitism. Israel's faults are miniscule compared with a host of other nations, including Turkey, China and Russia who never get any criticism from the hard left in the UK.
ReplyDeleteIt was interesting how, when Corbyn started laying into Israel the delegates began cheering, clapping, whooping ecstatically...then when he built to crescendo as he called for a genuine two state solution, the wild support suddenly died down. Told you everything you need to know: the vast majority of Labour delegates want to see Israel wiped from the map.
ReplyDeleteThere is absolutely no doubt about that. I once, rather naively thought that that these so-called liberals simply didn’t understand the obvious meaning of anti-Zionism, thinking perhaps it meant an opposition to some of the actions of the Israeli government. I was clearly wrong.
DeleteCornyn's stated support of a two state solution is just so much hot air.