by John Wall
Much has been written about Labour’s refusal to fully adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) anti-semitism definition which resulted in disciplinary action, subsequently dropped, against Margaret Hodge and Ian Austin.
Although probably not pre-planned, this can be understood within the hard left mentality and worldview.
Shortly after Corbyn’s ascent Hirsh provided an exposition of Corbynism:
“…a preference within contemporary left-wing culture for defining opponents as not belonging rather than seeking to win them over. Opponents are constructed as being outside of the community of the good or the progressive. This licenses their treatment as ‘other’, impermeable to political argument, reason and evidence.”
The core Corbynista is completely and absolutely devoted to the Bearded Messiah and his policies, will go through incredible “intellectual” gymnastics, dance on the head of a pin and engage in unlimited whataboutery to excuse and justify his record.
Corbynism has been described as a cult, this can be seen in the Corbynista “analysis” of why Labour didn’t win the election and why, despite a government with troubles, they aren’t miles ahead in the polls. Various reasons are proposed but none involve the leader or his policies.
A repeated accusation is that treacherous Blairites are continually colluding with the despised mainstream media to undermine Corbyn; as the Parliamentary Party attempted to get rid of him there is some truth in this. Although some were, and are, fundamentally against Corbyn and his policies others thought he was a loser; the general election converted some of those.
Consequently, Corbynistas generally support mandatory reselection.
Hirsh wrote that:
“As a sort of anti-imperialist ‘campism’ emerges as the pre-eminent principle of the progressive movement, hostility to Israel becomes a key marker of political belonging.”
After decades in the pro-Palestinian/anti-Israel echo chamber Corbyn has little interest in, or understanding of, Israel or its supporters, which contributed to Labour’s Israeli sister party severing links with him and his office, because of “the hostility that you have shown to the Jewish community and the anti-Semitic statements and actions you have allowed”.
Reports of the meeting with the Board of Deputies claimed that Corbyn “shrugged”.
Slightly earlier he’d celebrated Seder with Jewdas, a left wing anti-Israel group. With a 2015 study 90% of British Jews support “Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state.” it’s unlikely to build trust with the Jewish community and shows a desire to remain within his comfort zone.
Corbynistas incorrectly claim the IHRA definition restricts criticism of Israel, it’s all very reminiscent of student politics. The Middle East needs peace and a “government in waiting” supposedly led by a “man of peace” should be considering how to achieve this, not being preoccupied with the politics of protest.
As supporting the IRA didn’t help Northern Ireland peace, it’s unlikely a Corbynite government would help the Middle East.
Then there is the bunker mentality which was seen when Corbyn stayed put in 2016 and the membership re-elected him with an increased majority.
Corbyn’s recent contribution, apart from cutting and pasting from an earlier piece, added little.
He could have put his weight behind the full IHRA definition and requested that no action be taken against Hodge and Austin – as Tom Watson proposed – but there is little sign of that and adding three of the four missing examples won’t resolve the matter.
The Corbynista membership is pro-Palestinian/anti-Israel and believes electoral success is being prevented by Blairites who either invented any anti-semitism or are exaggerating it to undermine Corbyn and Labour.
There are between a quarter and a third of a million British Jews, somewhat less than Labour’s half million membership of which the Jewish Labour Movement, Labour Friends of Israel, etc are several thousand, probably mostly pro-Israel and Blairite, a double whammy.
Considering the Corbynista mindset, as the response to Tom Watson’s recent article shows, and with the parties close in the polls it may have been concluded that an exodus of the Jews from Labour could provide long term benefits. There are only a few places where the Jewish vote is significant but the supposed “boost” from losing Blairites could overcome that.
In September the Parliamentary Labour Party will decide whether to adopt the full IHRA definition which would then need to be endorsed by the National Executive Committee. The outcome will be telling.
John Wall is a former member of the Conservatives
Tags: anti-semitism, IHRA, Jeremy Corbyn, John Wall, Margaret Hodge, Tom Watson
But we were promised ” kinder and fairer” politics that were “for the many and not the few”. What we got was the absolute bloody opposite and a toxic atmosphere pedalled by a group of obnoxious sixth formers far too easily led by their bearded puppet master.
Why would labour need votes of anyone other than middle class guardian readers or snowflakes,it’s not as if labour want to win a election or anything,
At the root of Corbyn’s support for terrorism is his loathing of the West generally. It explains why he also supported the IRA (and indeed commemorated its dead terrorists), why he backed Galtieri in the Falklands War, why he objected to Afghanistan, why he backed Saddam’s forces in the Iraq War (and note he didn’t just object to the war as many us us did – he cheered on a murderous regime), why he wants to dismantle Nato, and why he’s never wanted to be part of the EU.
It means he looks kindly on any country which positions itself as an enemy of the West, whether Putin’s Russia or the quasi-theocracy of Iran. And that means Corbyn’s ideology is inimical to this country’s best interests.
If Labour wants to turn further Left it needs to do so under a younger generation which isn’t burdened with the baggage of its Cold War positioning. There is nothing innately Left Wing in supporting terrorism, tyrants and theocracies. Nor in seeking to undermine the strength of secular liberal democracies.
I feel that we should be much more objective and professional about judging JC – for example what has his performance been like at PMQs – or, has he been successful in joining party members, and moving the party forward. Surely, there should be some performance scale that can be used to measure performance. What are his leadship abilities like? How did he handle certain situations – for example was his response to the recent Russian poisoning on our soil adequate. Is his position on Brexit representative of Labour Party members?
No one should be allowed to stay in office indefinitely- if underperforming is an issue then this should be acted upon. It is not good for our party or the country to have a weak or underperforming leader. Nor is it acceptable to hide this behind statements such as – this is a Blairite conspicuously- if JC is found to be wanting in areas of leadership and performance then that should be acted upon.
The only crime that Corbyn is guilty of here is challenging current arrangements.
Has anyone seen Corbyn/Momentum supporters of smashing synagogues and attacking Jewish business owners? And lets face it, the Israeli government seems to be hell bent on destroying the Palestinians.
Do we really want endless wars in the middle east? British troops have been in Afghanistan for almost 2 decades now. What have they achieved? Are they really protecting their country?? You seems to be wanting Corbyn to hang for not wanting to send British troops and planes to bomb mud huts and slaughter innocent people?
Nato probably should have been dismantled (and possibly replaced with something else) when the Berlin Walll fell.
And it is a bit rich to accuse Corbyn of supporting autocratic/theocratic/whatever-cratic regimes when the UK goverment happily sells arms to Saudi Arabia to conduct its dirty war in Yemen, and isnt exactly secular. If you imagine the likes of Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell running the US, you essentially get Saudi Arabia, and have worked to undermine every single secular government in the middle east, ie Libya, Iraq, etc.
Corbyn represents a threat to the free-market capitalist war mongering establishment, and smearing him like this reflects badly on you.
I will say it again. Blairs government was NOT true to Labour principles.
Phrases have been put into the IHRA document to curtail critcism of Israel and to make it impossible to make certain comments about Israel without being labelled “anti- semitic”.
This phrase:
” Denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination, e.g., by claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor.”
is unacceptable. I think it to ban describing the establishment of the State of Israel as a racist endeavor dangerously limits free speech. If we want the right for all people to describe their oppression, this has to include Palestinians who have lost their homes, friends and family due to being non-Jewish in the State of Israel. If you are a Palestinian born in Haifa and you are living outsde Israel you and your family have no right of return there while a jew born in say New york has no such problem. This is racist. Terrorism against the native Palestinian people caused many of them to flee their homes and now many have been living in refugee camps for three generations. There was a concerted campaign by the Israeli right in 1947 and 48 to rid the whole of what would become Israel of all its native population. I think that’s called ethnic cleansing and it’s still part of the Israeli right wing Zionist philosophy.
Arabic has recently lost its status as an official language instantly making Arab citizens of Israel second-class citizens. Racist? I think so.There can be no right to self determination for the jewish people unless there is an equal right for Palestinian people.
Then there is :
“ Drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis.”
This phrase is also unacceptable too – what is Israel’s settlement policy – ie the illegal theft of Palestinian land if it’s not the third-reich policy of “ Lebensraum”? The word itself “ lebensraum” has been used by Israeli right-winger Effi Eitam as the conceptual basis for his statements that all Israeli Arabs and all Palestinians should either be persuaded or forced to leave Israel and the Palestinian Territories.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lebensraum#Israel. Read the citings at the bottom of the page.
You can read more about Eitam who is close to the ear of fellow right-wing Zionist Netenyahu here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Effi_Eitam
Israel was built on the terror of the Irgun and the Stern gang and continues with its sytematic terror campaign against Palestinians on a daily basis. Evictions, continued settlement building, arrests, murders and bombings are the way in which Israel means to occupy all of Palestine. This is Netenyahu and Israel’s goal to make a Paestinian state completely impossible and to eventually occupy all of Palestine.
I won’t go into extra judicial murder by Mossad death squads but that’s been part of Israel’s terror network for a long time.
Millsy yes let’s i gore genecide in Syria, as we can’t interfere, and the idea that the UK not getting involved in foreign issues does mean Corbyn wants peace there, he wants the other side to win
Yes Corbyn does challenge the idea that the Labour oppositions job is to become the next government, he’s happy to be a protest movement, he did nothung during his 32 years on the back benches wasn’t even on a select committee, he just was happy to go to protests, and noe let his cult followers re write history he was the on,y one, who supported the poor, opposed the NF, or was against section 28 or apartheid and did nothing to increase labours vote from 1983-1997 or get us re elected twice or prevents Tory overall majority in 2010
His campaigns he supported didn’t stop the Tories
Many ex Ussr countries wandered to join NATO it serves its purposes fighting Korea and China and new enemies
Has anyone told the cult of co bun about his communist credentials their support for the Neo liberal capitalist EU club, with its cheap immigration causing low wages and globalism, would have seen had labour won, us not be able to implement last years manifesto
and if Blair wasn’t true labour principles that means in the last 14 elections 11 of which Blair wasn’t leader the public in England have rejected labour everytime(only winning Oct 74 by getting more votes in Scotland)
Criticism of Corbyn isn’t a smear,it’s a smear to those who were killed by groups he supported that his followers are trying to re write history to say he was a man of peace, which is a lie,
@Paul – congratulations on proving my point, you’re more interested in the politics of protest than peace.
Whether you like it or not Israel isn’t going away, it’s got well equipped armed forces that it’s not afraid to use. Peace is only going to happen if the Israelis are part of the process. But you’re more interested in the student politics of BDS and ‘Israel Apartheid’ weeks.
When Corbyn retires to the back benches and a moderate leader takes over if labour have the whip on policies like
Voted against banning Al Queda a month before 911 and voted against the Anglo Irish agreement, voted against Stop and search and voted against, shoot to kill
And same as the last Corbyn votes against the whip, wonder if they’ll be calls for his deselection?
John P Reid – your last two comments have been bang on the button.
The problem with Corbyn isn’t that he’s left wing – it’s the style of left wing he preaches and the individuals and groups that he is connected with that are the problem.
‘Shoot to kill’ means allowing the security forces to shoot to kill whomsoever they like.
In Paris, after the attacks there, the security forces did kill some people but others were taken alive. So, they clearly did not have a ‘shoot to kill’ policy.
This is perfectly reasonable and Corbyn has said so too.
There is another way of looking at it:
“Anti-Corbynites are BELITTLING the Holocaust. This has to stop. NOW.”
https://tompride.wordpress.com/2018/08/17/anti-corbynites-are-belittling-the-holocaust-this-has-to-stop-now/
https://voxpoliticalonline.com/2018/08/20/anti-corbynites-are-belittling-the-holocaust-this-has-to-stop-now-prides-purge/
Welcome to the conversation Landless – or you could just ignore the smoke screen and stupid efforts from the far left to attemp to diffuse the matter. Again, if it walks like a duck, talks like a duck, has a beard and penchant for sounding anti-Semitic then its probably a Corbyn or a Corbynista.
Tony shoot to kill has to justify its in self defence, hope fully Corbyn accepts to shoot the optic nerve in the head of a suicide bomber holding a detonator, would do that,
“John Wall is a former member of the Conservatives”
This kind of says it all doesnh the help of Corbyn and likeminded anti-racist activists. In the meantime, shut the fuck up and quit acting like anyone in the Labour party cares what you have to say. Apart from corporate backed, spineless Blairites.’t it? The vast majority of right-wing, anti-Arab, racist Labour MPs would find a much better home with the Tories. There their racism, anti-semitism (which polls have consistently shown to be higher in the Tory party than Labour), and pro-war attitudes will be in the mainstream again. Leave us jews on the anti-war left to pursue our political goals wit
This is an incredibly offensive and anti-sementic piece of writing. Those of us Jews who are leftist, socialist and anti-imperialist do not need you to speak for us. To assume we support Israel and its appalling crimes in an insult to all jews, Zionist or not. You should be ashamed.
Vern, the smoke screen, as you put it, is the work of the Rightwing with their trumped-up false allegations of anti-Semitism against Mr. Corbyn, which is nothing more than a witch-hunt for entirely Political purposes, and is therefore very underhand disgusting and abhorrent dirty Rightwing tricks, as I’m sure you are fully aware.
Keep believing the conspiracy theories Landless if you want to avoid any real responsibility.
With regards this ‘shoot to kill’ nonsense, there is no suchthing as’shoot not to kill’.
As a career Infantryman who has been insuch situations, you always aim at thecentre of the mass that the target presents to you. To try and do otherwise is to endanger yourlife and more importantly th lives of those around you.
Usually, people who prattle on about some sort of dark ‘shoot to kill’ policy have never handled a firearm in their lives and no less about marksmanship and the effects of kinetic energyy from a bullet-strike than know about advanced brain surgery. And when you consider most targets are moving – and hitting a moving target is not easy, even for a sniper.
As an example, the much maligned in the press (and incorrectly named) SA-80 standard issue infantry rifle, firing the UK version of the 5.56mm round, will penetrate both the inner and outer wall of a modern build house and still retain enough energy to rip straight through someone hiding behind it at 200 metres. That is the same round used by the Police inn their Heckler-Kochs.
If you get hit my modern ammunition in an area that incapacitates you then you will almost certainly die – if you are lucky fairly instantly, if not then slowly and painfully. The recovery rate of British soldiers from gun shot wounds in our little forays iin the middle east was only so high because theywere invariably hit in the limbs (our boys wore fairy efficient body armour), and the enemy were invariably using low-powered 7.62mm short ammunition.
“Israel’s Arab MPs back Corbyn – and oppose IHRA definition – in antisemitism row”
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/sep/02/israels-arab-mps-corbyn-antisemitism-row?CMP=share_btn_tw
https://voxpoliticalonline.com/2018/09/03/israels-arab-mps-back-corbyn-and-oppose-ihra-definition-in-antisemitism-row/
“Israel is building another 1,000 homes on Palestinian land. Where’s the outrage?
Never in the field of human rights has so much been owed by so many to so few”
https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/israel-settlement-expansion-1000-new-homes-palestinian-land-robert-fisk-wheres-the-outrage-a8504471.html
“I publish this for information, just in case anyone forgets why organisations like the Board of Deputies of British Jews, the Jewish Labour Movement, Labour Friends of Israel, the Campaign Against Antisemitism, the Community Security Trust and the Jewish Leadership Council are so keen to label Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn as an anti-Semite and force their flawed definition of anti-Semitism, with all its examples, on party members.
It is to stifle legitimate criticism of the Israeli government’s colonisation of Palestine and genocidal treatment of Palestinian people.”
https://voxpoliticalonline.com/2018/08/27/israel-is-building-another-1000-homes-on-palestinian-land-wheres-the-outrage-the-independent/