Mealy-Mouthed McCluskey
Unite boss Len McCluskey is following in the footsteps of Jeremy Corbyn by issuing a mealy-mouthed apology after stirring up yet another controversy involving Labour and antisemitism.
Peter Mandelson has been a high profile figure in the Labour Party since the 1990s and people like Len McCluskey are well aware of the former Labour MP and Cabinet Minister's Jewish heritage.
So the use of the word 'if' in McCluskey's apology is a real measure of the man and the sooner he retires the better.
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/len-mccluskey-apologises-after-telling-22873673
Len McCluskey apologises after telling Peter Mandelson to 'count his gold'
The Unite general secretary said he was sorry 'if' his language caused hurt after he was accused of deploying an anti-Semitic trope in a BBC Newsnight interview
"Before this gets out of hand, let me say language is important and I apologise to Peter Mandelson and anyone else if mine has caused hurt" (Image: BBC)
Union chief Len McCluskey apologised last night after telling Labour rival Peter Mandelson to "count his gold".
The Unite general secretary said he was sorry "if" his language caused hurt after deploying what critics said was an anti-Semitic trope.
Asked about Lord Mandelson's opinion on Keir Starmer, Mr McCluskey told BBC Newsnight: "I stopped listening to what Peter Mandelson said many many years ago.
"I would suggest that Peter just goes into a room and counts his gold, not worry about what’s happening in the Labour Party.
"Leave that to those of us that are interested in ordinary working people."
The comments sparked an angry backlash on Twitter.
Corbyn's Weasel Words (27/03/18)
The BBC reports that Jeremy Cornbyn is getting 'pelters' from the UK's Jewish community over his laid back approach to tackling anti-Semitism in the Labour Party, and rightly so.
Because the Labour leader only now seems to accept there is a problem, yet still denies he has anything to apologise for over his own behaviour and support for an obviously anti-Semitic mural.
Image copyright - EPA
"Enough is enough," Jewish groups have said in a letter accusing Jeremy Corbyn of failing to tackle anti-Semitism.
The Labour leader has said he is "sincerely sorry" for the pain caused by "pockets of anti-Semitism" in the Labour Party.
Mr Corbyn said he would be meeting representatives of the Jewish community to "rebuild" confidence in his party.
However, the organisations behind the open letter are planning a protest outside Parliament later.
The letter - drawn up by the Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Jewish Leadership Council - said there has been a "repeated institutional failure" to properly address anti-Semitism.
"Enough is enough," Jewish groups have said in a letter accusing Jeremy Corbyn of failing to tackle anti-Semitism.
The Labour leader has said he is "sincerely sorry" for the pain caused by "pockets of anti-Semitism" in the Labour Party.
Mr Corbyn said he would be meeting representatives of the Jewish community to "rebuild" confidence in his party.
However, the organisations behind the open letter are planning a protest outside Parliament later.
The letter - drawn up by the Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Jewish Leadership Council - said there has been a "repeated institutional failure" to properly address anti-Semitism.
Tom Watson apologises over 'anti-Semitic' mural row
Corbyn regrets comments about 'anti-Semitic' mural
It accuses Mr Corbyn of being unable to "seriously contemplate anti-Semitism, because he is so ideologically fixed within a far left worldview that is instinctively hostile to mainstream Jewish communities".
The organisations refer to Mr Corbyn's apparently supportive message to the creator of an allegedly anti-Semitic mural in 2012and his attendance at "pro-Hezbollah rallies".
They say the Labour leader has "sided with anti-Semites" either because of "the far left's obsessive hatred of Zionism" or "a conspiratorial worldview in which mainstream Jewish communities are believed to be a hostile entity, a class enemy".
The letter says those who push anti-Semitic material view Mr Corbyn as "their figurehead" and that he is "the only person with the standing to demand that all of this stops."
The letter will be delivered to a meeting of Labour MPs and peers, although the Labour leader is not expected to attend.
A protest will then be held outside the Houses of Parliament, which will see a number of Labour MPs - including Liz Kendall, John Woodcock and Ian Austin - join members of the Jewish community.
The Campaign Against Anti-Semitism group has also called for a national protest against anti-Semitism in Labour.
Labour MP Louise Ellman, former chairwoman of the Labour Jewish movement, said: "It's taken Jeremy far too long to admit how wrong he has been in failing to deal with anti-Semitism in the Labour Party."
She told BBC Breakfast the Labour leader now had "to act and he's got to root out the anti-Semitism that is within the Labour Party".
"It's just heartbreaking to see it but he has got to do something about it now. Words won't be enough," she added.
Media caption - Jonathan Arkush says Jeremy Corbyn 'needs to take action' against anti-Semitism
In a statement released on Sunday evening, Mr Corbyn said: "I want to be clear that I will not tolerate any form of anti-Semitism that exists in and around our movement.
"We must stamp this out from our party and movement.
"We recognise that anti-Semitism has occurred in pockets within the Labour Party, causing pain and hurt to our Jewish community in the Labour Party and the rest of the country.
"I am sincerely sorry for the pain which has been caused."
Mr Corbyn said he and the party - which has "deep roots in the Jewish community" - were now campaigning to "increase support and confidence in Labour" among Jewish people in Britain and he would meet members of the community in the coming days to "rebuild confidence".
What caused the row?
In October 2012, street artist Mear One posted a picture of his mural in east London called "Freedom of Humanity" on Facebook - which depicted businessmen, some of them the artist says are Jewish, counting money on a board game that is balanced on the backs of hunched-over men.
The artist wrote: "Tomorrow they want to buff my mural. Freedom of expression. London calling. Public Art."
Mr Corbyn replied: "Why? You are in good company. Rockerfeller destroyed Diego [Rivera's] mural because it includes a picture of Lenin."
More recently, Labour MP Luciana Berger sought clarification from the leader's office on the 2012 comments.
Mr Corbyn said he regretted not looking more closely at the image, which he called "deeply disturbing".
He added: "I am opposed to the production of anti-Semitic material of any kind, and the defence of free speech cannot be used as a justification for the promotion of anti-Semitism in any form."
Mear One - whose real name is Kalen Ockerman - has denied being anti-Semitic, saying the mural was about "class and privilege".
In October 2012, street artist Mear One posted a picture of his mural in east London called "Freedom of Humanity" on Facebook - which depicted businessmen, some of them the artist says are Jewish, counting money on a board game that is balanced on the backs of hunched-over men.
The artist wrote: "Tomorrow they want to buff my mural. Freedom of expression. London calling. Public Art."
Mr Corbyn replied: "Why? You are in good company. Rockerfeller destroyed Diego [Rivera's] mural because it includes a picture of Lenin."
More recently, Labour MP Luciana Berger sought clarification from the leader's office on the 2012 comments.
Mr Corbyn said he regretted not looking more closely at the image, which he called "deeply disturbing".
He added: "I am opposed to the production of anti-Semitic material of any kind, and the defence of free speech cannot be used as a justification for the promotion of anti-Semitism in any form."
Mear One - whose real name is Kalen Ockerman - has denied being anti-Semitic, saying the mural was about "class and privilege".
Jonathan Goldstein, chairman of the Jewish Leadership Council, said the community had had enough of being ignored by Mr Corbyn.
He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "This is the first time in my lifetime the Jewish community has felt the need to take to the streets to campaign against the leader of a major political party.
"Rightly or wrongly, Jeremy Corbyn is now the figurehead for an anti-Semitic political culture based upon obsessive hatred of Israel, conspiracy theories and fake news, and that is doing great harm, not just to the Labour Party, but to Britain in a wider sense."
The BBC's assistant political editor Norman Smith said what was extraordinary about the letter was "not just the raw anger… but the fact that they directly blame Jeremy Corbyn and his brand of politics for allowing anti-Semitism to get a hold in the Labour Party".
"They accuse [Mr Corbyn] of a far left world view which they say is instinctively hostile to mainstream Jewish communities," he told Today.
"What they mean by that is a view of Israel as inherently a sort of neo-colonialist, imperialist power oppressing Palestinians, associated with America, and it is that sort of politics that has allowed anti-Semitic views to gain a hold."
However, he added, Mr Corbyn supporters believe that claims of anti-Semitism are "ridiculous and absurd", given the leader's anti-racism record, and that those making the accusations are using it to attack him.
In 2016 an inquiry into anti-Semitism in the Labour party, led by Shami Chakrabarti, said the party was not overrun by racism but there was "too much clear evidence... of ignorant attitudes".
It followed the suspension of MP Naz Shah and ex-London mayor Ken Livingstone amid anti-Semitism claims.
He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "This is the first time in my lifetime the Jewish community has felt the need to take to the streets to campaign against the leader of a major political party.
"Rightly or wrongly, Jeremy Corbyn is now the figurehead for an anti-Semitic political culture based upon obsessive hatred of Israel, conspiracy theories and fake news, and that is doing great harm, not just to the Labour Party, but to Britain in a wider sense."
The BBC's assistant political editor Norman Smith said what was extraordinary about the letter was "not just the raw anger… but the fact that they directly blame Jeremy Corbyn and his brand of politics for allowing anti-Semitism to get a hold in the Labour Party".
"They accuse [Mr Corbyn] of a far left world view which they say is instinctively hostile to mainstream Jewish communities," he told Today.
"What they mean by that is a view of Israel as inherently a sort of neo-colonialist, imperialist power oppressing Palestinians, associated with America, and it is that sort of politics that has allowed anti-Semitic views to gain a hold."
However, he added, Mr Corbyn supporters believe that claims of anti-Semitism are "ridiculous and absurd", given the leader's anti-racism record, and that those making the accusations are using it to attack him.
In 2016 an inquiry into anti-Semitism in the Labour party, led by Shami Chakrabarti, said the party was not overrun by racism but there was "too much clear evidence... of ignorant attitudes".
It followed the suspension of MP Naz Shah and ex-London mayor Ken Livingstone amid anti-Semitism claims.
Team Corbyn - Cranks and Ideologues (13/07/19)
If this were any other employer, Labour leaders would be supporting the whistleblowing workers.
But since Labour is now a party led by cranks and ideologues the workers are being smeared and their motives attacked.
Team Corbyn - Cranks and Ideologues (11/07/19)
Team Corbyn is completely dominated by cranks and ideologues who do not reflect the views or values of most Labour members and supporters.
Some people say that Jeremy Corbyn doesn't have an anti-semitic bone in his body, but the widely respected Labour MP Margaret Hodge seems to disagree since she denounced her party leader a "racist" and "anti-Semite" in a big bust up at the House of Commons.
Private Eye, the UK's best and only fortnightly satirical magazine, had some fun with its front cover recently at Jeremy Corbyn's expense.
After the local elections results in England, I think it's fair to say that Jeremy has paid a heavy price for his 'spineless' performance in failing to stand up to anti-Semitism in Labour's ranks.
Here's another great Twitter joke which pokes fun, for good reason, at the cult of Corbyn and his local difficulties involving a London mural.
"I sincerely regret that I did not look more closely at the image, the contents of which are deeply disturbing and anti-Semitic"
Much fun was had on Twitter at the weekend with lots of posts mocking Jeremy Corbyn's 'weasel words' over not looking more clearly at an anti-semitic mural before declaring his support on Facebook.
My favourite, so far at least, was this comment from the journalist Euan McColm:
“i only glanced at it but i thought it was a parrot carrying an electric fan.”
Jeremy the Jellyfish (20/07/18)
Some people say that Jeremy Corbyn doesn't have an anti-semitic bone in his body, but the widely respected Labour MP Margaret Hodge seems to disagree since she denounced her party leader a "racist" and "anti-Semite" in a big bust up at the House of Commons.
Spineless Performance (08/05/18)
Private Eye, the UK's best and only fortnightly satirical magazine, had some fun with its front cover recently at Jeremy Corbyn's expense.
After the local elections results in England, I think it's fair to say that Jeremy has paid a heavy price for his 'spineless' performance in failing to stand up to anti-Semitism in Labour's ranks.
Cult of Corbyn (27/03/18)
Here's another great Twitter joke which pokes fun, for good reason, at the cult of Corbyn and his local difficulties involving a London mural.
"I sincerely regret that I did not look more closely at the image, the contents of which are deeply disturbing and anti-Semitic"
Eagle Images and Weasel Words (26/03/18)
Much fun was had on Twitter at the weekend with lots of posts mocking Jeremy Corbyn's 'weasel words' over not looking more clearly at an anti-semitic mural before declaring his support on Facebook.
My favourite, so far at least, was this comment from the journalist Euan McColm:
“i only glanced at it but i thought it was a parrot carrying an electric fan.”
Now that is funny - eat your heart out Private Eye and the Have I Got News for You (HIGNFY) Team!
Jezza's Broad Church (30/12/17)
The problem with Jeremy Corbyn's latest recruit to Labour's high command is not so much that Jayne Fisher once worked for Sinn Fein, but that the upper echelons of the party now are dominated by people whose unrepresentative political views are so far removed from those of ordinary Labour voters.
The Politics Home web site reports on the latest row to have broken out in Labour ranks, but alongside Jayne Fisher key 'movers and shakers' in the Labour Party already include:
- unreconstructed old 'Stalinists' like Seumas Milne (Jezza's official spokesperson) and Andrew Murray (Len McCluskey's chief of staff at Unite)
- Karie Murphy a key figure in the Labour leader's office who is referred to in the media as a 'close friend' of Len McCluskey and who was once tipped to become the Labour candidate in Falkirk before the 'vote rigging' scandal and Ineos dispute blew up
In days gone by Labour liked to present itself as a broad church, where a wide variety of political views were welcome, whereas now it appears to be operating as a 'leftist' dominated Jeremy Corbyn fan club.
Read the full story via this following link to Politics Home.
