Why should Black people vote Labour?
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JVL
JVL Introduction
Gus John takes us back to early 2020 and the interference of the Board of Deputies of British Jews in the Leadership Campaign, through the Forde Inquiry’s identification of a hierarchy of racism, how Starmer has failed to address this, how badly some Black MPs have been treated. Now we face the prospect of an election later this year and he ask what have Black people to gain from voting for this Labour Party?
This article was originally published by The Gleaner on Sat 10 Feb 2024. Read the original here.
Who and what is black Britain voting for?
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Anyone from a business background’s likely to recognise the appalling power grab over an external organisation arising from the following Board of Deputies’ demands:-
6. The full adoption of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) definition of anti-Semitism “with all its examples and clauses and without any caveats”;
7. To deliver anti-racism education programmes that have been approved by the Jewish Labour Movement, which would lead training;
8. To engage with the Jewish community via its “main representative groups and not through fringe organisations” such as Jewish Voice for Labour …
Nobody can defend themselves adequately when all the “prosecutor” needs to launch accusations is evidence-free “perceptions” of discriminatory behaviour. The IHRA’s definition of what antisemitism is about as subjective and loosely defined a crime as is Putin’s charge of showing “disrespect for Russia’s armed forces”.
Similarly, if you want to control others’ thinking and actions, make sure they only learn what you want them to know from carefully vetted teachers who think the same way as you do.
No one should feel guilty about not voting for Labour. I will never vote for them and will not accept the claim that we must get the Tories out at any cost. Labour is not the ‘lesser of two evils’ – they are more dangerous! They should be the voice of the people and they have betrayed us all. Starmer et al sold their souls to the Devil to rid the Party of the ‘left’. They told the world that the Labour Party was riddled with antisemitism and this will be used against them. Even though Starmer has proven himself to be an ultra Zionist and supporter of the far right Israeli government, he is still being accused of allowing antisemitism in his Party by the massively Islamaphobic Tories.
Knew Gus John from Hackney. A clever and thoughtful advocate – his views should be listened to and acted on.
“Osamor apologised “for any offence caused by my reference to the ongoing humanitarian disaster in Gaza as part of that period of remembrance”.” Amazing that offence is so much worse than murder and genocide.
Has the LP asked the EHRC to rule on the Conservative Party’s \attitude to islamophobic comments?
Post 2017 LP MP’s & members from the right of the Party recklessly utilised accusations of antisemitism as a weapon to change the party’s leader despite the possibility of future negative repercussions. Now, sadly, the chickens are coming home to roost with the rise not only of Islamaphobia but of real antisemitism which was so successfully conflated with zionism, an ideology not a religion. As someone from a Jewish background I abhor Israel’s racist government & their backers. Palestinians, Gazans have suffered terribly with horrifying loss of life resulting in a genocide but they will rise again as they have so often in the past. Now they will be supported by the world’s population not so Israel which is forever a tarnished state. The real losers are the apartheid Israeli state & its supporters. They will eventually have to accept either a free Palestinian country within the 1967 borders or become a single entity, a state for all its citizens
I can see no reason why anybody should wish to vote for Labour. It has completely disregarded the compassionate instincts of the British, and a lot of other peoples, who have been pleading for peace in Gaza, no ifs, no buts.
To inflict and to have inflicted so much harm on the young children, many of whom have lost their parents and vast numbers of relatives is absolutely shameful and will not be forgiven easily.
In South Africa, the Afrikaners used the biblical terms “hewers of wood and drawers of water” to condemn black people to everlasting inferiority and Labour is quite wrong to think in such terms, even though it may not be brash enough to spell it out like that. Sneaky discrimination (as has been applied to Diane Abbott) is sordid and the FREE PALESTINE marches show that people despise it.
What these recent events have shown is that the majority of people want a new political order and the establishment has had its day and needs to move on into a new era of democracy.
More reason to fully support Andrew Feinstein who will be standing against Starmer at the forthcoming election.
Another finely written and incisive article by Professor Gus John.
Like so many and after about thirty years as a loyal member, I walked away from the appalling false Labour Party as reconquered by its ruling class. I recall this Labour Party having a clear enough hierarchy of racism which was expressed as ‘antisemitism and other forms of racism’ – in that order! This Party now only really cares about ‘antisemitism’ when it is anti-Zionism.
The dictator at the top, the Leader, lazily leaves the iniquitous disciplining, against natural justice and factual evidence, to stooges, hacks and zombies.
We have observed fundamental bias in favour of a discredited establishment inclusive of Conservative Jewish groups. We have seen the real antisemitism of the Labour Party through its regarding of all British Jews collectively as Zionist and Conservative. We have observed the reformed Labour Party nastily discriminating against Socialist and anti-Zionist Jewish colleagues.
We have all observed the Labour Party acting against our Black colleagues unjustly and disproportionately and without regard for the obvious racism.
It is indeed vile. The next general election is being as if stolen by an imposed top-down Two Tory Party Solution. The Labour hierarchy version is indeed the far more dangerous as it is fundamentally false and it is ruthlessly after grabbing votes by any means inclusive of pandering to the worst elements.
As a while working class person, I shall be voting for the candidate who best represents my interests. This means I cannot support genocide denying, warmongering imperialist scum. And that’s even before I get started on the economic illiteracy of the main stream media
I grew up in a left secular Jewish family and my father always told me that even a right-wing labour party was still the party of the mass of the working class and we should vote for it and work within it to argue for Socialist policies. This I have always done, until the byelection in my constituency, Chesham and Amersham, after the Tory MP died. Labour had no hope of winning and I voted tactically as did many other electors. The LD candidate beat the Tory and has proved to be a decent MP, who recently supported the cease-fire motion. The Labour vote in the election was less than the local branch membership! Yet this branch supported the Starmer faction.
Unless the trade unions assert themselves to regain influence in the party that their grandfathers created, more and more voters will refuse to support Labour, which opens the door for far right parties as is happening in Europe. The Starmer hierarchy has accepted the entire capitalist and imperial set-up and is betraying the ideals of the British Labour Movement.
I just can’t give them my vote!
This so called Labour Party has a handful of the old guard but they are gagged, silenced, threatened with expulsion if Starmers words are not supported ! Problem is how can any decent person vote for a Confirmed Zionist whose loyality is visibly seen as one to Zionist Israel & its ATROCITIES! A Labour Leader who disregards the FORDE REPORT & its eminent author who has seen through the facade of extreme Right Wing applications of rules & laws & disrespect of Labour voters ! What is the difference between a black or brown educated persons written views & thoughts & findings to anyone else’s?
Why has Labour suddenly become the white mans domain?
Wasn’t it founded by all types of workers from all manner religions & races? A proud day when they joined forces as one voice!!
The Labour Party is no Longer worthy of that name, it has been tarnished with lies, broken promises & the heinous racist, Islamophobic, misogyny by this leader & his unworthy supporters who were given permission to abuse, insult even threaten people who disagree!!
We have lost so many amazing members, Jewish, Muslim, non religious through expulsions, disgust & wrongful accusations of antisemitism, many still ignored & cast aside!
Labour has become a SHAMEFUL, FALSE, & ambitious party, which has become too close to extreme Right like the Murdoch empire the Sun, Telegraph etc, freebies flowing & accepted by Starmer readily!
Not in my name, Love LABOURS LOST….bring on the REAL SOCIALISTS & HUMANITARIANS who regard GENOCIDE as an Atrocity!!
Professor Gus John Thankyou for your very wise words.