Corbyn launches online guide to fighting against antisemitism

I joined Labour in anticipation of a Mr Corbyn led government reversing immense harm done to societal fabric by neo-liberalism. Mrs Thatcher, Blair, subsequent leaders began dismantling social accord introduced by the 1945 Labour government and largely accepted thereafter by the other two major political parties.. It was my expectation Mr Corbyn and like-minded colleagues would succeed only if Blairites were purged from office in Labour and de-selected from parliamentary seats. ‘New Labour’ must be discarded as must anachronistic elements of the pre-Blair ‘old’ Labour.

It’s clear that a loose coalition of anti-Corbyn (read that as ‘fearful of Corbyn’) people seek common cause through defaming him. These appear to be drawn from a host of neo-liberal interests (in the UK and beyond) and are joined by on-the-make remnants of ‘New Labour’.

That ‘antisemitism’ is raised, at least with partial effect as distraction from discussing issues dividing Britain (NI exists in its own little universe), is indictment of some generations of dumbed-down education, intervention by manipulative news media, and sign of desperation.

Mr Corbyn should have shrugged off the nonsense accusations as soon as they were raised and refused to engage in discussion. The matter would soon have been forgotten as his enemies sought other ‘dirt’ to chuck. Unfortunately, by engaging he has given inadvertent acknowledgement of there being a ‘problem’. Put differently, Mr Corbyn has given substance to wishful thinking harboured by his base enemies much as a fake spirit-medium conjures up ectoplasm.

On receipt of Mr Corbyn’s email I was puzzled and somewhat affronted. I don’t take kindly to be told what I may or may not believe and say. I don’t want a list of proscribed topics derived from an external pressure group.

Antisemitism is an example of what nowadays is called ‘racism’. Racism is a statistical solecism arising from identifying/stereotyping a population, social group, ‘race’, and whatever else you might, through virtue of an average characteristic or a maliciously assigned slur made applicable to all (despite its basis being justified for none or only for some).

‘Antisemitism’ has at the hands of zealots been rendered an almost worthless description of thought and behaviour. If Mr Corbyn is antisemitic then I proudly am too. Nobody shall oblige me to drop out of discussion or apologise because an ignorant/malicious person accuses me of antisemitism. Members of the Labour Party must forego ‘touchy feely’ sentiment and robustly dismiss fools and the malevolent.

If I were a Blairite, or other, seeking decapitation of Labour I would now demand all members be required to sign a declaration of faith in support of Labour’s recent interpretations and obsessions concerning ‘racism’, anti-semitism, all matters LBQTxyz, ‘gender (whatever that term nowadays means outside context of Latinate languages) awareness in schools’, and many more minority fixations which together don’t gather a majority of electoral support. Beware Mr Corbyn of troublemakers in Labour’s midst and don’t allow your ill-judged email to lead onto electorally disastrous nonsense.

Instead unite as much of the population as possible behind a programme of deep economic and social reform. Let your government be remembered as a landmark like that of 1945.