Mark Steel’s take on double standards
Published
by
Richard Kuper
JVL Introduction
Mark Steel is on good form as he pillories the Tories for failing to see antisemitism when it stares them in the face.
But he has wider message, that we can walk in a straight line and chew gum at the same time – arguing that antisemitism is being cynically exaggered, but also that the left has to up its game on the issue
This article was originally published by the Independent on Fri 3 Aug 2018. Read the original here.
The fact that Corbyn didn't yell abuse at a Holocaust survivor definitely makes him antisemitic
The Tories are genuinely appalled by it all, which is why they would never allow their prominent members to associate with an anti-Semite. Instead Boris Johnson has been meeting Steve Bannon, who gives his support to inclusive liberal groups such as the EDL
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“So all the comments and tweets and that mural, and all the incidents that the Corbyn-supporting Jewdas and Jewish Voice for Labour have documented, ”
I don’t agree that the mural was a/s. But what are the incidents documented by Jewdas and JVL?
Mark Steel – as always – pretty much hits the target. But :
“an NEC candidate shouts that he’s never seen any antisemitism in Labour at all.”
But this is simply the experience of many in the Labour Party – who, over a period of years will have seen blossoming flowers (poisonous) of prejudice in many forms.
In 40 years I can’t recall one incident that might – even in a bout of hysteria – be labelled ‘antisemitic’.
In fact, a greater concern about the Party has been the general sublime ignorance about the history and dire contemporary state of the Palestinian people.
Now – the growth in membership may have attracted a few unbalanced fanatics, and it is quite possible that (anti-) social media has given them a megaphone. But I doubt that it is a more typical pastime than train spotting. Certainly , an examination of cases of ‘alleged’ anti-semitism, where details are known because of the attached publicity , have a very low hit-rate in detecting *actual* anti-semitism when a rational definition is applied.
So – amongst all the smoke and mirrors – we come to the old acid test of bad faith : ‘Cui bono?’
Answers in one sentence.
So … give up