Labour Anti-Semitism (and general failings) Report

[Gramsci]

Seeing how the party operates at local level in Lambeth the report does not surprise me. Lambeth has been run by the Blairites now "Progressives" of the Progress section of the party for years.

The new influx under Corbyn wasn't liked. I posted about this elsewhere on Urban.

My popular local Cllr was hounded out the Council by the Blairites once she decided to support her constituents and not the New Labour establishment.

Rachel Heywood confirms she will stand as Independent in Lambeth Council elections with devastating critique of Lambeth Labour

Rachel Heywood has confirmed that she will be standing as an Independent candidate in Coldharbour for the Lambeth Council local elections next month.

www.brixtonbuzz.com

The right of the party never liked Corbyn or the new membership.

The new membership were old people returning to Labour party and young generation.

One success was getting Bell Ribeiro-Addy ss candidate for Streatham to replace Chuka.

The local Council put up one of their New Labour Cllrs for the seat and failed.

The local party is completely divided between the left and old guard New Labour right. Left have managed to get control of the party apparatus in Bell Ribeiro -Addy area.

At Council level the New Labour establishment are in full control of who gets to be a Cllr. Getting rid of any Cllr who won't tow the line.

New Labour in Lambeth always opposed Corbyn. Even Cllrs I know who are party loyalists - supported Blair , Brown and Miliband- openly opposed Corbyn and what he stood for.

Lambeth is local example of how nasty the right is in Labour party.

I knew Rachel Heywood well. They destroyed her. she was not even that left wing. Just not part of the Proogress winf of the party.

 

[killer b]

the lawyer concerned (Mark Lewis) has apparently said they will be going after anyone who got hold of a copy of the report

Mark Lewis is pretty unhinged and has form for throwing round this kind of threat. I dunno how many people he's angrily quote tweeted at in the last few years have actually ended up in court though - I'd guess not very many.

 

[Gramsci]

I vote Labour and I know some decent local people who joined the labour party , people involved in the local community,, due to Corbyn.

The hope being that finally the New Labour stranglehold on Lambeth Labour would go.

The right of the party has been remarkably resilient.

Trouble is my friends hae been caught up spending a lot of time fighting it out with the local New Labour establishment in the party.

Having to neglect local issues to a certain extent.

 

[The39thStep]

She's currently assistant Gen Sec of Unison.

Who backed Starmer

 

[Lord Camomile]

Who backed Starmer

Without asking the members, is my understanding.

 

[Smokeandsteam]

the lawyer concerned (Mark Lewis) has apparently said they will be going after anyone who got hold of a copy of the report

Surely, GDPR breaches (where the liability is with Labour and not an individual) and libel/malice are the only possible actionable possibilities here?

 

[teqniq]

the lawyer concerned (Mark Lewis) has apparently said they will be going after anyone who got hold of a copy of the report

How on earth are they going to do that? it must've been downloaded by loads of people.

 

[killer b]

How on earth are they going to do that? it must've been downloaded by loads of people.

they aren't, he's a maniac.

 

[fakeplasticgirl]

So depressing

 

[SpookyFrank]

I'm gonna go out on a limb and say, without even checking the news or anything, that Starmer's done nothing about this.

 

[brogdale]

I'm gonna go out on a limb and say, without even checking the news or anything, that Starmer's done nothing about this.

Totally wrong.
You should have guessed...he's announced that he'll launch an enquiry into the enquiry.

 

[brogdale]

Looks like Labour representation in the Commons is down to 29.

 

[SpookyFrank]

Totally wrong.
You should have guessed...he's announced that he'll launch an enquiry into the enquiry.

In that case I take back all my accusations of him being a worthless, unprincipled invertebrate and a tory fifth columnist. Truly the wrongdoers must be quaking in their boots. I'm sure most of them are preparing their whisky glasses and revolvers as we speak.

 

[teqniq]

Interesting blog post, makes some valid points.

Vashti - Starmer is serious about antisemitism – but not other racisms, it seems

Starmer has adopted the Board of Deputies' Ten Pledges and with them, the Board's disregard for forms of racism beyond Jew-hatred.

vashtimedia.com

 

[SpookyFrank]

Wait, Starmer's inquiry is into how the dossier got leaked not what's actually in it

 

[William of Walworth]

Interesting blog post, makes some valid points.

Vashti - Starmer is serious about antisemitism – but not other racisms, it seems

Starmer has adopted the Board of Deputies' Ten Pledges and with them, the Board's disregard for forms of racism beyond Jew-hatred.

vashtimedia.com

That's an excellent and really interesting blog .
(and Vashtimedia looks like a good informative site generally.... am I right?)

 

[teqniq]

That's an excellent and really interesting blog .
(and Vashtimedia looks like a good informative site generally.... am I right?)

Only just come accross the account and the site, but yeah looks good.

 

[William of Walworth]

Wait, Starmer's inquiry is into how the dossier got leaked not what's actually in it

You're probably right in practice, but their statement claims that the purpose is more than just about leaking ...

[Starmer/Rayner statement]
“We have seen a copy of an apparently internal report about the work of the Labour Party’s governance and legal unit in relation to antisemitism. The content and the release of the report into the public domain raise a number of matters of serious concern.

“We will therefore commission an urgent independent investigation into this matter. This investigation will be instructed to look at three areas.
"First, the background and circumstances in which the report was commissioned and the process involved.

“Second, the contents and wider culture and practices referred to in the report.

"Third, the circumstances in which the report was put into the public domain.

“We have also asked for immediate sight of any legal advice the Labour Party has already received about the report.

“In the meantime, we ask everyone concerned to refrain from drawing conclusions before the investigation is complete and we will be asking the general secretary to put measures in place to protect the welfare of party members and party staff who are concerned or affected by this report.”

I've posted the above just for accuracy really. I'm as sceptical as anyone else about how things will turn out in practice though

 

[killer b]

Funny really - I reckon lots of people voted for Starmer cause they thought it would somehow end the forever war. Of course, they've just changed ends.

 

[ska invita]

Loadsaextracts

 

[Knotted]

I find these numbers astonishing:

In total, between 1 November 2016 and 19 February 2018 - a period of almost 16 months - GLU staff initiated just:

- 10 suspensions for antisemitism - 24 NOIs for antisemitism - 2 General Secretary membership rejections for antisemitism

The suspensions and NOIs for antisemitism pertained to just 32 individual members (or 34 including the General Secretary membership rejections).740

(For 2017, the figures were 10 suspensions and 22 NOIs, sent to 30 individual members.)

Workload on other cases was also not high. In total, across all categories, including antisemitism, we have found that GLU staff initiated just:

- 56 suspensions - 71 NOIs - 5 General Secretary membership rejections

By contrast, the Party has recorded 296 suspension and 283 NOI “first outcomes” in 2019, for antisemitism cases alone.

PS As somebody who has worked as an administrator I am absolutely stunned at the failure to just track never mind deal with a mere few hundred cases. That's one really quite small spreadsheet that you need to maintain - you don't need any fancy databases, we're not talking large amounts of data here. They really were just fucking about on WhatsApp all day, weren't they.

 

[Knotted]

People like Jamie Stein-Werner say the small number of expulsions/suspensions mean there can only be a small problem in the Party. This is piggybacking off the work of these buffoons.

 

[treelover]

Reading the report I’m struck by how toxic the culture within Labour is. I used to think cobweb left sects set the bar highest but they are almost welcoming and well balanced compared to the vile fuckers in Labour.

That culture doesn’t seem limited to one faction or period. It’s deeply embedded.

there are a lot of kind decent people at branch level, even i don't agree with them on politics, the councillors though..

 

[sleaterkinney]

.

 

[The39thStep]

I'm sure I read somewhere that Paul Mason wants a parliamentary enquiry

 

[killer b]

I'm sure I read somewhere that Paul Mason wants a parliamentary enquiry

tweet 3 on this thread. He's rowed back a little since then though,

 

[oryx]

It is essential that the inquiry into the report concentrates on the comments made and machinations by paid staff, and takes appropriate action against them. Not only should Oldknow et al not be allowed to hold any position in the party, they should be expelled.

It goes way beyond 'Blairites' (or 'Brownites' even) v. 'Corbyn and Momentum'. MPs denigrated and undermined included Ed Miliband, Burnham and Cooper.

It shouldn't just be the left of the party who are hopping mad about this - it should be everyone who supports the party.

The only way Starmer is going to maintain respect is by dealing with the staff concerned. Anyone supporting them is condoning bullying, sexism, and racism (the latter very much including anti-Semitism as the shocking information revealed in the report has undermined the real focus of the report and deflected from it).

 

[Smokeandsteam]

tweet 3 on this thread. He's rowed back a little since then though,

Masterful understatement. He’s completely changed his mind it seems and is now happy with the Starmer announced investigation into who leaked it etc.

 

[killer b]

Masterful understatement. He’s completely changed his mind it seems and is now happy with the Starmer announced investigation into who leaked it etc.

I dont think I've particularly understated it? Certainly not masterfully.

Here anyway

 

[Shechemite]

the lawyer concerned (Mark Lewis) has apparently said they will be going after anyone who got hold of a copy of the report

Is the ‘full’ version you shared here the unredacted one Gramsci - complainants names and all?