Anti-Semitism in the Labour party.

[Workingman]

Bradford West MP, Naz Shah, who was imposed on the constituency by the ruling National Executive Committee, got suspended for sharing a graphic on Facebook showing Israel imposed on the United States with the tag line "Problem solved". This was done before she became an MP.

Ken Livingstone, defending her, has now been suspended for saying "When Hitler won his election in 1932 his policy then was that Jews should be moved to Israel. He was supporting Zionism before he went mad and ended up killing six million Jews." He, too, has been suspended.

Why, then, is Labour being attacked? It has acted immediately, and rightly so. The two of them could eventually be expelled and no tears would be spilt in their passing, but what else can Labour do?

[Suff]

Why, then, is Labour being attacked?

Simple really. May 5th. There are local council elections going on but there are also the Scottish parliamentary elections and the Welsh assembly elections going on.

Reason enough wouldn't you think?

I must admit that to see Labour, the festering host of PC, struck low by their own sword, does raise a ghost of a smile. To be honest it's really bad news. But, if bad news were to alight anywhere? I couldn't wish a much better place for it to land.

I'm sure the Corbyn haters also have a hand in this too. Remember he's on record as being so pro Palestinian he borders being anti semite.

Politics. Rarely a dull day.

[Workingman]

Suff, like you I do not care about the Labour party, and I agree that Corbyn's stance on Palestine makes him borderline anti-Semitic.

What worries me is that things outside of politics are driving the political agendas.

These individuals have made anti-Semitic statements off their own backs, they are not in accord with Labour's stance on such matters, but they are being presented as though Labour is, in itself, institutionally anti-Semitic.

It is a dangerous path to go down, on all sorts of topics.

[TheOstrich]

What Labour could have done is do it quicker - they were well aware that charges of antisemitism were being levied at the party well before the Shah thing became public. There was prevarication before they acted in Shah's case and disciplining John Mann MP following his attack on Livingstone didn't exactly send the right signals either.

With regard to Shah, if a Tory or Kipper had gone public on social media and said "all Rotherham Moslems should be repatriated to Pakistan - problem solved", an absolute firestorm would have immediately descended on their heads, apology or not. Labour should expect nothing less.

[Suff]

It is a dangerous path to go down, on all sorts of topics.

Which is why I was trying, unsuccessfully, to feel bad for Labour....

Because it's a very slippery slope.

[Rodo]

I have no time for the labour party, Ken Livingstone or George Galloway, but what they have both said about historical facts can't be disputed. The lines are being blurred - probably deliberately so. There is obviously a plot to unseat Corbyn and all of this nonsense is being used to cover up the deeper aims.

[cromwell]

There is obviously a plot to unseat Corbyn and all of this nonsense is being used to cover up the deeper aims.

I agree with that Rodo.

But Labour does have a problem. Namely that most Pakistanis don't like Jewish people in general and Israel in particular - and most Pakistanis vote Labour. This has been known about for years and but for the advent of social media would probably still be a deep, dark secret. Labour needs the block Pakistani vote in northern towns but doesn't want to acknowledge the anti-semitism in the Pakistani community.

Here's how bad things in Bradford can be.
http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/you ... 05336.html

[Workingman]

Labour needs the block Pakistani vote in northern towns but doesn't want to acknowledge the anti-semitism in the Pakistani community.

True(ish) but voters being anti-Semitic does not automatically make the party they vote for anti-Semitic any more than racists voting UKIP make that a racist party.

Another thing is that if people do not publicly express their darkest thoughts what can be done about them? Not everybody is daft enough to spout nonsense on Twitbook and I bet that in those local associations where Pakistanis and Bangladeshis are in the majority a lot of hard work is put in to keep things under the carpet. That is probably the case for all parties and on a whole range of subjects.

[cromwell]

So far today three Labour party councillors have been suspended foron-line anti-semitic postings.
Ilyas Aziz Labour councillor in Nottingham.

Salim Mulla, ex-Mayor of Blackburn with “Zionist Jews are a disgrace to humanity”.

Shah Hussain Labour councillor in Burnley comparing an Israeli footballer to Hitler, tweeting to the Israeli footballer Yossi Benayoun that “you and your country doing the same thing that hitler did to ur race in ww2”.

There's a big part of Labour's anti-semitism problem for you right there. Labour know it and they can't do much about it. If you want the votes that badly you have to take what comes with those votes.

[Suff]

There's a big part of Labour's anti-semitism problem for you right there. Labour know it and they can't do much about it. If you want the votes that badly you have to take what comes with those votes.

They've had a growing issue with double standards over the decades. Now they are being called on it right next to an election.... I'd rather see them being called on it every day of the week.