The tasks ahead… a speech by Graham Bash, JVL’s political officer

JVL Introduction

 

At the last JVL Committee meeting on 6 November Graham Bash gave a clear description of the tasks facing us after Trump and in the light of Jeremy’ suspension. We feel his well-thought-out approach deserves a wider audience, both among the Jewish Left and the broader Labour Left.

 

Comments (9)

  • Allan Howard says:

    What we SHOULD be doing, and what we NEED to do – is expose the lies and falsehoods and smears that ‘Power’ and it’s propaganda machine have been disseminating during the past five years about Jeremy and the left membership – ie exposing them, the lies and falsehoods – a sample of them that is (it would take a lengthy book to expose ALL of them) – to the millions of people who have been duped and deceived. And the only way I can see of doing that is for hundreds of us to put leaflets together which include some of the most blatant examples.

    The episode regarding Ken Livingstone would of course be included – although it would ALSO be worth mentioning that what Naz Shah posted obviously wasn’t somehow seriously suggesting that Israel should be moved to the US, as much of the MSM unbelievably reported it – and what Ken said precisely, and that he was alluding to The Haavara Agreement. I mean whilst just about everyone on the left has long since learnt that THAT is what he was alluding to, I have little doubt that the vast majority of the general public are still not aware of it AND that THAT is what Ken was alluding to. And of course mention that the oft-repeated falsehood that Ken had said that Hitler was a Zionist was precisely THAT – ie a falsehood (just as with some of the MSM saying – in relation to Jeremy’s suspension – that he said the EHRC report was exaggerated).

    It would be really good if JVL could put such a leaflet together (about six A4 sides worth) for people to copy and run off a few hundred copies and stick through front doors. And although it’s not A/S related, I would also include the following example of blatant smearing – ie the headling and a few paragraphs, and then what it says RIGHT at the very end of an article that they obviously made much longer than it needed to be, knowing that most readers wouldn’t get to the end and see that bit, in which they in effect expose the article for the non-story that it was:

    NATIONAL DISGRACE: Jeremy Corbyn refuses to bow to Queen and then WINKS at colleagues

    JEREMY CORBYN yesterday came under fire on social media after the Labour Party leader appeared to refuse to bow to the Queen and then winked during the State Opening…….

    And right at the end:

    Parliamentary officials later confirmed that Mr Corbyn did not breach protocol.

    A House of Lords spoksman said the only people required to bow were Speaker Mr Bercow, Commons Clerk David Natzler, senior Lords official Black Rod and the Serjeant at Arms Kamal El-Hajji.

    https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/819660/Jeremy-Corbyn-refuses-to-bow-to-Queen-State-Opening-of-Parliament-Queens-Speech-live

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  • I have no disagreement with Graham’s analysis in principle. But the response of the majority of the Labour Left – Momentum and the Campaign Group – is to protest that his suspension ‘undermines the fight against antisemitism’ in the words of Momentum’s first statement. The Campaign Group itself is split in half, with 18 MPs refusing to sign a simple motion of support for him. Either JVL take part in uniting with those parts of the left in the LP, and that includes the LLA, or it faces a completely atomised and useless left. E.g. the CLGA slate for the NEC should only have consisted of those opposing the witchhunt but it didn’t. JVL has kept the LLA at arms length and thrown its lot in with the LRC without ever putting forward any basis for this alignment.

    The major gap in Graham’s talk was this. What suggestion does he have for organising the thousands who are resigning? I oppose people leaving and doing what the Right want them to do, but it is crucial that they don’t simply scatter to the 4 winds. That suggests to me that the creation of a genuine socialist movement or alliance is an urgent need at the moment.

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  • Graham, you say you want a wider audience, but just talk of just targeting the Jewish Left and Labour left. Excuse me but it comes over as navel-gazing. Many people beyond these left-wing confines are deeply concerned about the undermining of freedom of expression such as has occurred with the media demonisation of Jeremy Corbyn and the atrociously unprofessional and biased EHRC report. You just have to read the books and articles of people like Nick Davies, Carol Cadwalladr, Peter Geoghegan and Peter Oborne, and you can see that there is a groundswell of disgust at the distortion of news in this country. I would try to reach out to them and tap into their concerns.

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  • Mike Dixon says:

    Excellent- but how do we rage if CLPs are hamstrung, and under threat of suspension from the few and there is no MSM fighting our cause? We need MPs. I’ve joined JVL but how else do we come together and become a United voice.

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  • Stephen Richards says:

    Create a ‘Moral Panic’ to destroy ‘Socialism’ in the Labour Party. Too much appeasement; living on your knees is most uncomfortable.

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  • Ian Kemp says:

    excellent Graham could not put it better. I think the time has come to challenge Starmer and Evens directly. Labour should not be a tory lite party so that it gets elected and Starmer than achieving his ambition to be PM regardless.

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  • Margaret Chorley says:

    It’s time to take the gags off. I have never felt so lonely and unhappy in my life. Remember the saying that goes something like, ‘ all it takes for evil to flourish is for good men to do nothing’. Well it’s even worse than that in the Labour party, you have to keep your gob shut about it as well. SORT IT OUT GUYS.

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  • Allan Howard says:

    Ian, how do you envisage challenging Starmer and Evans directly?

    And Stephen, could you elaborate regarding what you said about appeasement. If it’s Starmer and Co you’re alluding to, then there is absolutely no appeasement whatsoever going on there, and they are completely on board with the BoD and the JLM and CAA and eviscerating the left completely from the political sphere.

    And if it was Jeremy (and his team) that you were referring to during his tenure as leader, then you only have to look at what happened when he DID speak out – albeit making a totally valid point in his own defence – and ended up being suspended, with all the smearers-cum-saboteurs piling in to say it was the right thing to do etc courtesly of the MSM.

    There was NEVER any appeasement going on on Jeremy’s part in relation to A/S claims, just a no-win situation where whatever he said would be attacked and vilified, just as it WAS whenever he DID. This Canary article from last December isn’t related to the A/S smear campaign, but it says it all anyway:

    ‘Here’s proof that no matter what Corbyn says or does, the establishment media will attack him’

    https://www.thecanary.co/trending/2019/12/03/heres-proof-that-no-matter-what-corbyn-says-or-does-the-establishment-media-will-attack-him/

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  • Anti-fascist says:

    Excellent presentation, Graham, even though we now face a steeply uphill fight.

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