Democracy and the Corrupt Seven (Eight) 453


UPDATE

So now it is eight. If you want to understand that the UK truly is not a functioning democracy, consider this. Joan Ryan is all over the MSM this morning as being the eighth defector to the Independent Group. Yet astonishingly, while she is universally reported as citing anti-semitism as the reason she is leaving, it appears not one MSM journalist has asked her about her receipt of US$1 million from the Israeli Embassy for spreading Israeli influence. Not one. Nor has any mainstream media outlet cited the fact in its reporting today. Most, of course, never even mentioned it at the time.

ORIGINAL

I have heard it argued again and again on television this last 48 hours that it is deeply undemocratic for the electorate to be offered a choice that is any more complicated than between Red Tories and Blue Tories. It is apparently unthinkable and deeply wrong that Corbyn’s standard German style social democracy – which is routinely labeled “hard left” and “communist” – should be proffered to voters for them to support, or not.

The overwhelmingly Blairite MPs have put this case again and again to Labour Party members in repeated leadership elections, and have been roundly and repeatedly defeated. But now, according to no less a person than Tom Watson, Deputy Leader of the party, the losers’ policies must be embraced by the Party and adopted by its leadership, as to do otherwise is an affront to democracy. I confess I find this argument impossible to follow.

Corbyn has compromised already to a huge extent, even accepting that a Labour government will retain massive WMDs, in deference both to the imperialist pretensions of the Blairites and the personal greed of the demented Strangeloves who comprise the membership of the GMB Union. Labour’s pro-Trident stance will persist, until such time as enough Blairites join this forced march, or rather chauffeur driven drive, across their personal caviar and champagne strewn desert to their promised land of media contracts, massively remunerated charity executive jobs, and non-executive directorships.

Democracy is a strange thing. This episode has revealed that it is apparently a democratic necessity that we have another referendum on Brexit, while being a democratic necessity not to have another referendum on Scottish Independence, while the notion that the MPs, who now have abandoned the party and manifesto on which they stood, might face their electorates again, is so disregarded that none of the fawning MSM journalists are asking about it. In rejecting this option, the Corrupt Seven are managing the incredible feat of being less honorable than Tory MPs defecting to UKIP, who did have the basic decency to resign and fight again on their new prospectus.

Dick Taverne is a more directly relevant precedent, particularly as he was deselected as sitting Labour MP precisely because of his support for the EU. Taverne resigned, and fought and won his seat in a by-election in 1973, before losing it in the second 1974 election. There are also precedents for crossing the floor and not resigning and fighting under your new banner, but then there are also precedents for mugging old ladies. It is deeply dishonorable.

Luciana Berger is a one trick pony and it is worth noting that her complaints about anti-Semitism in the Labour Party date back to at least 2005, while Tony Blair was still Prime Minister. Berger had already by April 2005 spotted anti-Semitism in the National Union of Students, in the Labour Party and in her student union newspaper, those being merely the examples cited in this single Daily Telegraph article. I am extremely sorry and somewhat shocked to hear of the swamp of anti-semitism in which we were all already mired in 2005, but I do find it rather difficult to understand why the fault is therefore that of Jeremy Corbyn. And given that Tony Blair was at that time Prime Minister for eight years, I cannot understand why it is all Corbyn’s fault and responsibility now, but it was not Blair’s fault then.

On the contrary, the Telegraph puff piece states that Berger had met Blair several times and was Euan Blair’s girlfriend. This was of course before the privately educated Londoner was foisted on the unfortunate people of Liverpool Wavetree, doubtless completely unfacilitated by her relationship with Euan Blair.

The kind of abuse Berger has evidently been attracting since at least 2005 is of course a crime. Two people have quite rightly been convicted of it. Joshua Bonehill-Paine and John Nimmo sent a series of truly disgusting tweets and both were jailed. Both are committed long term neo-nazis. Yet I have repeatedly heard media references to the convictions squarely in the context of Labour Party anti-semitism. I have never heard on broadcast media it explained that neither had anything to do with the Labour Party. Like the left wing anti-semitism Berger has been reporting since at least 2005, this Nazi abuse too is all somehow Jeremy Corbyn’s fault.

It is further worth noting that in that 2005 article Berger claims a 47% increase in attacks on Jews, which is highly reminiscent of recent claims from community groups, such as the 44% increase claimed 2015 to 2017 or the 78% increase in violent crimes against Jews in the UK in 2017 alone claimed by the government of Israel.

One antisemitic attack is too many and all anti-semitism is to be deplored and rooted out. But if all these claims repeated again and again over decades of 30, 40, 50, 60 or 70% increases in attacks per year were true, then we would be now talking of at least 12,000 violent attacks on Jews per year, if we take Ms Berger’s 2005 claim as the baseline.

Yet we are not seeing that. The average number of convictions per year for violent, racially motivated attacks on Jewish people in the UK is less than one.

If we add in non-violent crimes, the number of people convicted per year for anti-semitic hate crime still remains under 20. And I am not aware of a single such conviction related in any way to the Labour Party.

Let me be perfectly plain. I want everybody convicted and imprisoned who is involved in anti-semitic hate crime. But the facts given above would cause any honest journalist to treat with more scepticism than they do, the repeated old chestnut claims of huge year on year increases in anti-semitic incidents.

There really are in logic only two choices; either anti-semitism is, contrary to all the hype, thankfully rare, or the entire British police, prosecutorial and judicial system must be systematically protecting the anti-semites. And I hardly see how they could blame Jeremy Corbyn for that.

None of this will stop the relentless promotion of the “Corbyn anti-semitism” theme, as the idea of a leader not completely behind the slow extirpation of the Palestinian people is unthinkable to the mainstream media class. The Corbyn anti-semitism meme is possibly the most remarkable example of evidence free journalism I have ever encountered.

Still more fascinating is the way the broadcasters are going to devote an astonishing amount of time to these political puppets. Of one thing I can assure you – these seven MPs will get more airtime than the 35 MPs of the SNP, with at least twice as many Question Time and Today programme appearances.

At some stage they will have to form a new party, in order to get airtime in elections. At what stage Blair declares for them is an interesting question. It is also a crucial test of just how horribly degraded the Lib Dems have now become. My old friend Charlie Kennedy will be spinning in his grave at an alliance with the Blairite warmonger faction, but the modern party appears bereft of any of the old Liberal values, cleared away by Clegg and his fellow orange Tories. If the party members do not revolt at association with Mike Gapes and Angela Smith, it really is time to wind the party up.

That the Corrupt Seven are some of the most unpleasant people in British politics is not entirely relevant, nor is the question of which interest groups are funding them. They are just an emission of pus, a symptom of the rottenness of the British body politic. They have nothing interesting to say and are feeble tools of the wealthy, thrown out as protection for a crumbling political system. The end of the UK is not pretty, and this is one of its uglier moments. It really is beyond time to crack on with Scottish Independence and the reunification of Ireland.

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453 thoughts on “Democracy and the Corrupt Seven (Eight)

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  • doug scorgie

    BigMac
    February 20, 2019 at 15:23
    “A 16 years old child? that is a teenager…”
    ………………………………………………………………….

    Yes BigMac, a teenager, unarmed and of no threat to the IDF at the time and not a suicide bomber as you try to imply with your Wikipedia link.

    There have been thousands of innocent Palestinian children, teenagers and adults who have been bombed; shot dead by snipers; burnt with white phosphorous bombs through decades of Israeli occupation, land theft and apartheid policies.

    You could benefit from some research on the subject.

    • BigMac

      And still the Arab population in ‘Palestine” keeps on expanding rapidly despite Israel having all and any modern weaponry: has got to be the most ineffective genocide ever in History. For serious bad treatment ask the Yazidis in Irak.
      Inside Israel still over 20% is Arab of which over 17% Muslim; the Palestine Jewish component is 0 and the Muslim one is 97%.

      • corkie

        Zero “Jewish component” in Palestine? So when the Zionists build a settlement on stolen Palestinian land and populate it with “Israelis” it automatically stops being Palestine and “becomes” Israel. Neat trick. We all know who is wiping who off the map.

  • imagine

    Craig says: “cleared away by Clegg and his fellow orange Tories”
    —————————–

    given that I agree with so much of what Craig says on his blog, it’s subsequently always such a great pity to see Craig’s usual anti-protestant/unionist bigotry.

    same goes for george galloway….a great man, but with the same flaw.

    as for the theme of the article. The Al Jazeera 4 part series, from 18 months ago, is essential viewing. I always recommend it to friends and others. Best eye-opener undercover documentary in these past 20 plus years.

    By the way, it’s a great pity that Craig isn’t covering the John Sweeney/Panorama debacle. It really shows what the MSM are about, with a total news blackout of the story across the uk, indeed the west. It shows up the contempt the BBC have for ordinary folk.

    • Brian c

      He’s referring to Orange “Book* right wing Neo Liberal lib dems. Not orange order Protestant fundamentalists in the north of Ireland and west of Scotland. Although he is no fan of theirs either, for good reason.

      • imagine

        I took his orange reference to be a clear reference to the DUP. His usual anti-unionist (which let’s be honest, refers to protestants) rants take away from his blog.

        I have had many friends, family and neighbours murdered by IRA and their terrorist splinter groups. My family were targetted many times…phone calls and shots fired over our farmhouse. I eventually moved, because the catholic terrorists killed several young protestants who were building a house/starting a family.

        And I have seen much anti-protestant discrimination (as well as catholic discrimination).

        But of course this part of the missing MSM narrative is seemingly fine by Craig. Unionists are seemingly demons in his (and the republican) narrative.

        If we are unite people, we need to get away from this type of bigotry…..and show respect.

        • Jo1

          No, sorry, your own words let you down.

          There were Catholic AND Protestant terrorists in NI. There were Catholic and Protestant paramilitary groups ALL murdering people.

          You dare to talk about uniting people when you can only acknowledge Protestant deaths at the hands of Catholic terrorists while ignoring Catholic deaths at the hands of Protestant terrorists. What chance unity with a mindset like that?

          • Jo1

            I’m not making anything up. Go read your post. It reads like there were only terrorists on one side. Like I said, it’s not the best way to promote unity.

          • Herbie

            Yes, that’s correct.

            The Loyalists were the good terrorists.

            Everything they ever did was always in reaction to something the Republicans did. Never the other way round.

            BBC and msm coverage of the NI Troubles used all the tricks, frauds and cons, they’re still using today to support Western-backed terrorists.

        • Brian c

          Craig says: “cleared away by Clegg and his fellow orange Tories”
          “I took his orange reference to be a clear reference to the DUP”

          Really? A clear reference? Clegg is a nob but he was never in the DUP.

        • Shatnersrug

          You can take it to mean whatever you like but in this case Craig is talking about the “orange bookers” in the lib democrats who took over the party after Charles Kennedy’s death and steered it to the right, although I feel they actually just showed liberals for what they really are – hypocrites – but that just my view of the disease of liberalism, or have-your-cake-and-eat-it-ism

          https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Orange_Book:_Reclaiming_Liberalism

          No reference to the orange order here.

    • Dennis Revell

      :

      Bewildering just how stupid someone has to be to make the comment you did.

      Orange is a colour also associated with the Lib-Dems, as anyone with more than a passing acquaintance with the UK would know; someone who gets their knickers in a twist over a perceived slight to an order named after some Dutch monarch would have more than a passing acquaintance with the UK.

      Refer to reply by Brian c.

      .

      • imagine

        Dennis Revell says: “Bewildering just how stupid someone has to be to make the comment you did.”

        Dennis, can you try saying that in English (before you refer to someone else as being stupid).

        PS – stop getting your knickers in a twist. Calm down. Breath.

    • Terence callachan

      The bigotry in Scotland was invented by englands Westminster getting Scottish Protestants to hate catholic’s with Irish ancestry and catholics with highland Gaelic ancestry all part of the plan to punish those two groups because those two groups fought against the englishing of Ireland and the englishing of Scotland that englishing is now know as Britishness

  • Vivian O'Blivion

    Sarah Wollaston says that the Independent Group are now larger than the DUP and the ERG. Sarah is ideal material for Group Treasurer.
    Technically they outnumber the DUP by one, but Northern Ireland MP Sylvia Hermon (registered as an independent but previously Ulster Unionists) routinely votes with the DUP. Ulster Unionist Party previously held a EU Remain position ’till they bottled it, fearing association with the SF tar baby.
    The ERG does not publish a membership list but parliamentary records of affiliation of interest put them somewhere between 50 and 60.

  • Brian c

    So this lot are to be allowed to squat in the commons for years as honourary lib dems, in defiance of the manifestos they were elected on? Interesting their iberal media friends do not favour the idea that the independent group should seek a democratic mandate from their constituents. Landslide byelection defeats would obviously not sit well with claims these people enjoy popular support beyond Portland Place and Guardian and C4 Towers..

    • imagine

      exactly.

      they demand a second brexit referendum.

      but when they themselves dump their own party and it’s manfesto (on which they had been elected), they steadfastly refuse to have a second vote (a by-election) in their constituency.

      Labour and Tories are far better off without these folks. Let them sink into political oblivion. It will be interesting to see if their lord and master, mister bliar, throws his hat into the ring with them, or abandons them.

  • Rixon Stewart

    I’m sorry but Scottish Independence is NOT the answer. The SNP are no better than any other party in Westminster and if Scotland does become independent it will still be part of the EU and beholden to un-elected bureaucrats in Brussels.

    So despite their shortcoming, instead of representatives in Westminster, Scotland will be at the back and call of officials like Jean-Claude Juncker.

    Why do you think Rupert Murdoch backed the SNP? Just as he backed Tony Blair, before Blair destroyed the Labour Party; Murdoch saw another “cause” from which he hoped to further his own agenda. And if Scotland does become independent he’ll be back, like a vulture eyeing its next meal.

    I live in the Borders and I can tell you that there is strong grassroots feeling in Edinburgh and the Borders against Independence.

    • Republicofscotland

      “I’m sorry but Scottish Independence is NOT the answer”

      It’s the only way, the only way to rid ourselves of Westminster bureaucracy that has led us to the position we are now in. In the process we’ll also be shot of faceless troughers in the House of Lords, who live high on the hog at the taxpayers expense.

      We’ll be able to eventually remove nuclear weapons from Scotland, something many folk over several generations want to see happen.

      Independence is the answer, pity you can’t see that, thankfully many others have opened their eyes to it due to the Brexit shambles, and realise we can, and will do better than Westminster.

      • imagine

        republicofscotland – I agree with a great deal of what you say……corrupt London regime, etc.

        But I do not agree with your solution, namely remaining in Europe.

        Until the past decade or so, I had never seen people sleeping on Edinburgh’s Princess Street shop doorways until recent years…..same in other cities like Cardiff, Belfast (my part of the world) and across European cities.

        How, in what way, can Europe be regarded as a success, or good for ordinary people in our countries. We haven’t had effective pay rises in decades. Brussels was negotiating, under cover, the big corporate money grab deal between the EU and USA, TTIP.
        How is that democratic or fair?

        Why should Scottish people have independence but subsequently have no rights to make their own laws? That is hardly independence, no matter what way you look at it.

        • Republicofscotland

          Imagine who’s to say Scots won’t vote to say join EFTA. I think it’s mainly about remaining in the world’s largest trading bloc. Something that Westminster promised if we voted no in 2014.

          Abiding buy some EU laws is part of being a independent country among the other 27 independent nations that make up the EU.

          As for people rough sleeping the more levers of power your government has the more it can act. An example is Westminster blocking a drug rehab room in Glasgow.

          Westminster blocking immigrants into Scotland.

          • imagine

            like I said before republicofscotland, I agree with a lot of what you say, the issues mentioned and the frustrations.

            I just don’t agree on the solution. I see the EU as a vast corporate project. It may have started with the right intentions…..but it has been hijacked at least as early as the 1980s.

            I see awful working conditions, poor pension rights, essentially zero genuine pay rises in 30 years. I see an EU that is entirely against democratic process (unelected leaders, the TTIP discussions held in secret). Not to mention the collusion with the USA to torture, rendition and steal all our private data.

            Now I am not for a minute, applauding the London regime as being better. But at least if we get power and control more localised, we have greater chance of oversight and accountability….and a chance to make our own laws and budgets.

            I would be more in favour of an independent Scotland, if it were to be a truly independent nation. Same goes for my country, Ireland.

        • Jo Dominich

          Imagine, I think you will find the EU has nothing to do with people sleeping in doorways or poverty. I think you will find that two successive corrupt Tory Governments (Cameron and May) have so mismanaged this country’s economy people now have little disposable income because the cost of inflation has risen sharply whilst wages have not risen. That means that, since the first time since the war the British workers have had a very real cut in their income. Some of the areas you mention, including Wales have benefitted from a significant amount of EU investment which will now cease. The EU is a bloc of countries who agree and are managed by set of Rules and Regulations discussed and challenged in the EU Parliament. It does not set any country’s internal legislation – that is the responsibility of the Government in question – in this case Treason May and her corrupt cronies.

        • Franc

          People having to live on the streets is little, if anything to do with the EU. Try Tory ” Austerity Economics “. And I’d personally prefer unelected bureaucrats deciding who, is deserving of EU funding, than our existing government.

    • imagine

      thanks Rixon. I enjoyed reading your post, very informative. Interesting to hear of the grassroots feeling in the borders and Edinburgh areas.

      I agree totally with what you say re the EU motives and those of Murdoch.

      Funnily enough I (from a distance across the Irish Sea) was mildly in favour of Scottish independence at the time of the referendum. Anything to break up the corrupt London-based UK regime.

      But now having seen the SNP a lot more, and their extremism and views on things like Brexit and the EU, I am against them and their independence.

      They want to jump out of the UK, and jump onto a sinking Brussels ship. It makes little sense. Aren’t they concerned about globalism and ordinary folks’ lives in Scotland. They bizarrely want independence, but don’t want to be in charge of making their own laws. Bizarre.

      • Iain Stewart

        “But now having seen the SNP a lot more, and their extremism”
        Why only recently Craig himself was describing the SNP as Stalinist.
        So that makes two of you.

    • Jimmeh

      That is not correct.

      If Scotland becomes independent of the UK while the UK is in the EU, then Scotland will be a third-party. Even if they already meet the membership criteria in full (they don’t), the process of accession is slow and bureaucratic. But to become a member of the EU nowadays, you have to join the Euro, and that involves a process of economic ‘convergence’. I don’t see how this can be done quickly.

      If the UK leaves without Scotland first becoming independent, then once Scotland does become independent, they will be in exactly the same position: outside the EU, facing a long, hard process to join. I can’t see Scotland staying in the EU just now, unless the UK does. And that looks unlikely to me, today.

    • Carnyx

      “I’m sorry but Scottish Independence is NOT the answer.”

      It absolutely is, the British state has an institutional culture of imperial pretensions which leads it to prioritise certain policies and sectors of the economy while letting others rot. So therefore the City of London gets what it needs while the north gets thrown out of work. After WW II the financial sector was the only way Britain could be a world power, and that depends on corruption, on sucking up wealth from far and wide, renting it out and laundering it, and if that means people in Newcastle or Glasgow get ignored so be it. With the country functioning like that it’s no wonder corruption creeps into our politics. If the SNP are no better than any other Party in Westminster it’s because they are in Westminster.

      Independence will free Scotland from these pretensions, we’ll no longer be a pretending to be a global power and following policies to heighten global prestige, we’re just a small European country looking after our own people. And that will be good for England too, because it will give them a chance to shake of the imperial baggage and look after their own citizens too.

      What was the only country to prosecute their bankers after the 2008 fallout? Iceland a small country where their politicians cannot get so big for their boots they become out off touch with those they represent.

    • boardindundee

      My entire argument for years m8, but SNP know the subsidies from EU stop soon and they will have to push a real biter of a budget through, no free uni, prescriptions etc right now its better the devil you know, Once all Ireland is united it will only be a matter of time when we take independence ourselves

    • Terence Callachan

      To Dixon Stewart, you are wrong, Scotland has to ask Westminster if it can have a referendum on independence it has to get England’s permission to ask people in Scotland if they want to leave UK.Scotland is ignored in Westminster and does not have control of its own finances.
      In the EU as an independent country Scotland would not have to ask the EU if it can have a referendum on leaving the EU it would be able to do it any time it wants without asking the EU.
      Scotland like all countries in the EU no matter how small or big they are would have one vote and can use that one vote to stop laws it doesn’t agree with ( the veto) whereas in Westminster Scotland can never win or veto because England has twenty times as many votes as Scotland does.
      Scotland in the EU would have complete control of its finances whereas in the UK we hand everything over to England’s Westminster and they give us some pocket money back and spend the rest for us .
      Maybe Scotland would be better off outside the EU but if that is so then I want the people of Scotland to decide we should not be in the EU, it’s undemocratic that our neighbour with ten times the population and twenty times the number of MP,s gets to decide our fate.

  • doug scorgie

    Squeeth
    February 20, 2019 at 16:09

    “Jewish zionist is an oxymoron; good try though.”

    ………………………………………………………

    Please explain why you regard the phrase “Jewish Zionist” as an oxymoron.

    • Squeeth

      The zionism invented in the late C19th by Herzl and his cronies was intended to replace Judaism with a militant colonialist ideology. Modern zionism is a secular, fascist and antisemite.

  • Ingwe

    So Craig’s post in the Guardian asking why the press hasn’t raised the matter of Angela Smith being filmed being offered £1million by the Israeli embassy to publicise pro-Israeli busllhoy was deleted for breaching their standards.
    Can you imagine the coverage that would have been given to the matter had she been given £1million by the Russians to run pro-Russian bullshit?
    The Guardian? Not even worth wiping your arse on.

  • Ralph

    Craig, you said ‘anti-semitic hate crime’, is being anti-Russia/n also an hate crime? Are the Russians now the new Untermensch?
    Insofar as Berger is concerned, she got a very high 79.5% of the vote in 2017.
    And regarding js, you do know, don’t you, that both bliar & camoron were put into power by js, they even bragged about it in their 2 newspapers.

  • Dave

    How can you reassure a paranoid person who perceives through madness or design they are being followed, that they’re not being followed?

    As much as it must be very wearing and tempting to dismiss the accusations as contrived, I think Corbyn has got it right, just keep answering to the repeated and offensive accusations of “anti-Semitism” that he is opposed to “anti-Semitism”, because any other answer is treated in MSM as not taking the “anti-Semitism” crisis seriously. I.e. further evidence of “anti-Semitism”!

      • imagine

        Illegal wars, millions dead, stealing folks oil, rendition and torture are applauded and good on the CV.

        Indeed, you will get promoted and ultimately a knighthood.

        but dubious tweets will get you suspended!

  • Spyboy

    Craig,
    I cant find any reference to $1m provided by Israel to Joan Ryan in Members Financial Interests. Can you provide a source for this please?
    Spyboy

  • Dave

    Political parties promote values, but they are primarily vehicles to provide a voice for vested interests, which vary from social, ethnic and economic.

    In a general sense (I know not to be taken literally) Labour has been for the have not’s and Conservative for the haves and this has meant Labour has appealed to immigrants. Historically Labour has been, amongst other things, a vehicle for Irish Catholics and Jews and so Labour has been pro-united Ireland and Israel, but economic prosperity and mass immigration, in particular Muslim immigration has altered things drastically, as they have joined Labour with a natural reflex to be hostile to the bombing of Muslim countries.

    Both Irish Catholics and Jews have prospered, and many beyond an affection for Labour, no longer think it represents their social, ethnic and economic interests. Whilst many remained in Labour, there was a growing exodus as Labour began representing the new rather than old immigrants.

    And whereas Jewish money helped retain influence on an elite Labour leadership, now Labour has attracted a big membership with mantra for the many not the few, inevitably Israeli actions and influence gets questioned more, due to the big change in members and voters.

    Its as simple as that really. Its not about being “anti-Semitic”, its just providing a voice for Muslims requires a more balanced approach, ironically just as New Labour did when they changed Labour Ireland policy to include the Ulster Unionists.

    Hence the “anti-Semitism” fury is the cry of pain of a powerful lobby as they lose there influence in the Labour Party, as they move to the Conservative party.

    • Jo1

      Dave
      How can you say Israel is losing influence when so many MPs across the Parties are FOI members? That’s been the case for some time. It still is.

      • Dave

        I’m saying the active lobby has mostly jumped ship and joined the Conservatives, but retained influence on the Labour machine and leadership under Blair, but clearly they have lost influence in Labour due to Corbyn becoming leader and potentially PM, hence the fury.

    • imagine

      Dave, nearly all (maybe all) of the parliamentary conservative party are in Friends of Israel.

      The reason for the smear against Labout these past two years, is that the majority of Labour MPs are not in the Friends of Israel. Anyone that stands up for the rights of Palestinians is attacked.

      That is what this smear is all about.

      And the Al Jazeera undercover job illustrates the role of the Israeli embassy in this whole yarn.

  • Franc

    Years ago, Richard Ingrams , the previous editor of Private Eye, had a column in the Observer. I was an avid follower of his writing. I remember on one occasion, him countering frequent accusations of being anti-Semitic, by saying that a real danger for the Jewish peoples would be the inability to distinguish between valid criticism of what is happening in Israel,
    say and malicious, racist abuse.

    • glenn_nl

      It was for that very reason he got booted off The Observer, and from The Independent. He would not just shut up and sit down when it came to commenting on Israel’s on-going atrocities.

      Criticism of which some shameless defenders of Israel pretend is antisemitism. A disgusting riding on the backs of holocaust victims and baseless race hatred of Jews, as an excuse to defend and deflect criticism from military imperialism in the Middle East.

    • Franc

      Otherwise an excellent post Craig. I’ve told friends of mine to view the article. What about some suggestions for helping your blog, financially, ( by postal order for instance) for those of us without credit cards.

        • wonky

          PayPal really is the pits. If you’d ask me to name some of the most dangerous neo-fascists in the world today, Peter Thiel would be very high up on the list.

  • Chick McGregor

    The new ‘Independent’ group consisting of Labour and Conservative MPs is, if nothing else, an interesting experiment.

    That is, they won’t know if they are Lab or a Tory.

    But collectively probably they will probably still produce a Frankensteine’s Monster.

    Now where’s my hat and coat?

  • Wazdo

    I haven’t been through all 346 comments, so sorry if this has already been posted.

    Jeremy Corbyn, the anti semite ?

    1. In October 1936, Jeremy Corbyn’s mother participated in the battle of Cable Street in defence of British Jews after British fascists had staged an assault on the area. Corbyn was raised in a household passionately opposed to antisemitism in all its forms.

    2. In 23rd April 1977, Corbyn organised a counter-demonstration to protect Wood Green from a neo-nazi march through the district. The area had a significant Jewish population.

    3. On 7 November 1990, Corbyn signed a motion condemning the rise of antisemitism in the UK

    4. In 2002 Jeremy Corbyn led a clean-up and vigil at Finsbury Park Synagogue which had been vandalised in an anti-Semitic attack

    5. On 30 April 2002, Corbyn tabled a motion in the House of Commons condemning an anti-Semitic attack on a London Synagogue

    6. On 26 November 2003, Jeremy Corbyn signed a Parliamentary motion condemning terrorist attacks on two synagogues

    7. In February 2009, Jeremy Corbyn signed a parliamentary motion condemning a fascist for establishing a website to host antisemitic materials

    8. On 24th March 2009, Corbyn signed a Parliamentary motion praising British Jews who resisted the Holocaust by risking their lives to save potential victims

    9. Nine years ago, Corbyn signed a Parliamentary motion praising “Jewish News”for its pioneering investigation into the spread of Antisemitism on Facebook

    10. On 9 February 2010, Corbyn signed a Parliamentary motion calling for an investigation into Facebook and its failure to prevent the spread of antisemitic materials on its site.

    11. On 27 October 2010, Corbyn signed a Parliamentary motion praising the late Israeli Prime Minister for pursuing a two state solution to the Israel/Palestine question.

    12. On 13 June 2012, Corbyn sponsored and signed a motion condemning the BBC for cutting a Jewish Community television programme from its schedule.

    13. 1 October 2013, Corbyn appeared on the BBC to defend Ralph Miliband against vile antisemitic attacks by the UK press.

    14. Five years ago Corbyn signed a Parliamentary motion condemning antisemitism in sport.

    15. On 1 March 2013, Corbyn signed a Parliamentary motion condemning and expressing concern at growing levels of antisemitism in European football.

    16. On 9 January 2014, Jeremy Corbyn signed a Parliamentary motion praising Holocaust education programmes that had taken 20,000 British students to Auschwitz.

    17. On 22 June 2015, Corbyn signed a Parliamentary motion expressing concern at the neo-nazi march being planned for an area of London with a significant Jewish population.

    18. On 9 October 2016, Corbyn, close to tears, commemorated the 1936 Battle of Cable Street and recalled the role his mother played in defending London’s Jewish community.

    19. On 3 December 2016, Corbyn made a visit to Terezin Concentration Camp when Jewish people were murdered by the Nazis. It was Jeremy’s third visit to such a camp, all of which were largely unreported in the most read UK papers.

    20. Last year, a widely-endorsed 2018 academic report found ninety-five serious reporting failures in the reporting of the Labour Antisemitism story with the worst offenders The Sun, the Mail

    • Dave

      When I said “so you’re defending an anti-Semite”, it was meant to illustrate there’s no defence to the charge. To those making the accusation its a weapon to be used against perceived enemies, so you’re either guilty or lying.

    • Dungroanin

      Poster Harvey John Brown on Grauniad had a longer list – i’ll add it here for completeness hope no one objects.

      the BBC.
      21. On 28 February 2016, five months after becoming leader, Jeremy Corbyn appointed Baroness Royall to investigate antisemitism at Oxford University Labour Club.
      22. On 27 April 2016 Corbyn suspended an MP pending an investigation into antisemitism.
      23. A day later, Corbyn suspended the three times Mayor of London after complaints of antisemitic comments. Party.
      24. On 29 April 2016, Corbyn launched an inquiry into the prevalence of antisemitism in the Labour Party. In spite of later changes in how the inquiry was reported, it was initially praised by Jewish community organisations.
      25. In Corbyn’s first seven months as leader of the Labour Party, just ten complaints were received about antisemitism. 90% of those were suspended from the Labour Party within 24 hours.
      26. In September 2017, Corbyn backed a motion at Labour’s annual conference introducing a new set of rules regarding antisemitism.
      27. In the six months that followed the introduction of the new code of conduct, to March 2018, 94% of the fifty-four people accused of antisemitism remained suspended or barred from Labour Party membership. Three of the fifty-four were exonerated.
      28. When Jennie Formby became general secretary of the party last year, she appointed a highly-qualified in-house Counsel, as recommended in the Chakrabarti Report.
      29. In 2018, Labour almost doubled the size of its staff team handling investigations and dispute processes. wrote to the admins and moderators of Facebook groups about how they can effectively moderate online spaces and requested that any discriminatory content be reported to the Labour Party for investigation.
      40. Since last year, no one outside Labour’s Governance and Legal Unit can be involved in decision-making on antisemitism investigations. This independence allows decisions free from political influence to be taken.

    • Dungroanin

      I’ll try again…

      30. Last year, to speed up the handling of antisemitism cases, smaller panels of 3-5 NEC members were established to enable cases to be heard more quickly.
      31. Since 2018, every complaint made about antisemitism is allocated its own independent specialist barrister to ensure due process is followed.
      32. The entire backlog of cases outstanding upon Jennie Formby becoming General Secretary of the Labour Party was cleared within 6 months of Jennie taking up her post.
      33. Since September 2018, Labour has doubled the size of its National Constitutional Committee (NCC) – its senior disciplinary panel – from 11 to 25 members to enable it to process cases more quickly.
      34. Under Formby and Labour’s left-run NEC, NCC arranged elections at short notice to ensure the NCC reached its new full capacity without delay.
      35. Since later 2018, the NCC routinely convenes a greater number of hearing panels to allow cases to be heard and finalised without delay.
      36. In 2018, the NEC established a ‘Procedures Working Group’ to lead reforms in the way disciplinary cases are handled.
      37. The NEC adopted the IHRA working definition of antisemitism and all eleven examples of antisemitism attached to it.
      38. A rule change agreed at Conference in 2018 means that all serious complaints, including antisemitism, are dealt with nationally to ensure consistency.
      39. Last year, Jennie Formby wrote to the admins and moderators of Facebook groups about how they can effectively moderate online spaces and requested that any discriminatory content be reported to the Labour Party for investigation.
      40. Since last year, no one outside Labour’s Governance and Legal Unit can be involved in decision-making on antisemitism investigations. This independence allows decisions free from political influence to be taken.

  • Andy Coombes

    I’ve posted a fifty second clip of this six or seven times in various places on FB today and they have all been removed. No trace.

  • Jo1

    Heidi Allen on Peston was asked how many others in her Party share her views. She reckoned a third. Peston asked would they defect. “No, no! We don’t want that. The last thing we want is a general election!”.

  • Dave G

    Wouldn’t it be a refreshing change if some journalist persistently (in the manner of Paxman to Michael Howard) asked Berger or Ryan how many Labour members had been convicted of using anti-Semitic abuse or threats in a court of law?
    You know the mainstream media is in big trouble when really obvious questions never get asked.

      • michael norton

        A good question could be,
        Has Israel used its influence to initiate the war on Syria?

        I doubt if anyone would dare ask that.

        My guess is the answer would be yes.

  • Vivian O'Blivion

    From the original post. “These 7 MPs will get more airtime than the 35 MPs of the SNP, with at least twice as many Question Time …. appearances.”
    While I don’t question the accuracy of the prediction, it presupposes that SNP MPs should continue to take up invitations to form the panel on Question Time. Why not boycott Question Time? If the game is rigged, don’t play it.
    I would go further and advocate that the SNP (and all independent nationalists) boycott the BBC. Justification for this? We are told by Donalda MacKinnon that the BBC has fully investigated the Billy Mitchell saga and concluded that nothing is amiss. Until we take a stand and call out this State propaganda machine, nothing will change.

  • Franc

    Somebody mentioned ( I can’t find it ) in their comment, something to do with Panorama’s John Sweeney and used the word, debacle. I’ve Googled this, but can’t find anything that fits the bill. Can anybody enlighten me?

    • LeeJ

      Tommy Robinson exposed him for trying to frame him. He shows Sweeney and Panorama trying to script write a documentary defaming Tommy. There was a public display outside the BBC offices in Manchester this weekend. Totally ignored by the MSM obviously. Try Unity news on youtube.

  • Iain Stewart

    “Somebody… used the word, debacle”
    Yes, it probably means castrate in French, as in debollock.

  • michael norton

    Ian Austin, MP for Dudley North, has become the ninth MP to quit Labour this week.

    Mr Austin told the Express and Star newspaper that he was quitting because of the party’s “lurch to the left” under Jeremy Corbyn and the failure to tackle anti-Semitism in the party.
    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-47330079

    never even heard of this geezer.
    non entity.

    • michael norton

      Ian Austin M.P.
      His adoptive father, Fred (a Czech Jew who was adopted by an English family on the Nazi invasion of Czechoslovakia), was head of the Dudley School from its formation in 1975 until his retirement in 1985.
      Fred Austin, born Fredi Stiller, was awarded the MBE in the New Year’s Honours List for 2006 in recognition of his service to the communities of Dudley.

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