Forde elaborates his critique – but will Labour listen?
JVL Introduction
Martin Forde’s critique of the Labour party’s response to his report has finally made it into the heart of the party with LabourtList reporting on Compass’s online webinar on the topic the previous evening.
In this event Forde gave a low-key-without-a-hint-of-rancour but nevertheless highly disturbing account of how he and his fellow report drafters have been shafted by the Labour machine. (We reported yesterday on how he has not been allowed to discuss the report with to the NEC.)
It represents a chink in Labour HQ’s armour, protected to date by a near total silence on Forde by any group or media outlet that might be able to force the Labour leadership in its bunker to take notice.
So too does the Guardian article “Starmer challenged on promise of ‘zero-tolerance’ on antisemitism and racism” by its political correspondent Aletha Adu.
Maybe, just maybe, the times they are a-changin’…
This article was originally published by LabourList on Tue 21 Mar 2023. Read the original here.
Forde speaks out about factionalism and the Labour Party’s response to his report
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Praise for Martin Forde for not letting this important document be buried.
Martin Forde has stated what many of us have personally experienced and witnessed from comrades still in the Labour Party and those who no longer carry the card. It shows the weakness of a dictator when he commissioned a report and then dismisses its findings – because it doesnt support his political agenda. Add to that, the latest attempt to silence discussion by the NEC of the Forde report. Its an open “secret” about Starmers “hierachy of racism”, but even the sterilised MSM is picking up on some of the issues raised by Forde.
Its ironic that John Ware and the BBC have been calling for retraction and deletion of elements of Martin Forde`s conclusions, whilst skewing reportage and misleading the public. Martin Forde has opened a door which Starmer and his apparatchiks wont be able to close.
Under Starmer, the LP has become a standard bearer for Zionism. This is at odds with the Socialist founding and basis of the LP. For this reason, unless those with influence within the Party speak out loudly and forcefully against the right wing antidemocratic path which Starmer and his sheep are following, the report will continue to be ignored.
We shouldn’t forget that Starmer originally only wanted an investigation into who leaked the document, not into the appalling behaviour by Party employees that it exposed. Reluctantly, he accepted having Forde deal with the content. So not terribly surprising that Starmer doesn’t want to deal with what Forde reported. But the Party is still pursuing 4 people through the courts over the leaking, even though they have no proof that they leaked, the information commissioner says there is no evidence that they leaked and Forde effectively says the leak was in the public interest. Despite all that, the Party is proceeding, with al the stress and cost that involves for the 4 they are determined to drag through the courts.
On a page on the LPs website entitled What is the Forde Report?, and at the start of a section headed ‘NEC Statement on the Forde Report’, it says the following:
The Labour Party apologises for the culture and attitudes expressed by senior staff in the leaked report, as well as for the way in which those comments came to light.
What it should have read is…. ‘… as well as for the way in which those comments came to light, because we really wish they hadn’t.
I think we can all safely assume that but for the leaking of the document, they would never have come to light!
And a bit further down that section is an apology from the General Secretary, David Evans, that begins thus:
On behalf of the Labour Party, I want to apologise to you for the culture and attitudes expressed by senior staff in the leaked report, as well as for the way in which those comments came to light.
https://labour.org.uk/fordereport/
I believe Akehurst is trying to talk-down and disparage Martin Forde KC’s concerns, in his own inimitable and disparaging way.
“I think there had been an assumption that his involvement ended when he submitted his report, not that there would be engagement or commentary after the task he was contracted and paid for had ended.”
“Compass isn’t really at the top of my list of organisations to take seriously”
Hopefully, he will have picked on the wrong ‘victim’, this time.
“Forde appeared to criticise Starmer…………..” well maybe, perhaps, in a way, but not directly?