The reason Labour is so vulnerable to criticisms over its handling of antisemitism is not that others have 'weaponised' but because it has done such a bad job.
From a factional mindset, everything is somebody else's fault, but in my view they have nobody to blame but themselves.
From a factional mindset, everything is somebody else's fault, but in my view they have nobody to blame but themselves.
During this election you will hear excuses, distortions and evasions which has been the Leader of the Opposition office's approach pretty much all along, with some short-lived exceptions.
Some will gratefully grab onto those narratives so they can feel OK voting for Labour.
Some will gratefully grab onto those narratives so they can feel OK voting for Labour.
It's a long and complex story, and one which I entirely understand many people have lost patience with (like Brexit) but having followed the issue closely for a couple of years, and been involved myself, my view (reached with huge regret) is that it is serious and not exaggerated
As I have said many times, if you speak to people within the movement itself, they get it, they know it's serious, they realise that many proper antisemites have recently entered the party, and others who have been there all along have been indulged and protected.
Each party has its failings. I understand people rank their concerns/hopes and make imperfect choices. My own concerns are not just narrow (because I'm Jewish) but wider as I can't see how a deeply factionalised and in ways unprincipled leadership can run this country responsibly
I also think that applies to Tories and their handling of Islamophobia. All leadership candidates committed to an independent investigation during hustings and Johnson has now reneged. It's unprincipled and fails the basic requirement that government protects abused minorities
How much you prioritise those failings is up to you. Perhaps you prioritise getting Brexit done, or renegotiating a new deal, or some other issue. From a human rights perspective, I can't forgive the leadership of either Labour or the Tories. But I wouldn't have voted Tory anyway
I support many of Labour's policies, I just have no confidence that the leadership which has behaved the way it has to a major issue in the party will be able to successfully implement those policies. Wish it was otherwise, but it's right in front of our eyes.
One thing I have learned about leadership (and this may sound trite) is that leaders tend to be pretty much how you expect them to be, their personal flaws become superimposed on the organisation (or country) they are leading. Some do rise to the occasion but most don't
I have no real doubt that if Jeremy Corbyn was prime minister, we would see the same factionalism, defensiveness, evasiveness, narrowness, lack of empathy to those who get in the way of 'the movement' (e.g. Luciana Berger), as he has demonstrated as party leader.
It's not completely clear cut - I think a Labour government would bring creativity, grass roots enthusiasm, perhaps some genuinely different policies and a focus on left behind communities which have been sidelined for a long time. But I have huge doubts that they could deliver
Links to some previous threads on this issue:
- Institutional antisemitism https://twitter.com1094635859062726656
- Summing up
- Luciana Berger
- 2
- Institutional antisemitism https://twitter.com1094635859062726656
- Summing up
- Luciana Berger
- 2
