Thread by @_petermason

THREAD: The Gen Sec’s email today to Tom Watson is a long long list of hostages to fortune.

This kind of behaviour is now mainstream. Those standing up to inaction and the culture of antisemitism within the Party are made out to be the problematic ones /1

https://twitter.com/PolhomeEditor/status/1101554823109984257

It’s surprising to see them send a letter like this to the entire PLP, given the refusal to formally reply to JLMs letters, justified by saying they don’t wish these issues to be played out in the national media.

This intransigence is deeply unhelpful /2

In this section, the claim is made that no prompting is required on handling of antisemitism.

Jewish communal organisations and JLM are still waiting for substantive replies to the 6 tests and 19 suggestions made in April 2018 /3

In this section, it’s claimed that the complaints process is consistent. It isn’t. It’s highly inconsistent, as numerious cases made public demonstrate.

Jewish MPs investigated whilst CLPD sponsored NEC members excused for example, or no-evidence cases referred to the police /4

Chris Williamson. Need I say more? /5

In this section, Watson is admonished for taking action without consultation.

Hypocritical given the NEC instituted a new code of conduct on Antisemitism without consulting JLM, the Jewish community, leaving our representatives barred from a key meeting sitting outside /6

This for me is the worst.

Claiming that politicians aren’t involved in processing complaints is literally false as false can be. The NEC have consistently rejected recommendations from staff in the last few years, and plenty of decisions to suspend have been overruled /7

The Party wish to be so transparent and open, that they have appointed a Labour Peer to be their ‘critical friend’.

Last time this happened, admittedly the individual concerned was not a peer, but we all know how quickly that was rectified /8

And I’m pleased that the General Secretary feels they have a better insight as to the confidence of the Jewish community in the Labour Party than... the Jewish community.

Last time I checked (and I feel fairly confident saying so) this isn’t the case /9

Equally, we’ve already established that only publishing stats from April 2018 is beyond parody. Perhaps someone can explain who decided to pull adverts to appoint nine staff to investigate complaints two months prior to that date /10

Surprising equally to find out from Formby that Falconer has been formally appointed. Always good to have confirmed the fact that the Party don’t feel the need to ask it’s Jewish affiliate what their view on such matters would be /11

Yes - staff have been working incredibly hard to tackle the avalanche of cases that started when the Party gave a green light to a culture of bullying and intolerance.

Equally harsh on staff have the decisions of the NEC to not appoint more people to process cases /12

One of the questions in the PLP motion that didn’t elicit a response was to clarify how many staff in GLU have either left their posts, or were on long term sick.

Clearly this is sensitive issue, with significant effect, and might point to a range of different causes. /13

Junior staff do a fantastic job under very difficult circumstances, in a culture where political cover for the correct and moral course of action is not offered to them as it has been historically.

Their jobs are the toughest in British politics right now. /14

I take no pleasure in these threads. In fact they make me feel deeply lethargic about a Party I have loved and respected for so long.

But I desperately want my Party to rediscover it’s core values of justice and equality. Like, now.

/ends