Despite a concerted smear campaign in the right-wing press, pro-Israeli Tory MP Andrew Percy reckons Labour MP Naz Shah is not antisemitic:
Not only is there no basis in facts to support the idea that there is some kind of institutionalised anti-Jewish sentiment in the Labour party, but Labour has historically been more ‘Jewish’ than the Tories.
By my count, since 1900 there have been at least 43 Jewish Labour MPs compared to 35 in the Tory Party (see list below).
And the Tory Party itself has had its own shameful and long history of antisemitism.
In 1902 two Conservative MPs, Major Sir William Evans-Gordan and Howard Vincent organised the British Brothers League, which campaigned against Jewish immigrants.
In 1939, a Scottish Tory MP Archibald Maule Ramsay formed the ‘Right Club‘ which campaigned to ‘oppose and expose the activities of organised Jewry’ and whose official slogan was “Perish Judah“.
And just last year a Tory candidate was suspended from the party after saying she would never support “The Jew” Ed Miliband.
This all of course not to mention the severe antisemitism of Tory peers such as the Daily Mail’s Lord Rothermere. Here he is with a good friend of his:
And the Daily Mail has the gall to criticise anti-semitism in Labour – despite the fact it has never apologised for its own:
It’s time the Daily Mail apologised for supporting Hitler and its antisemitic past
Another example of yet more shameless hypocrisy from the British establishment.
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LABOUR JEWISH MPs SINCE 1900:
1. Manny Shinwell, Baron Shinwell (1884–1986) (1922) Labour cabinet minister and Chairman
2. Leslie Haden-Guest, Labour MP
3. Harry Louis Nathan, 1st Baron Nathan of Churt (1929) Liberal, later Labour MP
4. Barnett Janner (1931), Labour MP
5. Sydney Silverman (1935), Labour MP 1935
6. Lewis Silkin, 1st Baron Silkin (1936), Labour cabinet minister
7. Herschel Lewis Austin (1911-1974) (1945), Labour MP, Stretford and Urmston, Manchester
8. John Diamond, Baron Diamond (1945), Labour cabinet minister and SDP
9. Maurice Edelman (1911–1975) (1945) Labour MP
10. Harold Lever, Baron Lever of Manchester (1914–1995) (1945) Labour MP
11. Ian Mikardo (1908–1993) (1945) Labour MP
12. Samuel Segal (1945), Labour MP and later Deputy Speaker of the House of Lords
13. Leslie Lever, Baron Lever, Labour (1950)
14. Leo Abse (1958) Labour MP and social reformer
15. Myer Galpern (1959) Deputy Chairman of Ways and Means
16. John Silkin (1963), Labour cabinet minister
17. Joel Barnett (1964), Labour cabinet minister and life peer
18. Edmund Dell (1964),[43] Labour cabinet minister
19. Reginald Freeson (1964), Labour minister
20. Robert Maxwell (1964), Labour MP for Buckingham
21. Samuel Silkin, Labour cabinet minister and life peer (1964)
22. Paul Rose 1964-79 Labour MP
23. Eric Moonman (1966), Labour MP
24. Greville Janner (1970) Labour MP, now life peer
25. Sir Gerald Kaufman (1970) Labour minister
26. Neville Sandelson, Labour and SDP (1971)
27. David Weitzman, Labour MP
28. Millie Miller (1974-1977) Labour MP
29. Alf Dubs (1979-1987) Labour MP and life peer
30. David Winnick (1979-present), Labour MP for Walsall North
31. Harry Cohen (1983-2010)] Labour MP for Leyton and Wandstead
32. Robert Sheldon (1964-2001), Labour MP for Ashton-under-Lyne
33. Barbara Roche (1992-2005) Labour minister
34. Margaret Hodge (1994-present) Labour Minister of State
35. Louise Ellman (1997-present) Labour MP
36. Fabian Hamilton (1997-present) Labour MP
37. Oona King (1997-2005),[68] Labour MP (1997–2005) (Jewish mother)
38. Ivan Lewis (1997-present) Labour Minister of State for Health
39. Gillian Merron (1997-2010) Foreign Office Minister
40. David Miliband (2001-2013), Shadow Secretary of State
41. Ed Miliband (2005-present), Leader of the Labour Party (2010-2015)
42. Luciana Berger (2010-present) Labour MP for Liverpool Wavertree
43. Ruth Smeeth (2015-present), Labour MP for Stoke-on-Trent North
TORY JEWISH MPs SINCE 1900:
1. Alfred Mond, 1st Baron Melchett, (1906) Liberal later Conservative MP
2. Frank Goldsmith, Conservative M.P. for Stowmarket (1910)
3. Arthur Samuel, Conservative M.P. (1918)
4. Dudley Joel (1931), Conservative MP
5. Sir Gerald Nabarro (1950), Conservative MP
6. Sir Henry d’Avigdor-Goldsmid (1955) Conservative MP
7. Keith Joseph, Conservative cabinet minister and life peer (1956)
8. Sir Philip Goodhart (1957) Conservative MP and minister
9. Robert Adley [35] (1970), Conservative MP
10. James d’Avigdor-Goldsmid (1970), Conservative MP
11. Sally Oppenheim-Barnes (1970), Conservative MP
12. Michael Fidler,[48] Conservative MP
13. Toby Jessel[50] (1970), Conservative MP
14. Sir Anthony Meyer (1970), Conservative MP, leadership candidate
15. Leon Brittan, Baron Brittan of Spennithorne (1974) Conservative cabinet minister
16. Ivan Lawrence (1974), Conservative MP
17. Nigel Lawson, Baron Lawson of Blaby (1974-1992), Conservative Chancellor
18. Sir Malcolm Rifkind (1974-2015), Conservative Secretary of State
19. Edwina Currie (1983-1997), Conservative minister
20. Michael Howard (1983-2010), Conservative cabinet minister
21. Phillip Oppenheim (1983-1997), Conservative MP for Amber Valley
22. David Sumberg (1983–1997), Conservative MP for Bury South
23. Michael Fabricant (1992-present), Conservative MP
24. John Bercow (1997-present), Conservative MP, Speaker of House of Commons
25. Oliver Letwin (1997-present), Conservative shadow cabinet member
26. Julian Lewis (1997-present), Conservative MP
27. Jonathan Djanogly (2001-present), Conservative MP for Huntingdon
28. Lee Scott (2005-2015), Conservative MP
29. Grant Shapps (2005-present), Conservative MP for Welwyn Hatfield
30. Brooks Newmark (2005-2015), Conservative MP for Braintree
31. Michael Ellis (2010-present), Conservative MP for Northampton North
32. Robert Halfon (2010-present), Conservative MP for Harlow
33. Zac Goldsmith (2010-present), Conservative MP for Richmond
34. Lucy Frazer (2015-present), Conservative MP for South East Cambridgeshire
35. Dominic Raab (2010-present), Conservative MP for Esher and Walton
Pride's Purge 
Checked out how much influence US has over Israel. Was surprised to find it is the other way around. This changed my perceived view.
However, I believe the world needs mixing up – no race – no religion.
A difficult period of history to live through – while the human race grows up.
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Reblogged this on sdbast.
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Whilst I agree with the general distaste for opportunistic moral high ground taking, I’m rather disappointed to see you reduce this to a head count of Jews in each party. A difference of 8 over 116 years seems hardly significant, for a start, but perhaps more worrying is the line of thinking that took you there. Would you defend anyone who pointed to the number of black people in an organisation as evidence of non-racism?
I am also concerned about how you came to identify Jewish MPs – is there some kind of record of Jews? If so, it would seem to be incomplete. You omitted Ian Austin, for example, who recently said ” What a mess. Aged 16, I joined the Labour Party to fight racism. I would never have thought we’d have ended up here.”
Are you uninterested in what members of the Labour party are saying about antisemitism within its ranks?
Lord Levy has suggested he might leave the party if the issue is not resolved;
Louise Ellman has said “I am very concerned about anti-Semitism in the Labour Party.”;
David Abrahams has said “I have been appalled by the growth of anti-Semitism in the party.”;
Oxford Labour Club co-chairman Alex Chalmers said many members had “some kind of problem with Jews”;
Chris Bryant has warned of the dangers to the party of antisemitism within it.
All in all, a rather disappointing article that fudges the issue instead of robustly addressing it.
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I’m not sure antisemitism is the right word. People are easily misinformed, politicians in particular are frequently called upon to give their opinions on subjects about which they know virtually nothing, Israel is one of these subjects, and on those occasions they reach for the first sound bite they remember. There is a huge amount of misinformation about Israel, which is not surprising. It was created in a war by Britain drawing a line on a map of territory we controlled, arbitrarily calling perhaps 80% Jordan and 20% Israel and expecting everyone to just accept that situation. Since then there have been at least three wars (1948, 1967 and 1973) and continuous hostility over 70 years. The wars alone involved dozens of countries, directly and indirectly, and every politician is expected to have an opinion, usually ill informed.
As an example of the information, in my opinion misinformation, available, there is a vociferous and effective anti Israel BDS movement, on their website https://bdsmovement.net/bdsintro they talk about “three broad sections of the Palestinian people: the refugees, those under military occupation in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and Palestinians in Israel”. All three are at the very least open to dispute.
Israel withdrew all presence from Gaza in 2005, I believe they forcibly removed some Israelis, there is not a single Israeli in Gaza, it’s not occupied by Israel, militarily or in any other way.
The division of the West Bank was agreed in the Oslo accords, signed by Yasser Arafat for the Palestinians and Yitzhak Rabin for Israel. It’s a mess, look at the map and see if it makes sense to you (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:West_Bank_%26_Gaza_Map_2007_(Settlements).png). Actually on this map it looks like the majority is under Palestinian Authority control. It was only supposed to be a short term solution, to call it a military occupation is certainly one interpretation (obviously, the BDS movement interpret it that way), but by no means the only one.
The vast majority of the 8-10 million Palestinian refugees are in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, the West Bank and strangely Gaza. After 70 years why are these people still classed as refugees, especially in Gaza, essentially a Palestinian land with an independent Palestinian government. Egypt also has Palestinians but doesn’t even recognise them as refugees. That these people’s ancestors, and a few who may still be surviving, became refugees in the first place is certainly an issue, perhaps even an issue that Israel could address, that they are still refugees after three generations is an issue for their host countries, we would not expect the grandchildren of Syrian refugees now entering this country not to have British citizenship if they end up staying, we would not even expect the people themselves not to be able to claim British citizenship in due course. A mere forty years on where are the 27,000 Ugandan Asian refugees who came here in the 70’s, my guess is still here as British citizens, along with their children and grandchildren.
Try to find references to Palestinians living in Israel. There are Arabs living in Israel, over one and a half million in a country of only eight and a half million, but I don’t think even they refer to themselves as Palestinians. They are descendants of the people who chose not to flee in the 1948 war and are Israeli citizens just as much as anyone else. Interestingly they are mostly Muslim, Israel, the Jewish State, is over 15% Muslim, a proportion three times higher than here.
Given the sheer volume of information and misinformation there is it is hardly surprising that people get things wrong, especially when they don’t trouble to get themselves fully informed.
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We are seeing yet another front being opened in the desperate fight by undemocratic elements in UK society to stop the Corbyn-ite movement from gaining traction, never mind power.
We’ve even had Mr Mann MP raising a holy stink about a fast food company being refused access to the Labour Party Conference. He completely ignored the core issue of the why access had been refused.
And so to this charge of anti-semitism.
As the founding principles of Socialism, the Kibbutzim and human rights enshrined in the early days of the state of israel have been undermined by Zionist thuggery, and the so called Orthodox movements, so has the Left in British politics identified with those residents of israel, and the occupied lands of Palestine who are crying out for support.
In response, the Zionists in Israel, and in UK, have re-classified anti-semitism as any critique of the oppressive, nuclear bomb possessing, administration now in power in Israel. NOT anti-Jew-ish, but anti-fascist, and anti imperialist.
Don’t forget that the right wing parties in power, and the power brokers in the Israeli military, have their roots and origins in the Irgun Zvei, and the Stern gang.
Groups whose links with Axis forces have yet to be fully explained.
People who worked hand in glove with the Apartheid regime in South Africa to manufacture all manner of armaments, including their massive stockpile of nuclear weapons.
Politicians who have imposed what some claim to be a de facto – and possibly a de jure, Apartheid system in that once proud Homeland.
The time of Struggle is here, and with a most unexpected opponent given the Left’s huge support [before, during, and immediately after] the founding of the state of Israel
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http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3563223/Ken-Livingstone-claims-Hitler-supported-Zionism-supported-moving-Jews-Israel-went-mad-ended-killing-six-million-Jews.html
DAILY MAIL…
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http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/politics/7111787/Jeremy-Corbyn-team-accused-of-toning-down-Naz-Shah-Jewish-apology.html
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Why not give ISIS the state of Israel as a homeland and solve the problem once and for all?
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Reblogged this on MAL's MURMURINGS.
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One really knows where these pernicious and spurious claims of antisemitism are being manufactured when Zionists resort to posting articles from the once Fascist supporting, Lord Rothermere owned Mail, and the wretched Hillsborough lie mongering Sun.
Q E D
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Perhaps aaagreenman would like to comment on this article from the Guardian, if the Mail and Sun are beneath his contempt.
I imagine it was Zionists that made Ken Livingstone say that Hitler was a Zionist, because, you know, he can’t possibly be antisemitic. Labour is against racism, for goodness sake. And that is why one of the comments above has suggested the obliteration of Israel and the death of its Jewish inhabitants…
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http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/apr/28/antisemitism-rocked-labour-self-belief?CMP=fb_cif
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http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/apr/28/antisemitism-rocked-labour-self-belief?utm_source=esp&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=GU+Today+main+NEW+H+categories&utm_term=169577&subid=8440029&CMP=EMCNEWEML6619I2
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@ Jeremy Wheelers :April 28, 2016 at 8:38 pm
”And that is why one of the comments above has suggested the obliteration of Israel and the death of its Jewish inhabitants…”
—–
And which comment uses those words and has survived the Mods’ axe, please?
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@ bobchewie and J Wheeler
Yes, I had already read those articles, and noted the list of members of the PLP yet again calling for the return of the days of Camelot under King Anthony/Arthur/Tony. And if that meant expelling, not suspending, these Socialist upstarts, burning the round table and filling in the moat that divided the people’s party from the level ground of Free Enterprize and neoliberalizm, then so be it.
What I do find ‘odd’ is that both the @ contributors rely on other people to make their point for them, and neither actually place on record the words spoken by Mr K L.
So please do so, rather that entering a discussion about someone else’s OPINION of what they claim Mr KL said, but also don’t post.
As all good builders of walls or arguments know – dig down to clay/rock / firm foundations, before starting to construct
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@ Jeremy Wheeler:April 28, 2016 at 8:38 pm
Perhaps aaagreenman would like to comment on this article from the Guardian, if the Mail and Sun are beneath his contempt.
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You just may find that the Sun is below the contempt of the population of Liverpool, Merseyside, and 1 000s of other like minded people, and not only me.
You have heard of Liverpool, haven’t you ?
It’s where that Staunch Socialist Stephen Twigg was parachuted into the West Derby Constituency to the utter delight of the very long standing members of the Party.
[On other matters I will NOT touch.]
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Now here’s a ‘thing’
—————-
The Bradford Synagogue Council has come out in support of Ms Shah in recent days, with its chairman Rudi Leavor stating she was a “friend of the Jews.”
In reference to her comments, he said: “She said it, but I’m sure she didn’t mean it.
“It was directed against Israel, not the Jewish people. There is a difference between being anti-Israel and anti-Semitic.”
——————
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Reblogged this on Beastrabban’s Weblog and commented:
It shouldn’t be surprising that Jews, as a persecuted minority, have been active in a variety of left-wing, Socialist and radical organisations. It stands to reason that not every Jewish Brit is a rich businessman, ready to give their support to the Tory party. Those that joined the Labour party and the unions did so because they were working class, or members of the liberal middle classes, who shared the same concerns with the corrupting power of class and wealth as their gentile friends and union/ Socialist brothers and sisters. And Labour originally did support the foundation of Israel. These allegations of anti-Semitism look less like serious concerns over a genuine political, as the Neo-Con Right in the Blairite faction trying to hold on as desperately as it can now that the tide has turned very much against it.
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