Politics Chat.

I don't think it's really about Corbyn himself

It really is. He's a radical left wing backbencher, who has taken an anti establishment position on pretty much everything, always.

What we're Ed's key fundamental points of difference from Blair-Brown?

Surely one can differentiate between tabloid headlines, and first hand accounts of people who have suffered racist abuse?

For sure there is muddy water around Corbyn's past afilliations, but what is happening right now is pretty clear.

huge if true.

https://www.thelondoneconomic.com/news/tony-blair-tipped-to-be-next-to-join-independent-group/20/02/

/buys shares in D:Ream back catalogue

Won't take long to find an interview where he says he will not leave Labour. And if I were one of the 11 the last person I would want to join would be Blair. Well, after Derek Hatton.

Derek Hatton.

Ha, just been kicked out again for his racism. He's an absolute shit, for sure.

I know. I mentioned it in one of the 28 different threads that currently cover the same topic.

Chuka will be gutted, because there's less chance the party will be named after him now.

Forgive me if I appear insensitive to those that have suffered, but if you dig hard enough, you also find articles suggesting that antisemitism has actually decreased under Corbyn. Might sound silly to say, but it is enough to put doubt into my mind as to the true scale of the problem. Please bear in mind, that as a non-Jewish person, I am very much an outsider to this issue.

I know. I mentioned it in one of the 28 different threads that currently cover the same topic.

Won't somebody think of the fixies?

It’s exactly this kind of talk that is going to get you shitcanned in Labour atm. They’re at the full-scale panic stage, where even the slightest hint of a Labour personality saying something related is probably bad headlines.

This isn’t to say that knuckle-dragging cunts aren’t out there abusing people because of Jewish backgrounds and connections. No doubt. There’s also some instances of clear overreach, like Frank Field, who blamed antisemetism as the reason that he quit, despite seemingly every Labour Party member and their pet hating his guts.

Is corbyn really still being referred to as radical?

Is corbyn really still being referred to as radical?

Are you suggesting that all those years kinda being one were a warm up act?

That said, I suppose radical as a concept is defined by what is non-radical, and I guess given the world right now...

Okay, his policies aren't really though are they?

Which is, I think, part of the problem, in that it's hard(er) to take them at face value.

Maybe it's just that being left-wing is radical, after years of pretending there's such a thing as politics 'beyond left and right'.

if you dig hard enough, you also find articles suggesting that antisemitism has actually decreased under Corbyn.

On the Canary by any chance?

It's an interesting situation, because Israel currently has a pretty hard-right government that plays into all the worst stereotypes about their attitude to the Palestinians, which has made it a lot easier for leftish people to wink at anti-semitism couched in the language of anti-Zionism.

I wonder if it would be such a hot topic if it was someone less polarising than Bibi calling the shots - as in, I wonder if so many people would be showing their true colours by blaming all of Bibi's ills on all Jews.

Edit just in case anyone misunderstands me - I think blaming all Jews or even all Israelis for Israel’s current policies is basically veiled anti-semitism, because few people would think to blame all Americans for Trump’s policies. But criticising the politicians for what they do is obviously completely fair.

if you dig hard enough, you also find articles suggesting that antisemitism has actually decreased under Corbyn.

I found one. Really creepy stuff...

https://voxpoliticalonline.com/2019/02/23/there-may-be-another-motive-behind-the-resignations-of-all-these-labour-friends-of-israel/

That Daniel Kawczynski thing is about as clangery as clangers get:

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/feb/05/mps-social-media-twitter

antisemitism has actually decreased under Corbyn.

Not according to Jon Lansman.

The transcript of his interview is good reading to gain a better perspective of the problem. Roughly a few hundred hardcore antisemites out of 500,000 is roughly a few hundred more than I hoped there would be. I hope the NEC are successful in giving them all the boot.

do you have a link? I only got the highlights

Momentum has put together a nice attack ad on Stephen Yaxley-Lennon
https://twitter.com/gmb_union/status/1100415765855973376?s=21

Williamson went on a tour of the constituencies of moderate backbenchers he didn't like, and gave speeches to their local parties to try and get them de-selected. He's an utter shit and I'm glad he's been seen for what he is and chucked out. Given past form Corbyn may well let him back in, though.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/feb/28/labour-worst-day-shame-tom-watson-luciana-berger-resignation