Andrew seemed much calmer today.
Not so some of his viewers though. John McDonnell's repeated claims that “We’ve done everything, I think, we can possibly do” concerning antisemitism in the Labour Party has aroused some anger:
Karen Pollock, Holocaust Education Trust: I’m afraid this isn’t true. It just isn’t true. That is the tragedy but also the danger.
Sam Freedman, Education Partnerships Group: It just a complete lie. I can't describe how angry this makes me.
John McDonnell remains an compelling performer though, and I suspect many will have been 'taken in' by his 'passionate sincerity' at the end:
We've always got to learn lessons, of course we have, all political parties, it isn't just the Labour Party. I want us to be a shining model. I apologise to the Jewish community for the suffering we've inflicted on them. I say to them we are doing everything possible. We are going to learn more lessons and we want to be the shining example of anti-racism that the Labour Party should be, and I hope I come out of this now having in this, gone through this horrible, horrible period, we come out of it now actually showing respect to the Jewish community and tackling this issue and enabling the Labour Party to tackle anti-Semitism in wider society.
One who did seem to be 'taken in' was Andrew Marr himself. After Mr McDonnell reached his peroration there, Andrew slapped his thigh and said, with a dramatic flourish, "At last!", before thanking the shadow chancellor for talking to the programme - as if John McDonnell had finally done the right thing.
