How to interview Labour about antisemitism

Cuddly Old Uncle John McDonnell was back on The Andrew Marr Show this morning, and Andrew Marr raised the issue of antisemitism with him:

Andrew Marr: A year ago we talked about antisemitism in the Labour Party, Rabbi Sacks had just made his...and you shook your head and you said it’s terrible and something must be done and we’re on top of it. Can I just show you the front pages of the three biggest Jewish newspapers in this country this week? ‘Vote to stop Corbyn, urges rabbi', 'The nightmare before Chanukah' and 'Prime Minister Corbyn? He’d harm the Jewish way of life.’ And that is Rabbi Jonathan Romain. Now you know, I know that the party slogan if ‘for the many, not the few,’ but there is one community in this country who feels they are not represented by the Labour Party. 

John McDonnell: I’m so sad. I know, I am so saddened by this. I just want to reassure them, we’re doing everything we can. Everything I said we’d do we’re doing in terms of the Labour Party, eradicating antisemitism from the party. We’re also doing everything we can to educate our own members, we’re doing education courses. All the things that they’ve asked us to do we’re doing and that will enable us then to reassure the Jewish community that actually the Labour Party will ensure our society creates a safe and also a decent environment for them and for everybody else.

Andrew Marr: But you said zero tolerance and so far there’s been 146 warnings to people about antisemitism. It doesn’t sound like zero tolerance. 

John McDonnell: Well, the issue of that is we looked at the gradations of the impact of what people have done, kicked people out. Other aspects are about what - well many of our Jewish members have said, these people actually need re-educating, that’s why we’ve set up an education course. And in that way we’re actually tackling - we’re doing everything asked of us. I’m saddened by the statements that have been made, but I will just give this commitment to the Jewish community. We’re doing everything we possibly can and we will work with them.

Here, in response to that, is a thought-provoking Twitter thread. Please see what you make of it:

BBC Politics: John McDonnell on anti-Semitism: “I’m so saddened by this… we’re doing everything we can”. Labour’s Shadow Chancellor responds to criticism from Jewish newspapers. 

leekem: (1) Dear Journalists. You can’t provide the service you’re meant to when questioning Labour on antisemitism UNLESS you talk about specifics. The devil’s in the detail. If you keep it general they can brush it off with platitudes.
(2) Show an antisemitic image & ask WHY the party decided it wasn’t antisemitic. When they make an excuse show them another image. And another. Until it becomes clear their Antisemitism is INSTITUTIONAL & ingrained in the hard left thinking of Corbyn and his peers.
(3) There’s no shortage of specific case studies into labour antisemitism. Visit @GnasherJew & @LabourAgainstAS for examples. Anyone reading please tag in journalists in the comments advising them to read this thread. They have a duty to stop Labour’s evasion through generalisation. 

Prince of Salerno: I agree. I thought this was particularly disappointing from Andrew Marr. He has a week to prepare for the programme and ask that question and he lets the disingenuous McDonnell spend a minute delivering vague and false platitudes, which troll the Jewish community. Research, man! 

Damian Counsell: I'm in favour of this in theory, but we know what the response to any specific question will be: "I'm afraid I can't talk about specific cases for legal reasons/because I don't know the details for this particular investigation/because I am, rightly, recused from disciplinary matters."