At the Liverpool Labour Party Conference, Jeremy Corbyn quoted a 19th-century Chartist (a member of a movement to gain political rights for workers, including universal male suffrage, which flourished in England between 1838 and 1848; for more see here), one Ernest Jones, on the subject of workers who, according to Corbyn, “know the reality and injustice of their position.”
Jeremy Corbyn sparked a fresh anti-Semitism storm by using his [Labour Party] conference speech to praise a Jew-hating left-wing poet and a friend who once compared Israel to Nazis.
[Jeremy Corbyn] used his Liverpool set piece to quote poetry from 19th century Chartist Ernest Jones. Quoting a stanza by Jones [Corbyn] said: “And what we get, and what we give, We know, and we know our share; We’re not too low the cloth to weave, But too low the cloth to wear.”
And he added: “He [Jones] was making the point that workers know the reality and injustice of their position.
One assumes Corbyn did not know that Ernest Jones was, in the words of his biographer, “a liar, a cheat, an antisemite, a racist bigot,” but why didn’t he take the trouble to find out? It’s a little like his not bothering to find out who was buried in that Tunisian cemetery where he took part — he says he didn’t realize who was buried there — in a ceremony honoring dead Black September terrorists. Corbyn so often doesn’t seem to care. Due diligence is not his strong suit.
It takes an impressive hypocrisy for Corbyn to now quote lines about the plight of ill-paid workers. His wife, Laura Alvarez, has for the past few years claimed to be importing “fair trade” coffee beans into the U.K. from Mexico. They are advertised as ”fair trade” because the growers are supposedly paid “fair” amounts for their coffee. But it turns out Corbyn’s wife is as much an exploiter as anyone, though claiming the very opposite. The farmers receive only 93 p. for the 500 grams of coffee for which Laura Alvarez charges her customers 10 pounds. Those farmers live in small shacks, in terrible conditions, some of them sleeping in the factory to guard against thieves, others having to rise at 4 a.m. to start work early. All of them are paid miserably, below the Mexican poverty line. The full story is here.
And there is one other thing to ponder. Laura Alvarez sells her coffee out of the North London home she shares with Jeremy Corbyn. This is the home for which he is paid a housing allowance as a Member of Parliament. Should a private, for-profit business be operated out of Corbyn’s home? Does his wife pay rent to him for the part of the house she uses for the business? If she does, shouldn’t that be deducted from his government housing allowance? And if not, then isn’t she getting rent-free what he is paid for, as his primary residence, by the government?
Mr Corbyn also praised Uri Avnery as his “great Israeli friend” in a bid to quell the antisemitism storm that has rocked Labour Party.
But the late writer sparked fury in 2009 by comparing the actions of Israeli politics to the rise of Adolf Hitler – a slur considered antisemitic by the official definition adopted by the Labour Party.
For nearly his whole adult life Uri Avnery was an extreme “peacenik,” who famously was the first Israeli to meet with Yasser Arafat, whom he went to see in Beirut. He was one of those anti-Israel Israelis who for decades parroted the “Palestinian” line and had little sympathy for his own country’s travails. Unsurprisingly, he had no understanding of, nor interest in, Islam. No wonder Corbyn claims Avnery as his”great Israeli friend.”
Mr Corbyn had hoped to use his big speech to reset relations with the Jewish community – saying he was their “ally”.
But he risked further controversy by saying the summer had been “tough” for the party because “row over antisemitism” rather than face the issue directly.
Mr Corbyn said the issue had caused “immense hurt and anxiety in the Jewish community and great dismay in the Labour Party” as he addressed the problem in his conference speech.
He appealed to the Jewish community to help him “draw a line under it” – but he stopped short of apologising.
Last night Tory MP Andrew Percy said: “You couldn’t make it up. As long as Jeremy Corbyn is leader, it seems anti-Jewish racism will be given a free pass in the Labour party.”
MP Andrew Percy is right. Corbyn has not apologized, nor will he ever, except obliquely and begrudgingly, for his own antisemitism or that of his most rabid followers, waving their Palestinian flags. His “anti-Jewish racism” (as Andrew Percy no doubt knew, that is a stronger formulation than “antisemitism,” and one more likely to cut to the quick the likes of “anti-racism” campaigner Corbyn). Corbyn’s choice of the Chartist poet to quote, one who happened to have been a virulent antisemite, bespeaks an extreme carelessness — that lack of due diligence mentioned above — that is worrisome. As for invoking the name of Uri Avnery, again there is a carelessness — because anyone who is unfamiliar with Uri Avnery would soon discover that for decades he’s been the most pro-Palestinian of Israeli peace activists. “Some of my best friends” — as Corbyn is so awkwardly semaphoring “to my Jewish friends” by mentioning Avnery — “are pro-Palestinian Jews.”
Corbyn is off to a comically clumsy start. Let’s hope he keeps it up. The next general election is scheduled for May 5, 2022. But even if Theresa May can’t make a dignified exit from the E.U. and doesn’t survive a vote of no-confidence, which would move up the date of that general election, there’s still time to bring him down. This mediocre man has come surprisingly far with his banal bolshevism (which coexists — he fails to see the irony — with his wife’s exploitation of impoverished Mexican workers) and his standard-issue antisemitism, masquerading as indignation over the “plight” of the “Palestinians.” There’s many a slip ‘twixt cup and lip. Let us hope that Jeremy Corbyn, who’s been slipping morally for many years, now slips politically as well. And during one of his pratfalls, someone far better, possibly Tom Watson, currently second in the Labour Party, a man of honor and common sense, will be able to step forward in Corbyn’s place.
Paul says
Theres more to Chartism than repeal of the corn laws.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chartism
Few would argue against the chartists six reforms today. MPs are institutionally corrupt as we saw in the expenses scandal of a few years ago.
Paul
Hugh Fitzgerald says
You are right, and I will insert the link to the Wiki entry, as is clearly required. Thank you.
StellaSaidSo says
‘There’s more to Chartism than repeal of the Corn Laws…’
Indeed, Paul, and there’s more to Ernest Jones than his alleged anti-Semitism. Jones was a barrister, a prolific and respected poet and novelist, and a newspaper editor. He knew Karl Marx and Felix Engels personally, stood for parliament, and gave away much of his fortune rather than abandon his Chartist principles. Jones had more than one biographer.
StellaSaidSo says
Oops, Friedrich, not Felix.
LB says
This is what I don’t get with leftists and their jew-hatred, and I hope someone can explain it to me.
On one hand they all claim to represent the oppressed and victimized, united in their struggle against all forms of bigotry and discrimination, including antisemitism. They hate Nazis and Hitler with a passion to the point where they see them even if they aren’t there, and as we all know, Hitler hated and exterminated Jews. So going by the “enemy of my enemy is my friend” logic, Jews are supposed to be leftists’ allies (and vice versa) against Nazis, correct?
But on the other hand, pretty much 100% of leftists are explicitly AGAINST the Jewish state of Israel and are support “Palestinians” who make almost no effort to hide the fact that they want all Jews wiped off the face of the Earth. The BDS movement is one product of that. As if that’s not enough, the Leftists are in bed with most other muslim groups and NGO’s (that have nothing to do with “Palestine” vs Isreal conflict) who are equally (if not more) vicious in their antisemitism.
So how can they, like Jeremy Corbyn here, claim that they are “friends” and “allies” of Jews when all their actions speaks otherwise?
But I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised. The Leftist ideology is flawed and contradictory to the core, just like Islam. No wonder those two go so well together.
carpediadem says
Leftists are vicious liars. Their purpose in pretending to support the oppressed is to garner support and deceive the hopeful while using their resources to support their genocidal mates with whom they hope to attain power and control.
Hope this helps.
Smart guy says
Hitler was a left-winger not a right-winger War propaganda made him into a right-winger in order for workers in other states would fight against a Socialist party. Hitler said in a speech that we are Socialists and hate capitalism, He had the support of German Labour throught the war and before the war. The Germans occupied part of England during the war. The channel Islands and it was on these Islands that we learned that the National Socialist Party was a socialist party. Hitler’s entire cabinet were former Marxists. Mein Kamph was deliberately written to convert Communists into National Socialists. Workers hate lazy people such as Gypsies and Jews since Jews consider work to be a curse! A worker state always builds concentration camps for lazy people and anyone who opposes a worker state. Workers exterminated the Jews, the sign says “Work shall make you free” The war propaganda is that racists committed the Holocaust, you are wrong. The Chinese communist party is not going to confess to exterminating millions of Chinese landowners. The political evolution from communism is National Socialism. Karl Marx was the grandson of two Jewish Rabbis. Marxism is a Jewish attempt to control the socialist party for the benefit for the Jews. Socialism dates back to the French Revolution. The “Jewish Question” is a book written by a German Socialist Professor. After reading such a book Marx could clearly see it would lead to the expulsion of all Jews from any Socialist country. Jews therefore would follow Marx in order to take control over the communist party, this is now known as the “Jewish Conspiracy” But in the end all conspiracies become known, so that the “Jewish Conspiracy” will fail.
In the end the British labour party will be no different than the National Socialist German Labour party.
In Cuba there were 4,000 Jews but after the Revolution of Castro there were only 1,000 left. Jews ran the gambling and prostitution they were the gangsters. Socialists will not hesitate to exterminate gangsters or drug dealers. Or bankers.
Fred says
Here’s s followup article about an incident in Canada. Posting here for others to see.
https://edmontonsun.com/news/crime/who-is-abdulahi-hasan-sharif-one-year-later-everything-we-know-about-the-alleged-edmonton-attacker/wcm/e811a86d-1fcd-4e62-9670-6f2e5670d17f
Phil Copson says
“Tom Watson is a man of honour and common-sense” ?????? Says who ??????
He’s a stupid thug whose hatred of the Conservative Party led him to claim that the Jewish Conservative Minister Leon Brittan was a paedophile and “one of the most evil men who ever lived.”
You think that he’s the right man to re-set relations with the Jewish community ? Really ???
Hugh Fitzgerald says
Yes, I do, but if you have another suggestion, I would be interested to hear it..
Know nothing about Leon Brittan.
Here are a few of his remarks since 2016:
“Tom Watson: I am proud to defend Israel and we have moral obligation to rid Labour of antisemitism
Deputy leader tells Labour Friends of Israel event: ‘I am genuinely proud of each and every one of you’
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Tom Watson, Labour’s deputy leader, has said the party’s antisemitism crisis has got “worse” over the past year.
In a damning indictment of leader Jeremy Corbyn’s failure to tackle the issue, Mr Watson told members of the Jewish Labour Movement: “This time last year, in my message to you, I said that it had been an exceptionally difficult year for Jewish members of the Labour Party.
“This year has been worse. I won’t pretend it hasn’t.”
In a written message sent out to JLM members with the organisation’s annual report, Mr Watson added that the problem was “not just with individual cases of antisemitism” but with “wider patterns of association.”
He added: “All of us in positions of leadership and especially the party’s elected representatives have a responsibility to reflect on the messages we send out by our actions.”
Mr Watson then suggested it was “painful” to see antisemitism “ignored, or minimised, or excused” by some Labour members and supporters.
He said: “It isn’t acceptable and I am ashamed of it.”
Referring to the recent resignation of Ken Livingstone from the party, he said he was “delighted that at long last” the former London Mayor was no longer a member.
He also said he was “pleased” that Marc Wadsworth had been expelled.
Mr Watson suggested that Labour’s General Secretary Jennie Formby has “staked her reputation” on dealing with antisemitism.
He also said he wanted to pay “tribute” to the JLM’s Parliamentary Chair Luciana Berger[who, a Jewish member of the Labour Party, has received death threats and now requires security for sticking by Israel]] and the “very many” Labour MPs who took part in the Enough Is Enough protest earlier this year in Parliament Square.
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LABOUR’S deputy Tom Watson has lashed out at new Labour members who tried to “hound” MP Joan Ryan out of the party for standing up against Antisemitism.
Addressing the Labour friends of Israel reception last night, the party’s number two praised her for standing up to hateful trolls and condemned the “grotesque” comparisons that some Labour members had made between Israel and Nazi Germany.
Labour’s deputy leader Tom Watson said failing to tackle anti-Semitism would risk ‘eternal shame’ on the party
And in an emotional speech, said his party had a “moral obligation” to get rid of the anti-Semitism that’s riddled within the party – and “failing to tackle the problem risks eternal shame” .
He said Ms Ryan had been “hounded out by people who’ve only just joined”. Mr Watson stood and applauded as the Enfield MP emotionally revealed that she felt a “real fear” that her own party might get into government.
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gravenimage says
Hugh Fitzgerald: Jeremy Corbyn Quotes a Poet and Hails His Late Israeli Friend
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No surprise here.