Labour Left Alliance

The abandonment of Jeremy Corbyn, by almost half of the so called, ‘Socialist Campaign Group’ of Labour MPs, shows the complete absence of a spine, and total moral bankruptcy. A letter calling for his reinstatement to the party was signed by only 18 of the 34 members of the SCG. While those who signed are the cream of the parliamentary Labour party, it has to be said that their stoicism in the face of the purge, and their strategic acumen, is somewhat timid and highly questionable. 

In the face of the cynical weaponization of anti-Semitism, and the grotesquely exaggerated claims and allegations of the smear campaign, they said and did nothing.

Ruthless witch hunt

Confronted by a ruthless witch hunt and the victimisation of thousands of left wingers, they have completely failed to even acknowledge, let alone confront reality. Apology and appeasement in search of unity with a right wing, determined to crush the left at all costs, was, and is, their chosen strategy. It has proved to be a complete and utter disaster.

It allowed the undermining, that brought about the eventual downfall of Jeremy Corbyn, to take place virtually unopposed. It saw the defeat of Rebecca Long Bailey, and the victory of Sir Keir Starmer, in the subsequent leadership election. That in turn led to the appointment of arch right winger David Evans, as General Secretary of the party. Jenny Formby lasted exactly a month under Sir Keir’s new management.

Contrast this to the two and a half years, that Iain McNicol was allowed to continue in his role as General Secretary when Jeremy was leader.

The 850 page leaked report graphically revealed how the full time apparatus, in the Governance and Legal Unit, and the General Secretaries Office, relentlessly worked against the elected leadership of the Labour party. Even undermining efforts to win the 2017 General Election.

Sir Keir had the problems posed by the leaked report kicked into the long grass. He set up the Forde inquiry, it was given very dubious reference terms. It was made up of right wing Labour peers. All of which led to allegations of a whitewash. The inquiry was supposed to report in July, this was then put back to September. The latest promise is December.

The Panorama court case

Then there was the Panorama court case that never was. Despite legal advice that this was a winnable case, the risk of the truth being brought to the surface in the course of a court hearing, was far too risky for the right. The litigants were bought off with six figure sums, and an apology was made. By this time, it was clear to all but the most disingenuous, that a pattern was developing.  It came as no surprise when the deeply flawed, Equalities and Human Rights Commissions report into Anti-Semitism, was cynically spun, by our knight of the realm and his cohorts.

They used it to justify escalating and perpetuating the grossly exaggerated smear campaign, and to continue the purge of the left in the Labour party. The myth that there is institutional anti-Semitism in the Labour party is a ridiculous and grotesque exaggeration. Our left wing heroes of the parliamentary Labour party know that only too well.

However, they refuse to mention or confront the massive lie that anti semetism is rife in the Labour party, or to defend victims of the witch hunt. When, following the publication of the EHRC report, Jeremy Corbyn issued a statement that was typically mild and honest he was suspended.

His statement condemned anti-Semitism but pointed out that claims that it was a major problem in the Labour party had been exaggerated. For this, he was suspended from the Labour party.

For anyone looking on, who genuinely doesn’t know what is going on, it would appear to beggar belief. Unfortunately, there are many of the faux left who pretend to not know what is going on. They know exactly what is happening. However, acknowledging a problem exists in turn means confronting it.

Weaponisation of anti-Semitism

Despite the fact that the witch hunt, and the weaponisation of anti-Semitism, had claimed its ultimate victim, the so called ‘left’, of the parliamentary Labour party continued to turn a blind eye and sing the same tune. Acceptance of the lie, apology and appeasement, bemoaning the unfairness of it all, claiming to be in search of the ever elusive unity. If only the right wing would be more reasonable, etc, etc.

Quite frankly, some of them are an embarrassment and beneath contempt. A combination of cowardice, dishonesty and pursuit of vested self-interest. It is a fact that the starting salary of an MP £85,000. Plus expenses, a gold plated pension and a subsidised canteen. There is no doubt that it is a world away from the one that most of us must live in. A prestigious position worth protecting, one that could disappear if the wrath of the leadership is incurred by telling the truth.

Look at what happened to Jeremy. We know exactly what the right wing majority of the parliamentary Labour party are, we witnessed their botched coup against Corbyn in 2016. This article is an observation of the so called left, almost half of who, haven’t even got the backbone to sign a letter calling for Corbyn’s reinstatement. Even those who did steadfastly refuse to confront reality and speak the truth about the weaponisation of anti-Semitism, and the grotesquely exaggerated smear campaign.

Despite their histrionics in the name of common sense, their silence in relation to the weaponisation and exaggeration of antisemitism is complicity in the smear campaign and the witch hunt by default. This spineless approach, has and continues to be, the central reason for the routing of the left. ▲