Posts Tagged ‘Israel’
The Devious Defenders Of Israel’s Government And Their Fake Allegations of Antisemitism.
Never before have I given any credence to the idea that there is a massive Jewish conspiracy but the ludicrous spectacle of the campaign against Corbyn is making me re-evaluate my position.
Similarly, never before have I experienced feelings and opinions against Jews as a group. Yet the organised dishonesty, deceit and calculated smears against Corbyn make me extremely angry about the way this tiny minority, about 270,000 people in the UK, is bullying, dominating and subverting our national agenda.
Any prejudice, for any reason, is wrong but neither of these opinions come from a place of prejudice or pre-judging, they come from careful consideration of the evidence and my experience. Clearly, not all Jews support the unjustified attacks on Corbyn and the wildly exaggerrated claims of antisemitism but it seems to be a majority. That majority, in my opinion, is having a malign influence in our country.
The editors of the three Jewish newspapers which jointly attacked Corbyn shamelessly conflate Jews, Judaism and Israel. The other great myth, endlessly repeated and endorsed by a supine media establishment, is that antisemitism is racism. It is not. Religious faith is a choice and discrimination against followers of a faith, while wrong, is not even in the same ballpark as true racism. This subversive attack on democracy and free speech has to stop.
It is sucking in so many other strands of our society which fear to question or challenge the Jewish position for fear of being accused of antisemitism. Of course. many are choosing to align themselves with it for political advantage. The despicable rump of Blairite Labour MPs are cock-a-hoop at the abuse of Corbyn and exploit it ruthlessly for their own ends. Also complicit, although at least they are not guilty of treachery, are the Conservative politicians and supporters who simply cannot believe their luck that the spotlight on prejudice has swung away from the right.
The sickeningly pious virtue-signalling of journalists and the Twitterati feed on this frenzy. It is disgusting to see how so many are jumping on this bandwagon and are unable, nor even attempt to justify it.
Of course there is antisemtism as there are all forms of prejudice in our society, all of which are wrong but I do not believe it is a problem of any great significance in Britain or in the Labour Party any more than in any other political party or similar group. Those who deny the Holocaust are simply idiots, so foolish and misguided that they pose no real threat. What is undoubtedly true is that there is a systematic, organised and increasingly successful effort to characterise opposition to the policies of the Israeli government as antisemitism.
This is not the occasion to go into the many war crimes of the Israeli state. I have written about them extensively before. With the passing of the nation-state law, just a fortnight ago, Israel has enshrined racism and apartheid in its national identity. This is full justification for the complaints of the Palestinian people over many decades. It shows that in Netanyahu and the majority of the Knesset, the allegations have been correct. These are evil and malevolent people driving a regime of brutality, discrimination, intolerance and hate which by any ethical standard is criminal. It is correct that this should be compared to the Nazi regime because never have there been two regimes conducting themselves in similar fashion while pretending to be part of a modern civilised society. The Labour Party’s refusal to adopt those examples in the IHRA definition of antisemitism which are merely Israeli propaganda is correct.
All those MPs, journalists and commentators joining in this madness of fake antisemitism and denial of valid comparison with the Nazis are complict in the crimes of the Israeli state. They may have leapt on the bandwagon for purportedly honourable reasons but they must take responsibility for their part in the baying, hysterical mob.
I remain a Tory on fundamental principles but what is most important in a politician and a leader is integrity. Corbyn has that in spades, unlike few other UK politicians. His courageous stand against the pressure on him from the pro-Israel lobby and those exploiting it makes him a giant amongst MPs. For that reason, not for his policies but also to bring down this corrupt Conservatives government, I support him and I shall vote for him at the next election.
I have been concerned, even a little scared, to publish my opinion in these terms but that is the iniquitous, insidious nature of Israeli propaganda and fake claims of antisemitism. I have been subject to vile abuse in the past for my opinions and there are lowlife abusers who continue to stalk me and try to twist my words and deeds to inflame the mob but these issues are too important. I will not be silenced by political correctness, populist bandwagons or personal abuse.
I really don’t care what religious delusion anyone chooses to pursue. Jews are no more nor less deluded than Christians, Muslims or Hindus. Extremists in all these religions are weird and often involved in inexcusable violence and abuse. When, from any religion, its activists undermine and endanger the most precious tenets of our secular democracy (which has enough problems already) they must be stopped. The subversive by nature pro-Israel lobby, the increasingly strident Jewish support for fake claims of antisemitism and the hijacking of this issue by self-serving politicians and the media has to stop.
Definition of Antisemitism
I fully support the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism:
“Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.”
However, I do not support and I strongly oppose the examples given by the IHRA which are nothing to do with Jews or Judaism but are about support of the war criminal state of Israel. Specifically:
“Drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis.”
This is nothing to do with antisemitism, Jews or Judaism. It is, sadly, an entirely appropriate, justified and accurate comparison of the conduct of the Israeli state with the conduct of the Nazis. It is particularly ironic and cruel that the state established as the homeland for Jewish people, who suffered such dreadful persecution, should conduct itself in such similar fashion.
UK Parliament Will Lose Its Legitimacy If It Fails To Act In Defence Of Palestine
Netanyahu is nothing but a murderer.
In Israel, he and his IDF gangsters use tear gas and live ammunition on people who are throwing stones because their land has been stolen from them. Israel calls this self-defence.
Anyone who stands idly by without at least speaking out is complicit in murder, most particularly our political leaders. If the British Parliament fails to act on this it no longer has any legitimacy. If Theresa May fails to act she bears personal responsibility and cannot be immune from revenge.
What Is This Alleged Anti-Semitism In The Labour Party? Is It A Secret? Does It Even Exist?
London, UK. Friday 5th September 2012. ‘Freedom for Humanity’ a street art graffiti work by artist Mear One aka Kalen Ockerman on Hanbury Street near Brick Lane. Tower Hamlets has ordered that the mural be removed as the characters depicted as bankers have faces that look Jewish, and is therefore antisemitic.
My regular readers will know that I am no supporter of the Labour Party but I am bemused by the wall-to-wall coverage about what you would think is an extremely serious issue.
We have been given absolutely no explanation at all of what this is all about.
The only substance seems to be that in 2012, Corbyn commented on a Facebook post of a mural in East London which was about to be whitewashed over. Apparently he agreed that as a piece of art it should be left alone. Perhaps he didn’t look at it closely enough? I don’t know and I really don’t care. Ferreting around in people’s old social media posts used to be the preserve of obsessive nutters, trolls and sad young wannabe journalists with nothing better to do. Now it seems to be one of the BBC’s main ‘news’ sources.
If this mural is the sole reason for all this hyperbolic coverage, what exactly is the matter with the mural? It lampoons some caricatures of Jews but it wasn’t long ago that we were encouraged to permit lampooning of images of Mohammed as free speech. This is clear bias, a ridiculous amount of coverage and yet more proof that the BBC is increasingly focused by lobby groups for minorities to the detriment of the majority.
As for the Labour MPs sabotaging their party in puerile demonstrations outside Parliament, what is it all about? I asked on Twitter, “where and what is this anti-semitism” and I received just a couple of replies both referring me to the Twitter feed of a Jack Mendel who describes himself as the Web Editor of Jewish News UK. The pinned tweet which is supposed to justify this hysteria can be seen here.
There is nothing to see. It’s a conspiracy theory more suited to a spotty, adolescent 14-year old locked in his bedroom stinking of smelly socks than anything remotely serious.
On the evidence, and remember I am no supporter of Corbyn, the far more likely explanation is that this is a smear campaign which is really about the righteous opposition to the war criminal state of Israel and its apartheid and genocide against the Palestinian people.
Has There Ever Been A Worse UK Government Than This?
I am a member of the Conservative Party – just. My annual subscription is due and I feel physically sick at the prospect of doing anything that is supportive of the appalling collection of third and fourth rates that presently sit round the cabinet table.
The Conservative Party has Lost Its Way. We Need To Get Back To Being Tories.
We need to re-focus on our fundamental principles: individual liberty, individual responsibility, small government, free markets, evidence-based policy and a benevolent, responsible, one-nation approach.
Let’s face it, we’ve had a privileged toff, little more than a ponce on the nation, who from his position of wealth found it very easy to impose austerity on people with whom he was totally out-of-touch. Throughout his political career he vacillated and dithered on policy because he has no principles except self-advancement. Now we have some fake Tory, an authoritarian bureaucrat with big government, nanny state instincts, daughter of a high Anglican priest stuck in some 195os delusion of what Britain is today.
Meanwhile, a socialist activist but a man with integrity, courage and vision has stolen our place. Jeremy Corbyn provides more leadership in the UK than the entire Conservative cabinet put together. He was magnificent at Glastonbury, seizing the hearts and minds of not just the young but the young at heart – seizing the future! Where is the Tory alternative? There is great excitement, belief and enthusiasm for Brexit, 17.4 million people voted for it! Where is the Conservative spokesperson passionately declaiming this? The party has been hijacked by Remainers, determined to undermine the referendum result, interested only in the ambitions and concerns of the Westminster Elite.
When I try to talk to my MP, Sir Oliver Letwin, formerly number three in Cameron’s cabinet, although I am talking to someone a few months younger than me, I feel I am talking to my father’s generation – and to someone particularly old-fashioned and out-of-touch. My local Conservative Party branch, charming though many of the members are, is like an episode of Last of the Summer Wine, as disconnected from the rest of the UK as Cameron is from anyone on less than £250k per annum. At 59, I’m a youngster.
It’s outrageous really that my party has got itself into such a state with years of weak opposition, popular support for non-socialist policies and, until Corbyn, an absence of effective alternative leadership. It’s nothing less than disastrous and unless we change now we are doomed. The membership is old and dying. If we don’t get a grip within five years we will be gone forever.
A Perfect Storm Of Failure, Corruption And Arrogance.
I’ve been fascinated by and active in politics since the late 1970s. Never in my lifetime have I seen such a combination of mistakes and scandalous cock-ups. Brexit has been sabotaged by dithering and delay – and I’m quite ready to believe this is a calculated deceit. With the BBC, the bankers and the Twitterati renewing Project Fear on a daily basis, is it any wonder that the going is tough? Cameron resigned because he said we needed a Leave supporter to take charge but instead we have a Remainer, one of the worst performing government ministers ever. How, after six years of persistent failure at the Home Office, she became PM is beyond belief but even more incredible is that after her terrible election performance she is still in No. 10. It is ridiculous!
The failures are all too easy to see but let’s list them to be certain that the huge scale of this crisis is understood.
Brexit – Total failure to plan, perhaps deliberately, best illustrated by the absurd spectacle, just last month, of the Home Office commissioning analysis of the economic and social contributions and costs of EU citizens in Britain. Surely something that should have been done years ago? Boris Johnson and Michael Gove have both proved themselves to be lacking in courage and leadership skills. The bumptious fool Dr Liam Fox, who does seem to stick to his principles on Brexit, shames us by his foreign adventures, recently praising the murdering thug President Duterte of the Philippines as having ‘shared values’ with Britain.
NHS – Persistent deceit from ministers, including the utterly in-credible Jeremy Hunt, about how much money in real terms the health service is receiving. Scandalous failure to keep multiple promises about mental health having parity with physical health.
Democracy – The UK’s system of government is now a joke compared to other modern democracies. Our electoral system is primitive. Conservative and Labour parties conspire to keep the system as it is because it keeps them both in power. It is obvious that we should be moving towards some form of proportional representation, online voting and a radical shake-up of the House of Lords. MPs also need to be much more accountable. The terrible murder of Jo Cox has let too many of them off the hook that the expenses scandal put them on. Recently they have been whining about the abuse they get online. In general they deserve it for the terrible job they are doing. Also, they get protection from the police for such abuse. The police are useless when it’s a member of the public under attack. We need a job description for MPs, rights for constituents and a complaints procedure with teeth.
Social policy – I am ashamed at how Conservative ministers in reality are indistinguishable from the populist caricature of the ‘arrogant, uncaring, effing Tories’. The Grenfell Tower tragedy encapsulates everything that is wrong with the high-handed view that they take of the people who pay their wages.
Justice – After food, shelter and health what is more important than justice? The destruction of legal aid is one of the most dreadful developments in my lifetime. All governments delight in making more and more law but what use is it if it cannot be enforced? There is no justice if it is not available to everyone. I am delighted at the Supreme Court’s ruling that makes legal aid available once again for employment tribunals Without it employment law was literally useless and thousands have been deprived of their rights. And for his disastrous, destructive, incompetent and thoroughly nasty attitude the man who defines injustice in modern Britain is Chris Grayling. No other minster has more disgraced our party. He is unfit to be in government and why he remains anywhere near ministerial office is unbelievable. No one individual better epitomises the nasty, arrogant, incompetent Tory.
Prisons – There is no greater truth than that in a free society we are defined by how we treat those we send to jail. This is a terrible condemnation of Britain. Our prison system is a production line for turning petty criminals into alienated, aggressive, violent repeat offenders. There is no one who deserves the additional punishments we impose on top of deprivation of liberty. I would make an exception for Chris Grayling who really should be made to experience a taste of his own medicine. The Netherlands is closing prisons because it doesn’t send enough people to jail. We should swallow our pride and copy their system exactly.
Technology – As the nation that has led the world in virtually all new technologies, we are now falling a long way behind. The government has failed miserably to give enough priority to high speed internet. We will never catch up now and our children and our businesses are forever disadvantaged. Progress is hampered in development of new energy sources, transport and infrastructure by bureaucracy, endless bickering between special interest groups and weak strategic management. The EU has magnified all these problems and prevented progress in GM foods and other technologies that are essential to our future.
Transport – With Chris Grayling at the helm and the farce that is HS2, there is no hope for a sensible transport strategy. I simply don’t buy the argument that a slightly faster journey time between north and south will do anything to create a better future. Train fares are ludicrously high. The conditions commuters are expected to travel under are ridiculous. The Southern Rail scandal is a microcosm of government incompetence and inaction. It should have been re-nationalised at least a year ago and there should be massive fines and penalties on those responsible for the chaos, including individuals. I see no conflict with Conservative principles in re-nationalising the whole network. The mess that has prevailed since privatisation could not be any worse and compare us with railway networks and service on the continent for a true picture of our national shame and decay.
Environment – Technology and transport converge with environmental policy and this is a difficult, challenging area of policy. What we need is strong leadership – no, not the empty claims of Mrs May but the real leadership of Mrs Thatcher. Even the despicable Tony Blair showed more leadership than we have had from any current Conservative politician. We need to take bold decisions and act on them. Ecology and controlling pollution must be a real priority but we must not be distracted by the greeny loons and their endless prevarication and delays. I have no objection to fracking as long as it is strictly regulated and in recent visits to Ireland I have seen how forests of wind turbines do not destroy wonderful countryside and can have their own beauty, just as we now revere Victorian aqueducts and civil engineering. Most of all though we should racing ahead with tidal power. As an island it has to be our future and its potential is unlimited.
Northern Ireland – I hope one of the by-products of Brexit will be a united Ireland. There is no longer a real majority of unionists in the six counties and it only ever existed because of immigrants from Scotland. The UK’s shameful history in Ireland places a heavy obligation on us. We are one and the same people and the damage inflicted by the English Parliament on our neighbours must be put right. We are far closer to the Irish than we are to the French, the Dutch or the Belgians. As independent nations, with Ulster properly restored, we could be closer than ever and if Ireland wishes to remain in the EU, we should respect that.
Drugs Policy – No policy better demonstrates the incompetence, prejudice, cowardice and corruption of government ministers from all parties. Deaths from drug overdose have reached an all time high. There has been an explosion in highly toxic new psychoactive substances and the Psychoactive Substances Act 2016 has increased harms, deaths, associated crime and potency, exactly as was predicted, warnings the government chose to ignore. The government has refused to consider or take any expert advice on introducing legal access to medical cannabis, something that virtually all other modern democracies are moving forward on. Its continuing policy on cannabis defies scientific evidence and real-life experience from places where reform has been implemented. It also supports the criminal market, encourages street dealing, dangerous hidden cannabis farms and the production of poor quality, low-CBD, so-called ‘skunk’ cannabis.
Defence – A catalogue of cock-ups, dullards in charge and weak, indecisive leadership. In my view we should cancel the renewal of Trident and spend more on conventional weapons and defence measures which we may actually have to use. We should retain some battlefield nuclear weapons but invest more in our soldiers and their technology. We should also look after them far better when they leave the service
Foreign Affairs – The UK is the world superpower in ‘soft power’. Our culture, language, history give us more influence than any other nation and we should be proud to exercise it. We should have the courage to stand for our principles, independently of the USA and Europe. The £12 billion we give in international aid is far too much when there is real poverty at home but even if we halved the present budget we would still lead the world. We are responsible for the injustice perpetrated on the Palestinian people when we facilitated the seizure of their land in the 1940s. We should be standing up to Israel which has become an out-of-control monster. We created it and we must take responsibility for bringing it to order and helping it to live alongside its neighbours respectfully. Its conduct is unacceptable and we should be pursuing war crimes prosecutions against Netanyahu and many of his cronies.
Housing – The housing crisis needs a courageous, radical solution, not the pathetic, sticking plaster gimmicks and gestures that is all we have had for 50 years. Massive investment in social housing would create jobs and boost the economy all round. We shouldn’t hesitate. We shouldn’t fear a dramatic fall in house prices caused by massive extra supply. We have to get real and government must stop shirking its responsibility for a strategic role that only it can fill.
Boris is the only one with a brain
I have not yet decided whether I shall renew my membership. I’m not even sure if there is any future in the UK for me. Brexit was a great opportunity which has been sabotaged, perhaps fatally. Britain may well become a tourist destination, fascinating for the way such a small nation led the world for centuries. We are being led by weak, ineffectual, self-serving, out-of-touch and out-of date politicians. As the Conservative Party is dying, it is dragging Britain down with it.
How Much So-Called ‘Anti-Semitism’ is Actually Opposition To Israeli War Crimes?
Yes, On This Subject I Am A Corbyn Supporter
It suits supporters of Netanyahu’s gangster regime to characterise any and all opposition to it as anti-semitism. It’s also true that much of that opposition and emotional outrage is badly framed and expressed so that it can be easily or deliberately misinterpreted as opposition to the Jewish people and their religion. But the Israeli regime itself plays fast and loose with the confusion between state, race, nationality and religion. It twists and distorts anything to justify its apartheid policy and genocide of the Palestinian people.
Personally, I see very little anti-semitism. In fact I cannot remember the last time I saw any words, behaviour or actions that could properly be described as such. On the other hand there are daily examples of the brutal discrimination, oppression, murder, land theft and extra-judicial execution of Palestinians.
So I call total balderdash on the invented stories of anti-semitism within Labour. In this instance, I believe Jeremy Corbyn and Shami Chakrabati are absolutely in the right. Of course, there are the loony left extremists in Labour who are a danger to the whole of our society. They undoubtedly push their delusional agenda of a Jewish banker mafia but they are bonkers anyway. We all have to deal with their idiocy on a daily basis. The far greater danger they pose is their already-achieved elimination of any effective parliamentary opposition.
No, the accusations of anti-semitism, including from the Home Affairs Committee, come from the pro-zionist apologists for Israeli war crimes. I really don’t believe that amongst decent, honourable British people of all political persuasions, there is any significant anti-Jewish prejudice or actions. Obviously I’m not saying it never happens but it’s largely Israeli government propaganda.
The answer is to root out the corrupt Israeli lobby in the UK Parliament and in US Senate and Congress. Stand up to Netanyahu and the despicable conduct of so many in the Knesset. Give the Israeli people back the freedom to live in peace with their neighbours and for the nation to flourish without the hatred and oppression which constrains it today.
Home Secretary Invites CLEAR To ‘Enter A Dialogue’ On Cannabis Law Reform.
Rt. Hon. Amber Rudd MP, Secretary of State for the Home Department
In a letter dated 15th August 2016, Amber Rudd, the new Home Secretary, has invited CLEAR to raise “any queries and concerns” about present UK policy on cannabis. This is the first time since 2006, with Charles Clarke, that the UK cannabis campaign has had any direct contact with a serving Home Secretary. It reflects the reality, now recognised in government, that changes in cannabis policy are imminent.
In recent months, there has been a manifest and significant change in attitudes within the Home Office. We have seen this through the process of obtaining a low THC cultivation licence for our partnership with GroGlo Research and Development. The response from the drugs licensing department has been enthusiastic. There has been no difficulty with our declared purpose of producing CBD oil for sale as a food supplement and we are now in detailed discussions on our application for a high THC licence, looking towards clinical trials for a medical product for chronic pain.
As soon as Theresa May announced that Amber Rudd would be heading up the Home Office, I contacted my MP, now Sir Oliver Letwin, thanks to Cameron’s resignation honours list. Although he will not openly support our campaign, in the past year or so he has been very helpful indeed, meeting with me on roughly a monthly basis and helping me navigate through the Conservative government. He has now put me in direct contact with Ms Rudd and I will be preparing a written submission as a preliminary to a face-to-face meeting.
In accordance with CLEAR policy, our first concern is how we can enable UK residents to gain access to medicinal cannabis on a doctor’s prescription. In practice that means Bedrocan products as there is presently no other source of prescribable, consistent, high-quality, herbal cannabis. I would expect that to change very soon though. Both Canada and Israel look like potential near-future sources. GW Pharmaceuticals is undoubtedly considering entering the market and our venture with GroGlo could shift gear depending on how quickly UK policy changes.
We will also be addressing the need for wider reform and a legally regulated market for adult consumers. Although medicinal access remains the top priority, there is no doubt that more overall harm is caused by prohibition of the recreational market. It is this that creates the £6 billon per annum criminal market which is the cause of all the social harms around cannabis. This will need to be handled much more carefully as, due to nearly a century of misinformation and media scaremongering, many people still retain great fear as to what legal cannabis will mean.
The one thing that has been very lacking in the cannabis campaign is pragmatism. Most campaigners for recreational use continue to be lost in a swirl of ‘free the weed’, teenage angst, outrage, revolution and delight in being a rebellious outlaw. That was until 2011 when CLEAR introduced a new approach which has led to more engagement with government than ever before. The emergence of the United Patients Alliance and now the End Our Pain campaign has helped this but these campaigns are focused only on medicinal use
The fact is that we need to work with Theresa May’s government and the anti-Tory tribalism that many still adopt is nothing but an obstacle to reform.
In addressing Ms Rudd, our overall strategy for wider reform will be:
1. A final separation from the ridiculous ‘free the weed’ movement and ‘stoner’ groups which are incapable of understanding how they are seen and despised by wider society.
2. Differentiation between medicinal use and the more controversial legalisation for adult, recreational use.
3. Shift public attention onto scientific and medical evidence rather than the very poor standard of media reporting.
4. End the fake policy that says ‘cannabis is dangerous therefore it must be regulated’. Educate that nearly all the harms around cannabis are caused by its prohibition, not by cannabis itself.
5. Emphasise the importance of harm reduction information, education about excessive use and essential investment in treatment for those who do suffer health harms.
6. Clarify that decriminalisation is no solution and is a dangerous option that would probably increase harm. The product needs to be sold within a properly regulated environment, careful that over-regulation would support a continuing criminal market.
