Why Does Labour Still Have a Problem with Jews?

Jeremy Corbyn might have tried to justify his comments when he equated Jews and Zionists, but it didn’t really work. Readers will recall that in 2013, when Corbyn was speaking at a conference, he stated that Zionists had, “no sense of irony” despite “having lived in this country for a very long time”.

Jews indeed have lived in this country for a very long time, but Zionists? Observers have noted how, in attempts to avoid charges of antisemitism, some politicians have chosen to use the term ‘Zionist’ instead of Jew. This, we were told was a condemnation of a political movement, not a people. Most Jews did not seem to be very impressed with this argument, which seemed more like a smokescreen than an explanation.

They believed, that behind the protestations, the two terms, Jew and Zionist were being used interchangeably.

Corbyn’s statement seemed to let the cat out of the bag.

Newham Labour have not been without problems, (here and here and here and here; there is more, but that’s enough), nor has the national party, (see here).

Having thought that the matter had finally been put to rest, Diane Abbot MP manages to score a spectacular own-goal. In a widely reported letter, (a draft letter apparently), to The Observer she sought to downplay the experiences of other peoples.

Jews and gypsies weren’t forced to sit at the back of a bus. Indeed not. They were given whole trains, just to themselves!

She is correct that there were no “white-seeming people” (is this a new category that we have not heard about?) manacled on the slave ships across the Atlantic. There had however, been plenty manacled to the oars of the Mediterranean galleys of North African pirates and traders. But it appears, like the Jews and the gypsies, they don’t count.

The survey which prompted Abbot’s remarks found that 60% of travellers, 55% of Jews, 50% of black Caribbean and 30% of black Africans reported experiencing some form of racism.

Abbot, who has previously struggled with numbers, blamed the contents of the letter on a “drafting error” which she wished to “disassociate herself from”. 

We note that she did not retract her words, but she did wish to be disassociated from them. Don’t we all?

It does seem that some Labour MPs are doing their level best to maintain Rishi Sunak in power.