Palestine v Israel.

[pErvinalia]

. In the past, British Labour Party people have crossed the line between anti-Zionism and anti-semitism.

No they haven't.

[JimC]

. In the past, British Labour Party people have crossed the line between anti-Zionism and anti-semitism.

No they haven't.

I'm not saying the Labour Party in itself, but there were very clear reports that a segment of the party a few years back with strong Palestinian connections had made anti-semitic comments...

[pErvinalia]

The thing is they weren't antisemitic. It was a beat up to destabilise Corbyn.

[aufbahrung]

Labour always held a dark underbelly. It is a socialist party after all. Even in the eighties when I didn't know any better and got involved in the militant tendency and its plans to infiltrate the army and install a military communist dictatorship the party was in a bad way.

[pErvinalia]

I think you were talking to the voices in your head..

[JimC]

The thing is they weren't antisemitic. It was a beat up to destabilise Corbyn.

It depends what you mean by "they". Certainly not the Labour Party as a whole, but I'll stand by my reading of reports from the time, where some branches strayed from legitimate criticism of Israel into anti-semitism, and Corbyn did himself no favours by appearing not to reprimand the shift...

[Hermit]

Labour always held a dark underbelly. It is a socialist party after all. Even in the eighties when I didn't know any better and got involved in the militant tendency and its plans to infiltrate the army and install a military communist dictatorship the party was in a bad way.

40 years ago. Lot of water flowed under the bridge since then. Even at its peak the Militant Tendency was never more than a small faction within the Labour Party. It was proscribed in 1982. By 1992 there was none of it left (no pun intended). Then the Labour Party did a sharp right turn, culminating in a decade of Tony Blair's ten-year prime-ministership. You will recall that he explicitly rejected Labour's socialist tendencies by labelling the new political direction "The Third Way". Under Blair the Labour party became Tory-Light, and the Prime Minister a lapdog of US presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. He assiduously followed their pro-Israel policies. From the Wikipedia:

On 30 January 2003, Blair signed The letter of the eight supporting U.S. policy on Iraq.

Blair showed a deep feeling for Israel, born in part from his faith. Blair has been a longtime member of the pro-Israel lobby group Labour Friends of Israel.

[...]

Blair, on coming to office, had been "cool towards the right-wing Netanyahu government". During his first visit to Israel, Blair thought the Israelis bugged him in his car. After the election in 1999 of Ehud Barak, with whom Blair forged a close relationship, he became much more sympathetic to Israel. From 2001, Blair built up a relationship with Barak's successor, Ariel Sharon, and responded positively to Arafat, whom he had met thirteen times since becoming prime minister and regarded as essential to future negotiations. In 2004, 50 former diplomats, including ambassadors to Baghdad and Tel Aviv, stated they had "watched with deepening concern" at Britain following the US into war in Iraq in 2003. They criticised Blair's support for the road map for peace which included the retaining of Israeli settlements on the West Bank

[aufbahrung]

Blair wasn't the thread stopper guy, sociopathic socialists left and right tend to have large bodycounts...though. A few hundred thousand unnecessary deaths seem to be the standard requisite for national leadership these days. Why have a dig at Bibi? he's doing keyhole surgery compared to some folks out there walking free who've got involved with the middle east clusterfuck.

[Hermit]

Thanks for the word salad, Crumple. It comes as no surprise.

[Brian Peacock]

Conservative MP condemned for ‘racist’ tweet about Israel protests



Tory MP Michael Fabricant has been criticised for describing pro-Palestinian demonstrators clashing with police as “primitives”.

Anti-racism campaign Hope Not Hate called for the Conservative party to suspend the backbencher on Sunday, accusing him of “hateful racism that stirs up division”.

Largely peaceful demonstrations took place across the UK over the weekend in solidarity with the people of Palestine, as Israel and Hamas exchanged rocket fire in a deadly conflict.

The MP for Lichfield shared a video of clashes with police outside the Israeli embassy in London on Saturday. He tweeted: “These primitives are trying to bring to London what they do in the Middle East.”

Fabricant deleted the message after it drew criticism on social media.

Hope Not Hate said: “The tense situation requires steady leadership from people who want to bring communities together, not hateful racism that stirs up division. The Conservatives must suspend Michael Fabricant for this disgraceful comment.”...

[pErvinalia]

What's up with British politicians and wild hair?

[Brian Peacock]

I'm thinking it might be a wig.

[pErvinalia]

Certainly looks like it.

[Sean Hayden]

It's a trap.

[Brian Peacock]