Antisemitism Crisis? The Gates Of Hell Are Opening

For many years under the old LibLabCon of Liberal Democrat collusion with the Tories and Labour double-speak and lies under Tony Blair, both the traditional working classes and the far left had been ignored, forgotten and seen as a dying breed. Politics was the most centre-ground it had ever been.

During this time the right wing were being ignored over their concerns for out of control immigration. The traditional left-wing working classes had similar concerns although their issue centered around foreign workers forcing wages lower and lower. The far left were arguably even more forgotten. There was nothing on the table for their anti-war, anti capitalist, anti-racist set of principles.

Fast forward to 2016 and out of the blue a back bencher by the name of Jeremy Corbyn steps up. Here was a politician that emobied what had been missing from the left wing of politics for so many years. Of course he was revered, he had a track record of voting against war, campaigning for anti-racism movements and he held the traditional working classes to his heart. This was a Union man at heart, a gentle, kind and down to earth man and arguably most importantly he was consistent and honest, a couple of traits so often missing from our politicians that voters on all sides had lamented the lack of such figures for so long. Finally, the left had someone in politics who would speak for them.

Over the next 3 years Jeremy Corbyn would face an incredible and surprising barrage of allegations and complaints from all sides from the Conservative party to some of his own MP’s within the Labour party and from almost the entirety of the mainstream media both print and TV. Even Donald Trump could look upon Corbyns plight and be thankful it wasn’t him facing the same scrutiny, well, almost.

So what were Jeremy Corbyn’s crimes against humanity? They are many and they have been well documented but allow me to give a few snippets;

He was a Russian Spy, he wouldn’t bow deep enough when laying a reef, he didn’t wear the right coat when laying another reef, he attended a reef laying ceremony for victims of terrorist attacks in which a Palestinian Terrorist was also being commemorated which angered the Jewish Community. (Maybe he should just never touch a reef again), He likes to make homemade Jam (revealed in a book serialised in the mainstream press entitled ‘Dangerous Hero’), He is an existential threat to the UK on the economy, he is an unequivacol IRA supporter, he is just an out-and-out terrorist supporter, he is not “a leader” (despite outstaying Theresa May and ensuring a hung parliament at the last General Election where everyone predicted that the Labour vote would collapse and the Conservatives would have a 112 seat majority) and a host of other allegations were laid at the feet of Jeremy Corbyn including this one, that Jeremy Corbyn is an existential threat to the Jewish Community and this is the issue I will focus on.

There is a small group of people from the Jewish community that are whipping up so much hate and anger that it would be almost impossible for any by-stander from the Jewish Community to act idendendently or form their own opinion. (I can hear the groans already but stay with me) There are though many who do not believe the allegations and are very supportive of Jeremy Corbyn, by no means is the entire Jewish community out to get him, but their voices are being drowned out by the consistent barrage of hatred spewing from the mouths of the likes of minor celebrities such as Tracy Ann Oberman of the TV show EastEnders and Rachel Riley of TV show Countdown, let alone the well followed Twitter accounts such as the multi-faced ‘Gnasher Jew’ who’s followers will Dox any dissenting voices to scare them into silence. It’s group-think, it’s an example of mass hysteria.

They are all supported by MP’s that are part of ‘Labour Friends of Israel’. This is a group that is supposed to be simply a support group for Israel, a voice for Israel’s concerns. Yet we know from recent hidden video recordings that members of LFI have met with Israeli officials where money has been exchanged for names of people who are dissenting voices against the Israel government. It almost sounds like LFI are a lobby group for Israeli interests. It has been said that this is a conspiracy theory or antisemitic to suggest such a thing. The reality is that lobby groups in general are real both here in the UK as well as the US and one of those lobby groups is for Israeli interests, so why do they deny it and bat off concerns as antisemitic? It’s happening and it’s real.

The question for you is, why should this matter? There are other lobby groups.

Indeed there are but with Corbyn he is a politician who is potentially about to become PM who is against what the Israeli government is doing to the Palestinian people and would actually act on that opposition unlike Donald Trump whom the Israeli lobby idolises and supports wholeheartedly. Corbyn is the antithesis of that. To have a western power who would stop arming and funding the Israeli regime could be a real set back for Israeli expansionism.

Some of you may be asking why I am equating Jewish outrage at perceived antisemitism with the Israeli lobby and it’s own Interest for Israel. Surely you can not conflate the two?

This is where the deceit and deception begins and ends.

Speak long enough with pro-Israel voices on the internet and you will soon learn that contrary to more considered voices in the media, you can not criticise Israel alone without being accused of being antisemitic, you can not question the level of the ‘antisemitism crisis’ within Labour without being labelled an antisemite.

One moment you will read, from the same Jewish voices, that it is antisemitic to be anti-zionist (as opposed to anti-jew) and in the next moment read that you can be anti-Zionist without being anti-jewish. The double speak is endless and the anger displayed by some in the Jewish community is not proportionate to the actual problem within Labour and you have to ask why they would do this? (There is plenty of evidence to support the idea that the problem is not as bad as is being portrayed, this which can be found on line including, number of allegations vs suspensions, number of cases vs number of members; number of proven cases compared with other political parties etc)

Consider this. I have had conversations with some where they will accuse you of antisemitism for speaking out against Israel and in the same conversation deny that Israel is breaching international law, deny Israel is land grabbing, deny that excessive force is being used against Palestinians yet the evidence flies in the face of that stance. They are both Jewish and vociferous supporters of Israel. Here they are using their Jewish Identity to cover for their belief that the Israeli regime is doing the right thing and within international law. Quote them the UN opinion on Israeli actions and they will tell you that the UN is obsolete, not fit for purpose, doesn’t that sound like Trump rhetoric? It’s true that the UN is by no means perfect and it’s right to question how effective it is, but most of the international community on this issue supports the UN stance, apart from the US of course.

Can you begin to see the picture forming?

This is how the deceit indeed does begin and end. Whip up enough hatred against dissenting voices, such as the existential threat that is Jeremy Corbyn and you may just manage to prevent someone getting into power that will upset the balance. Of course there are moves from across the globe to stop Corbyn getting into power. Did you think they would ask nicely? They have to attack and if they can use their Jewish Identity to do that, then so be it. The Jewish community is being used.

Yet what they don’t appreciate is that they are cutting off their noses to spite their face. Especially for the wider Jewish community who for many it seems are oblivious to what is really going on. Understandably buoyed by a sense of togetherness and justice they are wearing blinkers unable to see a different side to the story.

What they don’t see is the gates of hell creeping open right behind them. Whilst they are over here fighting against the “hard-left” (as many call the left) anti racist (yes, anti racist) element of the Labour party, the far-right are gathering right across the continent. So busy are they pushing back against the one group of people who will always support anti-racism and defend their Jewish brothers and sisters against the worst ills of the far-right they don’t see the devil with his hand on the door.

Just in recent years we have seen the temporary resurgence of the BNP and when they fell away they moved to Britain First and the EDL movement, when that was closed down they moved to support UKIP as it is now or the one-man bandwagon that is Tommy Robinson. Their issue may be with Muslims now but where else do you think the true anti-semites are hiding? Then you have Generation Identity right Cross Europe recruiting unsuspecting disillusioned middle class children in an effort to be the acceptable face of far-right racism.

Germany itself has a huge problem on its hands with a large rise in neo-nazi activity, the far-right or right-of-right parties are either gaining or winning around the globe in places such as Austria, Bulgaria, Italy, Spain, Brazil, US, Germany, Netherlands, Sweden, Ecuador not to mention the far reaches of Eastern Europe.

There is no doubt that all antisemitism should be rooted out from all areas of life including any found within the Labour party but it’s important to note that it is regrettably easy, as was evidenced earlier, to conflate issues around Israel and Jewishness on both sides of the argument. More can and should be done to avoid offending people, but let us not forget the true enemy in all of this, the far-right.

I personally would plea to the Jewish community to engage with the left, speak with them, find out what makes them tick. I would give my assurance that provided all sides enter any discussion with dignity and respect, for the other, that common ground can be found, understanding can be reached and maybe you will find that maybe the antisemitism crisis isn’t a crisis after all but actually something that can be overcome.

When debate becomes heated and divisive as it has been we can all take the most benign comment as an attack, we can see each comment as racist or as anti-left but we all need to take a step back and ask who gains from our division? Certainly not the country with this Tory government screwing it up for all of us. The only people that gain are the far-right and those that have ulterior nationalistic motives from the UK and indeed from Israel.

The devil plays tricks. Let’s stop. Reset and say no to those that wish to continue dividing us all and indeed call out genuine antisemitism where it raises it’s head. To do that, we must not fall into the trap of believing that every comment and every action is done to offend. It isn’t, but they want you to believe that it is. Let’s all unite for a better country and yes, around the left wing lifelong anti racist campaigner Jeremy Corbyn. If we don’t all try, we may as well all give up right now and sadly there will be only one loser in all of this.

Attacks On Jeremy Corbyn Are A Warning To The Global Left

There is little doubt that the political left are facing an onslaught from the centre ground all the way across to the far right. Wether you’re in the UK, Spain, Venezuela, USA, Italy or Greece or beyond, the left is resisting against a myriad of vested interests that seek to put the interests of neo-libs and the neo-cons firmly back in, what they believe is their rightful place, power.

I’m going to clear a few things up first. Jeremy Corbyn. What did that man do to deserve such hatred and vitriol from so many quarters? You would think he had overseen excess deaths in social care and the NHS or overseen food bank use rises or negotiated the Brexit withdrawal agreement or perhaps gave a contract to a ferry company with no ships or maybe forced real terms cuts to schools and the police, maybe he promised to build 250K homes every year for three straight general elections but failed on each occassion, perhaps he oversaw near 50% cuts to local authorities forcing some into bankruptcy, or did he scrap his entire election manifesto after said general election? But of course each of those things is actually what the Conservatives have explicitly done in their time in charge.

The Conservatives came to joint power under David Cameron in a shared government in 2010 along with the Liberal Democrats who caved in on their key promise to scrap tuition fees and once out their party collapsed as untrustworthy and out of touch. Then in the 2015 General Election the Conservatives won outright but Cameron stepped down in 2016 forcing a leadership contest. Theresa May won but called a snap general election in 2017 where she lost her majority and ended up power sharing with the Northern Irish party the DUP. The Conservatives, in almost 9 years, have not held a majority in parliament for anything more than about 1 year.

For a party that can’t win a majority, that has failed on so many fronts and has been forced to u-turn on so many policies including the changes to the EWA thanks to Labour and the often hated House of Lords, you really have to ask “What the hell is going on?”

The state of politics here in the UK and across the ocean in the US could be the stuff of science-fiction. The similarities for the left are stark. It would be like looking into a mirror.

Soon after Jeremy Corbyn came to lead Labour, the US had an election which would eventually see Donald Trump elected to the White House. Running for the Democratic nomination was Bernie Sanders. Bernie was America’s Jeremy Corbyn, similar ages, similar policies such as taking on those corporations that didn’t pay their fair share of tax. Both thoroughly likeable people who cared about the people, both thoroughly hated by the centre and right. Jeremy had two ‘coups’ against him as the centre of the party tried to unseat him.

Hilary Clinton was chosen as the Democratic nomination in the US over Sanders to a backdrop of bad feeling from Democratic voters. Hilary polled badly against Trump, Bernie voted overwhelmingly well against Trump, so why did the DNC choose Hillary? Look where it got them. In the UK Corbyns polling on the other hand looked dire, to be fair, but despite claims Labour would be wiped out at the 2017 snap general election instead they were resurgent under Corbyn recording a record number of votes for a Labour party and comparable to any other successful Labour leader. It forced the Tories into a power share where they had previously had sole control of parliament. The centre and right had badly misjudged the popularity of Corbyn. Perhaps if it were not for the divisive nature of the Brexit situation, we may have seen a Corbyn government.

How can two popular left wing politicians be treated so badly and with such contempt by many in their own parties as well as the media?

It’s time to point to a few examples, at least in regards to Corbyn.

BBC Question Time, a political debate show, is often cited as being bias in favour of the Conservatives. Many complaints over the years have been dismissed by the BBC but recent revelations have shown that maybe they really are not as partisan as they would have you believe. Recently a black Labour MP, Dianne Abbot, was subjected to ridicule pre-show by the presenter Fiona Bruce when she joked with the audience. Then during the show Abbots claims of polling showing Labour neck and neck with the Tories was dismissed by Bruce as false much to the amusement of the audience. Only it wasn’t false. It was true. The BBC was forced to make a half apology for both of these issues.

You then have the background actors who have appeared on one of the nations top television soaps appearing in the audience speaking out against Labour, you have the man who has appeared on no less than three occasions on different shows speaking out against Labour, with the BBC later admitting they invite some people back (it’s meant to be a show where you apply to appear). You have audiences consistently laughing at anything a Labour MP says and often giving the Conservatives a bill of good health, at least to some degree, despite the fact the country in the last election was very split (hung parliament?). Is it coincidence that every audience appears to be anti-labour? All those Labour voters and not one pro-Labour audience? It just doesn’t add up.

This may all seem low-key stuff so let’s address the elephant in the room and what will lead to more about the Global attack on the left.

The antisemitism row.

Jeremy Corbyn has been at the forefront of anti racist movements his entire political career and probably before. He protested against apartheid and was so vocal he was watched by the secret services who kept a file on him. He has campaigned for the rights of Jews and the Windrush generation who recently have been treated with utter contempt by this government (they were actually found in contempt of parliament recently, the first time a sitting government has been found so since the 1900’s). The Windrush generations who arrived on our shores decades ago, accepted as citizens, now being deported if they cant prove how they arrived in the UK.

Today though, Jeremy Corbyn is labelled an anti-semite by some within the Jewish community and some MP’s within his own party. His crime? For daring to treat the likes of Hamas as partners, in talks which in the end Corbyn hopes would have brought peace to the regions of Israel and Palestine. Instead he is labelled a terrorist sympathiser who hates Jews.

He dared to lay a wreath at an alleged Palestinian terrorist who killed several Israelis. He was actually there in the first instance to commemorate the victims of an Israeli outrage against the Palestinians. You can see how antisemitic that might seem to be, apparently.

Then there is his inability to deal with the endemic antisemitism crisis within the Labour party membership, where recent statistics showed that in a ten month period just over 600 complaints of antisemitism were passed to the Labour Party with somewhere around 70 odd complaints were deemed serious enough for members to be expelled. Well over 200 of the complaints were found to be not committed by Labour members and in excess of 200 complaints were not found to be antisemitic in nature. Out of 500k+ members 70 is of course too many but endemic? Its not. In fact spend enough time on social media and it’s clear that a lot of the claims of antisemitism do not stack up, but mud sticks.

Being Anti-zionist has been considered anti-Semitic as “zionism and being a Jew is the same thing, so being Anti Zionist is to be anti Jewish”. I’ve heard this on several occasions yet oddly Torah Jews are also Anti-zionist, they see being Jewish and a Zionist as separate things. Many consider zionism a political movement and not a religious one. Secular Jews will dispute this.

Yet in an odd tweet I saw today from a well known anti-corbyn Jewish man named David Collier he, despite being a previous proponent of the idea that being a Zionist and a Jew is the same thing, proceeded to explain in his own words that Zionists and Jews are actually different. In which case being anti-zionist could not possibly make you anti-Semitic for all the above mentioned reasons.

Jewish Anti Zionists and Jewish Zionists

Talking of the Israeli government can also get you labelled an anti-semite even though it’s repeatedly said that criticism of the Israeli government does not make you anti-Semitic. However, there is always a “but” as the following tweet shows.

Free to criticise Israel. Or are you?

I’m just trying to point out that many of the allegations are flawed and the endemic nature of antisemitism is over blown. Margaret Hodge a Labour MP even complained that the statistics on antisemitism within Labour (mentioned earlier) must have been wrong and she didn’t believe them because she alone had submitted 200 complaints. It was later revealed that of those 200, only 111 were shown to be unique individuals, most were not Labour members and the others didn’t amount to antisemitism.

Jeremy Corbyn and his Labour member and non member supporters can do no right at this point. It’s not even as if there has been a consistent call for antisemitism to be dealt with, it comes in waves. You can hear nothing for months and then it all starts up again at the velocity of a jumbo jet taking off. It’s almost like they don’t want him in charge of Labour. Corbyn has had a few TV Z-listers like Channel 4 TV show presenter Rachel Riley speaking out against him, despite in an interview claiming to not know much about the Palestine/Israel issues and not knowing much about Judaism either, but she learned of her Jewish roots so felt like she must become the defacto mouthpiece for the online attacks against Corbyn, she has become good friends with Tracey Ann Oberman a z-list actress on British TV who similarly attacks Corbyn on a regular basis. On top of that Corbyn has had the leader of Israel, Benjamin himself, speaking out against Corbyn.

Why is this happening if the majority of the issues can be disproved?

The left is under attack. There is a group within the Labour party called Labour Friends of Israel (FOI), they have been shown to have direct communications with officials from Israel yet they will say being Jewish does not mean that you are responsible for what Israel does. That doesn’t really wash when you have direct communications with officials from Israel who also slander Jeremy Corbyn and you’re within a political party within this group. It kind of does at least heavily link you to Israel and it’s government wether you like it or not. Does this mean they are in league with the Israeli authorities? No, but they could be being manipulated into doing things or believing things that they believe is true but vested interests can manipulate anyone so of course it’s possible if not likely.

Watch the documentary concerning the Israeli Lobby in the US

Watch the documentary concerning the Israeli Lobby in the UK

This is just one arm of the attack. It’s not to mention the bias media reporting where Jeremy came under attack in a national newspaper recently for… hang on.. are you sitting down? For none other than eating cold beans! I kid you not.

He has previously been attacked in the press for wearing the wrong type of coat in the vicinity of a wreath laying for remembrance day and in the previous year at the same venue was attacked for bowing to the memorial at the wrong angle!! I promise you.. this is not made up.

This accusation was headline news across much of the mainstream press

Hopefully I have made it clear the level of attack Corbyn is under and before now Bernie Sanders. Now we see, over in the US, three more politicians who are making waves yet also coming under attack. Alexandria Ocasio-cortez (Dem.) who is very much for the people and has talked with Jeremy Corbyn came under attack for daring to talk with him, Tulsi Gabbard (Dem.) who is very much anti neo-con/neo-lib and then there is the first female Muslim politician Ilhan Omar (Rep) who dared to speak out about Israeli lobbyists. She is now being labelled an anti-semite and a storm has well and truly brewed over that. Sound familiar?

The US elite do not want the left to get into power. They stopped Bernie and in his place they got Trump, stamping all over everything that was good. They really want a centrist in power. Even Trump in a recent speech warned of the ‘dangers of socialism’.

The World fears the left. They will stop at nothing to prevent a socialist taking control of the White House and they will stop at nothing to prevent Corbyn getting into power.

Is there a power struggle?

Yes

Is there a secret group of people doing all they can to stop a Labour government under Corbyn?

Yes

Is it the scary Jews?

No. Don’t be stupid. No one of any sound mind has any problem what so ever with the Jewish community.

Some of the people involved though may happen to be Jewish and that’s how they can manipulate the debate, by playing on the fears of other Jewish members of the community.

Some may not even be knowingly doing it at all, but some such as the likes of Gnasher Jew (Twitter account) and David Collier (believed by some to be one and the same) will try their hardest to lie and manipulate and turn everything into an antisemitism row because ultimately it is they who have the ulterior motives. If they really wanted to stop the arguments, they just need to engage with Jeremy Corbyn on a one to one. But that’s far too easy and there is no sign of that happening any time soon. They don’t want to because they don’t want someone in power who is sympathetic to the Palestinian cause.

Though it has to be said they are just taking advantage of the media and political onslaught facing Corbyn. It’s convenient.

If you’re an American socialist reading this, take this blog post as a cautionary tale. The closer the left gets to power, the harder it will be. You think you’re in a fight now? It’s barely begun.

From Catalonia to Athens, from London to Washington the left is being subjected to attacks and demonisation whilst the centre ground tries to take back control in the West and the right are on the rise from Italy to Germany, from Hungary to Ukraine, from Spain to Austria to Brazil. The warning signs are there.

Truth be told, those within the Jewish community complaining that the Labour left are against them will actually find that the left are their biggest allies when standing up to the right in the UK and across Europe.

There is a war happening and it’s being fought on multiple fronts, the left must stand strong and united, along with their Jewish friends and allies.

Fuck the Romans and Fuck Boris Johnson

I may have a slightly rose-tinted view of Celtic existence within Britannia but I don’t care. The simple tribal life sounds truly wonderful even if it meant deficating in the woods and fighting off disease at a far younger age than today. Who wouldn’t love to frolic amongst the trees and roll in meadows all day, sitting round campfires and singing songs of the flute without a care in the world, well, aside from the odd raid by a rival clan, but hopefully you get the point.

Stonehenge

That peaceful existence was torn to shreds by the persistent invasions by the Romans. Raping and pillaging as they went, enslaving many and taxing those that remained. A way of life, crushed by the ever expanding Roman empire. The prevailing Druid religion crushed by the Catholic foot soldiers of Rome. Our resources claimed as theirs and the Celtic people declared citizens of a foreign land far away.

Today, a popular refrain is “What did the Romans ever do for us” popularised by the comedy film Monty Python’s Life of Brian. The retort to that question then goes on to comically (but truthfully) list what they actually did for us. Aquaducts, Roads, Irrigation systems, bath houses and sewage systems, but what was wrong with crapping in the woods?! I’m not impressed though, what they replaced was barter systems and resource based economies for early stage capitalism. You work to earn money and you pay your taxes, sound familiar? Society is essentially captive to what began with the Roman empire. Fuck Rome. Give me my fields of wheat and not the ones that Theresa May frolicked through either.

But the story doesn’t end there of course. The same thing is happening across the globe again and again and this time it’s modern day Brits doing it along with our British empire also known as the USA. (Because we, along with other Europeans, sacked the American Indians and claimed their lands as our own).

Today of course the USA has independence but yet we will continue to do what Amercia does and right now it continues to dominate the globe. Just. One senses that the United States Empire is on the brink.

The impact that western intervention has had elsewhere in the world is stark (and I’m not even talking about the ‘old’ British Empire here) It has brought suffering to millions and has sought to control the resources and lands of these countries just like the Roman Empire did all those years ago across Europe only this time it is by stealth and deception.

How is this happening though?

Let’s take a quick look at Iraq as our starting point. We conducted an illegal war based on a now confirmed lie, we deposed and executed their leader Saddam Hussein and killed an estimated one million people in the process. Official figures put that figure at around 400 thousand, unofficial figures put it even higher at nearer 2 million but who’s really counting the dead bodies? In the place of Saddam we went from a stable region, although ruled with an iron fist, to an unstable region which assisted the rise of ISIS and years of violence and terrorist activity. Today the West has managed to install a western backed (approved) leader and Western energy companies are helping to rebuild Iraq by utilising the plentiful oil reserves. Isn’t that kind of them?

Then you have Afghanistan, through history the Russians failed to defeat them along with others who have also failed to defeat them including previously the British. We have even tried to change their education systems in an attempt to democratise the country with ‘Western values’ but failed and today we have the US and the British still trying, Installing another western approved leader but yet its become one of the longest wars in modern history with one of the highest death tolls for the UK military since the second world war and yet the Taliban are gaining ground and beating the West back again. We never learn it seems.

We have become involved in Syria to depose another leader, Assad, but we are failing miserably whilst civilians die in their thousands thanks to the West arming and funding so-called moderates who are using civilians as human shields against the state forces of Syria. These moderates were yesterday called terrorist Jihadis by the West. These jihadis are doing the bidding of the West. Tomorrow they will turn their weapons on us, but like all good invaders and just like the Romans we know how to turn one faction onto another to act as proxies for the bigger goal. Another Western approved leader.

Syria

We back Saudi Arabia in its peculiar war with Yemen. Saudi Arabia is bombing thousands of innocent civilians but it’s not to defeat the Yemeni government, far from it, it’s fighting Yemeni rebels who claim that their leader is the rightful ruler of Yemen but Saudi Arabia is fighting to ensure that another man is leader of Yemen. A western approved leader.

Destruction in Yemen

We deposed of Gadaffi in Libya where literacy and health levels were incredibly high and peace, for the most part, reigned. Yet since the West bombed his convoy and Gaddafi was executed there is now no stability and chaos reigns. Slavery is rife and Libya is a basket case. Boris Johnson the UK foreign secretary recently said that the UK could get on with rebuilding the country (presumably with UK contractors) when the “dead bodies had been cleared“. Spoken like a true invader. Like a true Roman Emperor. Like a true General of the British Empire. Fuck Boris Johnson too.

Gadaffi captured in Libya

Conservatives To Blame For Corbyn Assassination Attempt

Yesterday it transpired in court that Darren Osborne, the terrorist at the centre of the Finsbury Park Mosque terror attack where one person died and nine others were injured, had been planning to assassinate the Leader of the Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn prior to his attack on Finsbury Park Mosque.

As has been reported in many articles the Isllington Gazette wrote;

“Osborne told Woolwich Crown Court he initially planned to target Mr Corbyn at the Al-Quds march in Grosvenor Square, central London, on June 18.”

Darren Osborne, Finsbury Park Terrorist

The articles also go on to say that Osborne also hoped that Sadiq Khan would be present. Corbyn was allegedly supposed to be present but for reasons unknown he had not attended the event.

Lately we have heard in the media a barrage of allegations against the Labour Party of anti senitism, racism, bullying and sexism, the vast majority of which is provably hyperbole. In fact some complaints are against so-called Labour and Momentum supporters or members on social media yet incredibly it can rarely be shown that these people are either members of momentum of members of the Labour party any reasonable person should be able to agree that Labour can not be held responsible for the actions of random members of the public because the current leadership does not promote hate, in fact the Labour leadership is known for its anti racist and anti sexist positions. You may not agree with their policies but you can not accuse them of all the ‘ists’ without sounding ridiculous.

Yet despite all the rhetoric against the Labour Party we have had little, in comparison, media attention placed on the Conservatives. We’ve recently seen attacks against the LGBT community and attacks against the poor. MP Ben Bradley said in a blog post that the unemployed should have vasectomies and in another post said that police brutality should be encouraged referring to youths during the London riots. Here he is targeting individual sections of society, a highly divisive method of attack. The conservatives have a long history of ignoring the electorate of sections of it. Ben Bradley’s comment brings to mind a comment made by Conservative MP Tim Loughton also made during the London Riots where he said that he blamed families with children out of wedlock. He has also apologised for sexist remarks stating that a female families minister was not up to the job because she didn’t have children and also received a police harassment warning after he was accused of racism. The targeting of individual groups within society does always seem to come primarily from conservative MP’s.

With yesterday’s revelation over the assassination attempt against Corbyn and the terrorists wish that Sadiq Khan would also become a target it brings into sharp focus the affect of Conservative rhetoric fuelling far right extremism within the UK.

It won’t escape many people’s attention that Jo Cox, Labour MP was assassinated by a far right supporter.

How though can this all be levelled at the Conservatives? No doubt the absolute blame lies with the people carrying out the acts of terrorism but consider the following;

For well over a year now Jeremy Corbyn and indeed his supporters have been repeatedly labelled as “terrorist supporters” and “terrorist sympathisers” by none other than the Leader of the Conservatives, Theresa May and David Cameron before her, as well as many other Tory MP’s along with well known journalists such as Isabel Oakeshott of the Daily Mail. This is in response to subjects such as Northern Ireland and the Middle East with groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah.

Right wing supporters that are vehemently opposed to immigration, refugees and indeed single groups such as Muslims due due to the rise in Islamic extremism within the UK will see these kinds of comments like a red rag to a bull and indeed in one single act Darren Osborne killed one Muslim and wanted to kill a political leader who is supportive of the Islamic community. Exactly the same scenario was born out with the Murder of Jo Cox.

The Conservatives also constantly go on about Jeremy Corbyn wanting an “open border” and “open door” policy for immigration, increasing the desperation amongst the right wing, although Corbyn has himself stated he wants a “fair” immigration policy, he does not state he wishes to have uncontrolled borders as the phrase ‘open door’ policy implies. It’s this Tory rhetoric that has fuelled the hate and desperation amongst the right.

Indeed shortly after the vote to leave the EU in the EU referendum a Polish man was killed by a 15 year old. Some say it was because of Brexit, some say it wasn’t but even this article by the spectator who supports the idea that it was not Brexit related agrees it had a racist element to it, d the fact remains it was post Brexit. Make up your own mind. Certainly the vote seemed to embolden the right wing and racists across the country with a huge spike in reports of racism. Another popular right wing newspaper refutes this as well.

The Conservatives may not be directly responsible for the attacks all mentioned above but when you peddle anti immigrant rhetoric, when you accuse the left of being terrorist supporters there can only be one reaction and as we know, for every action there is a reaction. Maybe now the Conservatives will reconsider their use of inflammatory language that emboldens far right terrorism and racists within our borders and within our communities. The left in the UK, for all the rhetoric against them have not murdered or attempted to murder anyone in the name of their policies and beliefs bringing info question; who are the real terrorist sympathisers?

Hollywood Bandwagon Heading Wrong Way

Natalie Portman today has come out to declare she has been the victim of sexualised terrorism. Get a grip Natalie, you’ve been the victim of the industry that made you and you’re doing nothing to address it.

You know it’s all getting a bit pointless when the obvious elephant in the room is the entertainment industry itself.

For years we have all known it thrives on sex and the idea that sex sells. People will mock when you say that media in whatever form influences society, well I would argue that society has reflected the media for far too long. You can’t have a sexualised media industry and expect there not to be repercussions.

I would say that these stars need to stop spouting this to the world and instead do something for itself and themselves. Go on strike. Stop your work. Bring the industry to it’s knees until every media origanisation declares to change its practices and work to protect women from the ‘sex industry’ that it actually is.

From Disney and it’s young girls who nearly always go on to parade half naked as young pop stars, inevitably resulting in the media then turning on them as little ‘slappers’, to the music industry and it’s complicitness in selling music that revels in the idea of women being sex objects, to the film industry that has women like Natalie Portman portraying an overly sexualised young girl in the film Leon.. that role was highly suggestive at times.

Every day that these stars just bleat about things and don’t actually take action is another day wasted.

I’m all for free artistic licence but it must be to the backdrop of an industry that is hardened against treating women in the way they have for too long, the film classification board need to take a look at itself and the music industry doesn’t even have any restrictions, happy to bleep out words like ‘fuck’ at 10am on a Saturday morning but never mind the scantily clad ladies strutting their stuff in the same song whilst gyrating their lady bits all over the screen…all for our children to adore. Nice.

Poppies, Chinks & Myanmar Bengalis

The poppy, to remember Armistice day, is not for me. I don’t wear one and I won’t buy one either. There are a multitude of reasons which I shall explain here and I hope that anyone trying to understand why someone won’t wear one will leave this post a little more understanding of the reasons. 

I do remember the war dead, I just don’t need a poppy to do that. Not wearing one is no indication of how much I remember the sacrifice that many men and women from across the world lay down their lives to protect against foreign invaders. It’s also no indication of how much I remember the hundreds of thousands if not millions of lives that were torn apart by forced conscription at the threat of imprisonment or death, forced to choose between death at the hands of the enemy of death at the hands of their own country such was the fate of many conscientious objectors.

The poppy by and large does symbolise remembrance, I am certainly not of the opinion that it somehow represents the glorification of war. The red poppy has as much place on someone’s lapel as the white poppy, the purple poppy and indeed the black poppy, as a symbol of remembrance they hold their own. 

The issue with the poppy though starts on our TV screens, moves to our politicians and finishes with our current foreign policy as a nation, not to mention the Chinks. (Trust me, you’ll want to hear about the Chinks).

‘Real world virtue signalling ‘

Every year we see every TV presenter on every channel sporting the poppy, we’re reminded about the poppy at every turn and if they don’t wear one, like Jon Snow of Channel 4 news fame, they can expect to be lambasted in the media and castigated for their apparent disrespect, like you couldn’t possibly remember the war dead without one. Who exactly made the connection between not wearing a poppy and disrespecting the war dead? As such the societal pressure to buy one is great, lest people look upon you as an enemy of the state. No, I will not be brow beaten into wearing one just so I can be like everyone else as a fake sign of my respect for those war dead. It’s like the real world’s equivalent of virtue signalling. I realise this isn’t the case with all wearers of the poppy but I have no doubt that far too many people wear it to show how much they are really respecting the war dead. 

‘Soldiers families should be angry’

So how do I remember the war dead? I remember them with that grey thing between my ears and like God knows I’m doing my best every day of the year without shouting it from the rooftops, the war dead will know I think of them more often than people will give the likes of me credit for. I’m not religious, but I hope you’ll understand the analogy. 

In fact I’ll tend to remember the war dead throughout the year at various times, I’m reminded of the war dead every time I see our troops sent to their possible deaths in needless wars around the world, in some ways our modern armed forces have it worse, not because of what they are facing on the ground, not in the slightest, but at least when fighting the Nazi’s there was a real cause but when fighting in places such as Afghanistan or Syria, the troops are not fighting for freedom or to protect civilians, at least not in the round, but instead fighting for resources or to topple leaders, always without any real justification. 

It’s these deaths that are needless, the families should be angry. In the recent Afghanistan conflict (which still runs to this day) the UK lost more servicemen than at any time since the second world war, in any single conflict, fast forward and nothing has changed, the Taliban are returning. Nothing achieved, nothing gained and no desire to ‘finish the job’ and fix the problems because these decades old issues can’t be fixed. They have tried and tried again throughout history but as usual the soldiers’ pay masters keep repeating the same mistakes. Yet more cannon fodder for the masters own gains. This is when my memories turn to the war dead.

This then leads me nicely to our politicians, I don’t need to say much more than what’s been said in the last few paragraphs but just to add that it shouldn’t be our politicians placing the wreaths at the cenotaphs, it should be the last remaining war heroes or a relative of a great war hero, not the military top brass either, but the cannon fodder themselves. They are the ones doing the dirty work and putting their lives on the line, let them have the honour of representing our country. At least this way there can be few accusations of the poppy being politicised.

Hypocritical Politicians 

It always baffles me how the prime minister whoever it is can be the figurehead of the main ceremony every November, laying the wreath in memory of the war heroes and the very next day signing arms deals with some of the most terrible regimes around the globe including Saudi Arabia, using weapons and equipment to commit war crimes in places such as Yemen. 

Remember the war dead so that it may never happen again, but don’t worry about the consequences of your profiteering when it comes to foreign regimes inflicting terror and destruction on foreign nations. Perhaps though we shouldn’t be surprised at our disregard for foreigners. 

Chinks and Myanmar Bengalies 

How many memorials exist to the Chinese Labour Core who sacrificed over 100,000 lives here in the UK and just behind the front line during the war? Contracted to pick up the slack here on the promise of being well away from falling bombs only to find themselves almost in the direct firing line of the enemy? Zero. Not one. There are hundreds of memorials for many nations and many different military core that assisted during the Great War. Not one for the Chinese. Even erased from a great artistic painting commissioned in France to commemorate the Allied victory to make way for the relative new comers to the war, the United States as shown by a recent Channel 4 documentary. Decades later we may now be about to recognise the Chinese through a new memorial. I learned that the Chinese workers were treated like dogs, second rate citizens with no right or way to speak out about their contract breaches. One Chinese worker was shot in the street for daring to refuse to work clearing up dead bodies after the war had ended, his fate only recorded because a Canadian worker was shot and killed accidently in the process. We have a history of not caring about foreigners and with recent events can we be surprised that the self defined superiority of our nationalists is rearing it’s ugly head again. It’s no wonder that we can get away with selling arms to foreign nations for profit to stand by idly as they bomb other ‘inconsequential’ foreigners. A little known book was written at the time about the contribution the Chinese made to the war effort called ‘With the Chinks’ written by Daryl Klein, 2nd Lieutenant of the Chinese Labour Core, the title of the book giving you an idea of what the general populous thought of the foreigners that came to help us. Perhaps a relative of a worker of the Labour Core should be leading the Armistice day wreath laying. 

As if that historic example wasn’t enough to let you know what we often think of foreigners, how about today the announcement of Theresa May and her Conservative government that the Treatment of the Rohingya Muslim population in Myanmar, Burma is Ethnic Cleansing and not as many think, Genocide. Genocide would mean that governments across the world would be forced to act under international law. Here then a chance to show our armed forces being used for good, at least in a humanitarian way by providing much needed assistance but no, governments including our own are referring to the issues there as Ethnic Cleansing meaning action will be slower and sometimes non existent. We have learned little since the Rwanda genocide. These though are also ‘inconsequential foreigners’ and it would be fitting to find a book in the not too distant future entitled ‘With the Myanmar Bengalis’ instead of ‘With the Rohingya Muslims’, ‘Myanmar Bengalis’ being the dismissive and derogatory term that the Burmese Military refer to their Muslim victims. 

Now you know why I don’t virtue signal on Armistice day, my thoughts go deeper than one day in November. 

Flu Vaccine for kids? No thanks

Flu has been around for how long now? Decades? Centuries? Since the dawn of time? The last time I looked humanity was never under threat from Flu, well, apart from the Spanish Flu perhaps but I couldn’t even tell you how bad or not that really was in the grand scheme of things, I just know that it was bad, was it even ‘normal’ Flu?

Anyway, I had a letter home from my youngest sons school today asking parents to volunteer their children for the Flu vaccine. It’s voluntary and as such he won’t be having one. My middle child was offered one previously and the youngest was offered one last year as well and each time I refused and on each occasion neither child got the flu and both are a picture of health. My eldest child who hasn’t ever even been offered one has also never got the flu and he too is healthy.

I know some kids clearly get the flu otherwise it wouldnt be being offered but I’m yet to meet a child who has.

Some parents will no doubt say it’s free, harmless and protects against a nasty illness. Sure, but let’s put this into some kind of perspective, unless your child has a precondition that makes them susceptible to respitory problems perhaps like the elderly are at risk for similar reasons, then there is little risk to life, if any. Even less so for the young. Beyond those issues, it amounts to just a very unpleasant cold-like illness.

For the privilege of having this vaccine just take a look at what the blurb says in the document provided by the NHS via the school about this Flu vaccine.

It outlines the symptoms of flu and barring a few rare serious symptoms it is described as you would expect a cold to be described, so hardly much more serious than a common cold.

It then goes on to describe what the vaccine is and it says it offers protection against four strains of flu that they anticipate to be prevalent this winter. So what happens if your child gets a strain that’s not one of the four strains?

Of course the vaccines side effects will still give your child cold symptoms so your child will still be at least somewhat ill.

The letter then outlines the benefits using the words;

“It can reduce the circulation of flu”.

So no certainty then?

Then it states who will be giving the vaccine and it describes;

“a team of healthcare workers led by a trained nurse….when your child comes into contact with the flu virus they will be less likely to become ill”.

Just less likely? I thought this was meant to be a vaccine?

It states possible side effects including mostly cold symptoms but it starts with;

“Serious side effects are uncommon..”

Yet in a previous paragraph it states;

“Yes..”

to the question ‘Is it safe?’

If it’s safe how can “serious side effects” be considered “safe”?

The choice is of course yours but for me, three children with a combined 30 years haven’t had one case of flu and at 38 years of age I don’t believe I’ve ever had a serious case of the flu, so why would I stick a vaccine in my six year olds body when actually the chances are he will be better off without it.

As a side note I wonder how much this is costing the cash strapped NHS anyway and is the benefit even worth the cost? Shouldn’t it really be offered to children with registered respiratory issues and not everyone?

Roy Hodgson at Selhurst Park

As a Brighton and Hove Albion Fan this tweet really tickled me. 

Roy Hodgson arriving at the Crystal Palace training ground and seeing Frank de Boer on his way out… https://t.co/nEAjjOy4HC #CPFC

— Sporting Index (@sportingindex) September 11, 2017

Jeremy Corbyn Brighton visit is history in the making

The Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn visited the Brighton Centre on Friday morning to speak at a UNISON conference but it’s what happened afterwards that made the headlines and although subtle, it was arguably a piece of history in the making.

Jeremy Corbyn speaking on Brighton seafront

Jeremy Corbyn had just days ago lost a general election to the Conservatives. In any other year the leader of the losing party would have resigned and most likely be forgotten, but this is no ordinary year and this is no ordinary leader of a party.

Theresa May called a highly unexpected snap general election. She had a comfortable majority and was heading into a two year negotiation to exit the European Union. The election was designed to increase her majority and many people, including Theresa May herself, expected the tories to annihilate the supposedly chaotic and desperate Labour Party, believing an election would increase her majority into the hundreds rather than the meagre 12 seat majority she currently held.

Supporters wait outside the Brighton Centre

As it turned out she lost her majority and it resulted in a hung parliament. Labour increased their share of parliamentary seats and their vote share also increased dramatically, all this despite it being a snap election giving Labour little time to prepare.

The result was even more shocking as Labour and Jeremy Corbyn had been on the receiving end of a two year media onslaught and Jeremy Corbyn himself had a faced a coup by over 180 of his MP’s. This was not supposed to happen.

Crowds mob Corbyn’s car in West Street, Brighton

Jeremy Corbyn remains as Labour leader today because of how well he did in the face of such skullduggery, synasism, traitorous and treacherous behaviour by those close to him and those in the media and opposition. He has survived because he is popular and the latest polls back this up. He went from being minus points in terms of polling popularity at the announcement of the snap election to being the most favoured leader in polling today. That doesn’t happen by accident.

So, you know all this by now, but it set the scene for fridays Brighton visit. Post election period you might expect a few lone souls to seek out a losing party leader but what happened here was ground breaking.

By 11.45am well-over 300 people had gathered outside the Brighton Centre on Brighton seafront to greet Jeremy Corbyn. This wasn’t a planned rally, he was there for a conference but true to himself Jeremy would not be going anywhere without addressing the crowd.

(Video below: Corbyn describes Grenfell Tower as ‘Tower of Poverty’ )

The crowd had been building from 10am and by 11.45 the modest size walkway had been swamped. People were climbing industrial bins and side railings just to get a glimpse of this honest and genuine politician. A rare breed indeed. Even firefighters in two local fire engines had turned up, flanking the crowd.

One of two fire engines flanking the crowd as they arrive to hear Corbyn speak

As Jeremy got well into his stride speaking to the crowd the fire fighters left, sounding their horns as they went to the cheers of the people.

The crowd listened, applauded, whooped and sang “ooh Jeremy Corbyn” as is now the popular refrain everywhere he goes.

Brighton seafront blocked due to size of crowd

You got a sense that the momentum has not shifted away, the desire to see Corbyn as Prime Minister is as strong as it has ever been and the will of those who see his vision is only growing stronger.

Above all, this visit, this crowd, under all the circumstances that would have finished anyone else, is proof that this was no flash in the pan, no calm before the storm, this is proof that the belief in Jeremy Corbyn’s policies and the man himself is real and the true battle to be leading the country has only just begun.

Corbyn is surrounded by vast crowd

What’s more, Jeremy unlike other politicians, will carry the people with him wherever he goes, connecting and understanding like no other. It’s this bond he has with other people, humanity if you will, that will ensure he remains impervious to the right wing media lies and spin because you can’t trump authenticity. When you’re true to yourself, nothing can harm you.

One supporter makes it all clear

Disclaimer: Not all photos have been taken by this blog. If you desire any photos to be removed please contact me.

Theresa May asked 5 times to condemn Saudi Arabia

(Originally posted on my old blog at the link. The full text though can be found below the link. https://ukileft.wordpress.com/2017/05/22/theresa-may-asked-5-times-to-condemn-saudi-arabia/?preview=true )

Theresa May was in fact asked just once. She wasn’t even asked to condemn Saudi Arabia, just instead asked a generic question on why we supply arms to them. The first answer she gave was accepted. (You can read of one of her recent responses to the question of Saudi Arabia here)

Contrast this to Jeremy Corbyn who on Sunday was asked to condemn the IRA on the Sophie Ridge show on Sky News. He was asked 5 times to condemn the IRA. The answer he gave was a cerebral, intelligent one but the likely highly paid journalist couldn’t seem to grasp the answer, instead looking for a headline to give credence to her Sunday morning TV slot and sure enough it became headline news across all the major news networks and on anticipation will have likely made the front pages of some if not all of the right wing print media today.

If you’re for Jeremy Corbyn you may wish to share this with anyone asking the question “Why does Jeremy Corbyn support the IRA?” If you’re against Jeremy Corbyn you may wish to read what follows to get a better understanding of his stance before you go believing everything you read and hear.

Jeremy Corbyn’s response to the question “Do you condemn the IRA?” was thus;

“I condemn the bombings” and when pushed again and again went on to say ‘I condemn all bombings and violence’

The very fact that his answer was not accepted five times was for the simple reason that Sophie Ridge wanted to hear Corbyn say ‘I condemn the IRA’ no matter the nuanced point he was making because asking the same emotive question again and again without getting the response you want makes a good headline.

The question some will have is ‘why doesn’t Jeremy just condemn the IRA?’

Here’s the thing. You can absolutely, quite legitimately hate what the IRA did and how they conducted their campaign but their claim for a unified Ireland was a justified one and they represented whole communities within Ireland. To condemn the IRA as an entity implies you are for the loyalists in Northern Ireland and you would be picking a side.

He unequivocally condemned the bombings, he does not support war and violence and did not support the IRA’s use of those tactics. It is this kind of understanding about grievances that makes the likes of Jeremy Corbyn incredibly suitable for leading the UK in international affairs. If anything it is the attitude of the UK at the time that helped prolong the violence on our shores. Our inability to listen to the other side for many years led to the deaths of countless people. Indeed, only the IRA can be blamed for the deaths of innocent people but when you’re trying to find a solution to conflict you must be willing to engage with the other side on a certain level. That is strong leadership rather than a reactionary one which seems to be always be courted by Conservative governments.

It’s also worth remembering the atrocities committed by the British Army and the treatment of the Irish in a time when they were seen as lesser people than in Northern Ireland.

The IRA were supported in Ireland for their cause of unifying Ireland away from the UK, it was a legitimate claim and still is. No less than Scotland asking for independence. These are all the reasons Corbyn won’t outright condemn the IRA but will condemn their tactics. To condemn the IRA might be seen to condone the loyalists and condemning or condoning either side may have been, or may be, a dangerous stance to take.

It needs to be asked why Theresa May and the Conservatives don’t get a hard time over Saudi Arabia. The troubles in Ireland ended quite some years ago now yet Saudi Arabia is in the here-and-now.

Saudi Arabia bombs, often indiscriminately, children and adults in Yemen in a war that once again is a war over regime change, one that is backed by the West. Saudi Arabia have used old banned bombs supplied by the UK, they have bombed civilian water supplies and then when the rebels in Yemen respond by taking pot shots at Saudi Arabia the UK respond officially by stating that Saudi Arabia “has a right to defend itself” in response to Saudi Arabia throwing all its UK and American weaponary at the rebels in response. Add to this that Saudi Arabia is well known for being an epicentre of Middle Eastern terrorism and has a terrible human rights record and you have to begin to think that by comparison the IRA were lightweights. How can you argue any different?

Of course the response will be that Saudi Arabia isn’t bombing mainland UK. Of course, but what that says is that you’re ok with our hand in what Saudi Arabia is doing as we sell them multi million pound contracts in arms in exchange for alleged security information. You can not possibly condemn Jeremy Corbyn for taking a neutral stance on one issue and yet not condemn Theresa May for taking a biased corrupt stance towards the corrupt and human rights breaching Saudi Arabia. It’s two faced and a blot on the reputation of our nation and it’s a scandal.

It seems Thersea May can’t see the irony of talking of humanitarian aid when the weapons that the UK sells to Saudi Arabia are the cause of the need to supply humanitarian aid in the first place.

‘Asked about alleged human rights abuses by the country, Mrs May said it was an issue she would bring up and pledged Britain would continue supporting the people of Yemen through humanitarian aid.’

Source – ITV

Yet the media seem to by-pass this issue. It’s a conundrum of epic proportions.

You have to remember also that the centre ground Tony Blair government and the right wing Conservative governments have all had similar international policies when it comes to conflict and especially the Middle East. There is no question that the fall of Saddam Hussein led to the destabilisation of the entire Middle East and is still felt today in Syria and with ISIS. The very fact we have Extreme Islamic terrorists within Europe can be traced back to successive foreign policies that interfere with the delicate balance that is within the Middle East.

So instead of asking why Jeremy Corbyn doesn’t condemn the IRA why aren’t you asking Theresa May why she doesn’t condemn Saudi Arabia and instead of insisting that Jeremy Corbyn is not strong on defence why aren’t you asking Thersea May why she insists on conducting a foreign policy that proliferates international terrorism, the very same terrorism that affect us today, not 20-30 years ago.