In 2013, when Ed Miliband was leader of the Labour Party, the Daily Mail launched a shameful attack on his late father Ralph – and of course by proxy on Ed Miliband himself – calling him “The man who hated Britain“.
Ralph Miliband was a Jewish refugee from the nazis who became a key figure in UK left-wing politics. Accusing a Jewish person of greater loyalty to another country is considered intrinsically antisemitic.
Ed Miliband, labelled ‘Red Ed’ by the tabloid press, was considerably more to the left than some in his party wanted in their leader. Many of those now attacking the current Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn – and especially the Labour right, which benefited from the attacks – were silent.
Miliband attacked the Mail for lying about his late father – but Tory politicians supported the claims, including then Health and now Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt:
And one journalist, an arch-critic of Corbyn in the attacks now, went on record to approve of the attack:
Of the few politicians who had the morals and backbone to publicly defend the memory of the dead Jewish Labour activist – and by extension his son – was a little-known Labour backbencher.
He did not hold back – and appeared on the BBC to show support for the defamed Jewish activist:
Comment:
Jeremy Corbyn’s strong article in yesterday’s Guardian reaching out to the Jewish community has been attacked by his critics as cynical.
But in 2013, when few had heard of him and he had nothing to gain politically from it, he was among those who stood shoulder to shoulder with the man then leading the Labour Party to defend Ed Miliband’s late father from a vile attack on his memory.
Many of those now attacking Corbyn cannot say the same.
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Just shows that this brouhaha has nothing much to do with anti-Semitism.
It’s about Israel. Corbyn’s long-standing support for the Palestinians and Ed Miliband’s support for a Palestinian state got them smeared by the pro-Israel lobby, even though Miliband is Jewish.
And some of the same people who smeared Miliband’s Jewish dad are now pretending to defend Jews against anti-Semitism. Corbyn, consistent as ever, defended people from anti-Semitic smears then and he’s still doing it.
The figures don’t lie
During the pro Israel Blair years 25%+ of Jews supported Labour. This dropped dramatically to 14% in the pro Palistine Miliband years and has dropped marginally to 13% since Corbyn was voted leader.
Not sure how you can make that claim but as the Jewish community is so small in a country of 65 million it’s actually insignificant. If they want to vote for the Tories it’s their loss as all polls say they are more antisemitic than Labour (may or may not be accurate).
Perhaps a million voters may be so pissef off with the hyperventilated lies about Corbyn they may switch to Labour. I’m Jewish but I know even among my non-Jewish circle of friends they are getting a tad pissed off with the Corbyn smears & are increasingly viewing the Jewish “community” as self-centered whingers. Perceptions are everything and exaggerations can have the opposite result than intended.
https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk/2017/07/can-jeremy-corbyns-labour-win-back-jewish-vote
Ed Miliband’s Labour saw a collapse in the share of the Jewish vote, with massive gains for the Conservatives. Under Corbyn, relations have not improved.
Corbyn’s difficulty appealing to Jews at the ballot box must be put in context. A Survation poll before the election found only 13 per cent of Jews were planning to vote Labour in 2017, but two years earlier, in 2015, just 14 per cent said they were backing Miliband’s Labour before Corbyn’s ascent to the leadership.
Really? I would have thought difficult figures to prove. If true, then the dominance of right wing racist views , particularly against Palestine, might be the conclusion I make about the Jewish community in this country.
The Jewish Chronicle seem to be quite happy to publish similar information
https://www.thejc.com/news/uk-news/labour-support-just-13-per-cent-among-uk-jews-1.439325
Any conclusions you reach ifrom this Survation Survey info are entirely your own.
This might give you a little food for thought though
“A quiz question: Where were Theresa May and her husband the night before she became Prime Minister?
Answer: at dinner with the Chief Rabbi at his house. He mentioned to her how friendly he had been with David Cameron. Politically neutral? No, I don’t think so.”
I’m sure when I read through the comments earlier, someone said that this ‘story’ only appeared in the Daily Mail. Well if that’s the case, then it makes sense, as I’m sure the Mail is by far the most widely read national daily by Jewish people (which of course is more than a little ironic to say the very least given it’s support of Hitler and the Nazis for many years). And I have no doubt that if the Express had been the most widely read daily by the Jewish community, this hit job would have appeared in the Express!
But, what I was wondering, is if the Jewish Chronical had anything to say about this at the time, or the other two Jewish newspapers that recently joined forces with the JC to try and scare the sh…it out of the Jewish community. I’m off to beddy-byes now, but will do some checking later.
Tom Watson’s up to no good again in the Huffpost:
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/tom-watson-hits-out-at-labours-handling-of-anti-semitism-row/ar-BBLuOaZ?li=BBoPWjQ&ocid=mailsignout
Given that it’s almost three years since Jeremy became leader, it would be interesting to ascertain (from the NEC) how many cases there were of alleged anti-semitism in the three years BEFORE he became leader that the NEC dealt with, and how many there have SINCE he became leader. And ALSO ascertain in how many of the cases (those that have been dealt with, that is) – both before and after – were the allegations upheld. And also if any of the cases were ever reported or referred to the police.
What you have to bare in mind is that JC is not responsible for discipline the NEC is.
For the vast majority of the time JC has been in office McNicol and the Blairites were in control of the NEC and its disciplinary procedures.
During this time McNicol & Co. delayed the implementation of the Chakrabarti Report and the disciplinary procedures of the party descended into farce where the NEC devoted its efforts to preventing new members from voting rather than disciplining people who’d actually breached the party rules. The rulings they came out with also became increasingly bizarre and appeared at odds with natural justice, Marc Wadsworth for instance.
Throughout the whole of this period there was no outcry or faux outrage from JLM or the RW
But low and behold the very moment the RW lose control and Jennie and her team start to clear up their mess, implement the Chakrabarti Report in full and make the disciplinary procedures (that the RW neglected) fit for purpose, up pops the RW with a concerted campaign to oust JC by blaming him for the problems that McNicol and the RW created and then abandoned.
Yes I know JC isn’t responsible for the NEC etc, and you obviously misunderstood the point I was making.
My point was of course that it’s precisely because the vast majority of cases of alleged anti-semitism are phony and bogus and concocted, and designed to sabotage JC’s leadership and demonise the left, that there have been so many cases SINCE he became leader AND, very, very few in the three years PRIOR to him becoming leader AND, that very few, if any, are ever upheld precisely because they ARE phony and bogus.
I wasn’t referring to the false accusers blaming JC – falsely – for cases of A/S etc taking so long to be dealt with. THAT had nothing whatsoever to do with my post. Never-the-less, you make a very good point – ie observation – that the false accusers only started blaming Jeremy for THAT once McNicol was gone etc (and I think Ava Etemadzadeh – who made the despicable and revolting false allegations against Kelvin Hopkins – jumped on that one as well a few months ago!).
There was once a senior person in British politics who secretly got the Israelis the heavy water they needed for nuclear weapons development and against obvious British government policy, are we now living in an orwellian world where to declare that fact would be labelled antisemitic?
Sometimes you need to call a spade a spade.
Sometimes, there are people more loyal to support the ends of countries other than which they reside in.
Loyalty to another country is different to proposing different economic systems.
It could be argued that an economic system which has allowed jobs to be sent overseas, foreign states including hostile ones to own our national infrastructure and run essential public services, and assorted oligarchs and rich foreign nationals to buy up swathes of property is not particularly loyal to this country too.
There’s no reply option alongside Sam’s contribution. So this is for him: Good on yer mate. Good to hear that Jews all over the country are not buying into this crap. We are right behind them as we hope they are right behind us – and there is no us and them. We are Labour. We are Corbyn. And to show there is no anti-semitism OF ANY KIND HERE – אנחנו עבודה
Can you be a socialist and subscribe to ‘My country, right or wrong’?
I think not but those who laud ‘patriotism’ demand it.
My socialism requires me to recognise the wrongs committed by British governments past and present as well as those of others.
It’s important to mitigate the effects of historic wrongs on their victims’ descendants where possible but righting today’s wrongs saves more lives.
If socialism holds every person alive today to be of equal value – as I believe it should – the concept of patriotism is anathema.
To me nationhood is an outdated construct of kings that instant global communication already makes redundant.
Like many, I speak online to more people outwith the UK than within.
I believe this to be the first point in history where world peace and world war are equally possible outcomes of technology and politics.
I also believe that a single nuclear power renouncing those weapons, its imperial past and all future foreign adventures might just tip the balance in favour of peace.
Sorry if I broke WordPress. Wasn’t my fault I swear.
Can you be a socialist and subscribe to ‘My country, right or wrong’?
I think not but those who laud ‘patriotism’ demand it.
My socialism requires me to recognise the wrongs committed by British governments past and present as well as those of others.
It’s important to mitigate the effects of historic wrongs on their victims’ descendants where possible but righting today’s wrongs saves more lives.
If socialism holds every person alive today to be of equal value – as I believe it should – the concept of patriotism is anathema.
To me nationhood is an outdated construct of kings that instant global communication already makes redundant.
Like many, I speak online to more people outwith the UK than within.
I believe this to be the first point in history where world peace and world war are equally possible outcomes of technology and politics.
I also believe that a single nuclear power renouncing those weapons, its imperial past and all future foreign adventures might just tip the balance in favour of peace.
Ralph Miliband – war hero. Peter Dacre (father of Paul Dacre the Mail Editor) meanwhile spent WWII as showbiz columnist.
It’s a shame the Press Watchdog didn’t order the Mail to run that headline, nor did other papers pick up on it.
The Daily Mail of course was keen to give Britan away to Hitler. It was the leading appeasement newspaper that also attacked Jews.
Ralph Miliband was a Marxist intellectual as were many Jewish people in Germany in the 20s and 30s. He was very intelligent unlike Dan Doges and a nice man, also unlike Dan Hodges, who is I believe the son of Glenda Jackson former Labour MP. He used to live with her in Blackheath. Maybe she can pass on a message. He started his political career nepotistically, in her office and was an unpleasant individual even then. The free market economy that Hunt goes on about , deregulated, brought us the credit crunch.
Also shows that intelligence is not inherited. Glenda Jackson was smart and fought for working people while her creepy son is a right wing bigot churning out partisan rubbish for a gutter rag.
It seems that Glenda Jackson has had something of a change of heart. My husband takes “The Guardian” weekend edition and Jackson was featured in the magazine yesterday.
She states that she “greatly admires” Theresa May, probably THE most incompetent PM this country has ever seen, who during her tenure at 10 Downing Street has overseen a vicious austerity that has caused widespread homelessness, destitution and even premature death.
As for Jeremy Corbyn, Jackson states that she preferred him when he was a (powerless) back bencher who sat near to her during her time as an MP.
The article also mentions that Dan Hedges is her son and that he is a “Guardian” journalist. Few of us are unaware of that paper’s fall from grace for those of us on the left.
Like mother, like son!
Dan Hodges has written for the Torygraph for a long time, not the Guardian. He is vile and found a niche for himself by nepotism -he was employed in his mother’s office when she was an MP. She is besotted with him and he can do no wrong. She expresses admiration for the ‘Death Star’ May in that weird way that some women admire women who keep on and on and on and on despite grotesque errors of judgement, gross failures of negotiation, arrogance and incompetence. It is a strange take but then, Jackson often had a strange take on politics and was never a socialist.
Saw Hodges on TV earlier. What a disgusting creature he is!
RM’s book ‘The State in Capitalist Society’ is well worth getting and reading.
Yes Ralph Miliband was a towering intellectual compared with the ameobas at the Mail and Sun etc (and ‘The State in a Capitalist Society’ is a classic which helped inform many a Left Wing journey) but I think we are all getting weary of the drip, drip from the political lightweights outside and within trying to wear JC and his supporters down with the latest from Tom ”The Snake’ Watson.
And where was this mediocre politician and Right Wing Labour MPs and the BOD, JLM etc. when we were on the front line opposing the attempted rise of Fascism on the streets;I am tired of the political imbeciles outside and within and the broken record technique plus heckling us from the back as WE demonstrate our anti-racism and anti- fascism and I call racism out when and wherever its ugly head appears such as when the Racist Right Wing Israeli Govt was threatening to deport thousands of black migrants from Israel which it stopped to an extent after pressure!
But the political morons within and without play a dangerous game as rich right wing barbarians plan to put millions into promoting far right parties and individual barbarians in Europe and globally (and perhaps the Left should stop naming the individual political barbarians – we shouldn’t give them the time of the day).
But I have a message for Right Wing Labour MPs – if you don’t like the JC Leadership then get out and that includes the 66 who voted to bomb in Syria – oh ‘Great Men and Women of History’ (without an original idea in your heads) perhaps you could join something else and find another way of making a fat living out of working people!
Labour under the brilliant Jeremy Corbyn must continue to focus on leading the crusade on fighting racism and discrimination in all its forms and all the other pressing matters brought about by this vile Neo-Liberal Tory Govt.
We must double our efforts to unite diverse working people from all BME groups, LGBT citizens, disabled citizens, black and white, young and old, men and women, the white working class and middle class (whilst trying to win the general middle class) as we try to transform the UK as an example to the World!
WE ARE THE MANY – THE BARBARIANS ARE THE FEW!
Solidarity!
They are rumors Jeremy will back off and accept 3 more exemples of the IHRA definition on antisemitism. If true it is simply devastating and may put the so called revolution in jeopardy. 1. It will show he his a weak leader., I mean if hé back down on that, imagine what he will do later for much much more important subjects. 2. It will show Labour isn’t so democratic after all if the leader can make alone this kind of décision. 3. It will not calm the opposition, it will actually make them stronger and will from now on know smears and lies could lead to victory. So if true, that will be the worst tactical move I’d seen and to be honest that would definitly break any hope I have for real change un UK.
The parliamentary route to socialism is not revolution Antoine in the sense that I think you mean. Corbyn’s policies are what is needed more than him (although he is an important figurehead for the young supporters) and he won’t go on for ever. Yet he has shown tremendous resolve under extreme pressure. No other leader would have withstood the attacks from within and without that he has. He was tghe reluctant leader after all when his name went forward. On this issue however, he started apologising about anti-Semitism (wrongly) when he knew it existed as in all societies, but was not widespread in the Party and that it had been weaponised by establishment figures within the Tory Party including Tory trolls, within Israel, and within the PLP who have used it to get him. They will never give up until they have toppled him. We who have seen how the Party was taken from the left during the Kinnock to Blair years, know it could take at least as long to wrest it back again. It is likely to be faster however because of the state of the UK and the state of the world. Actually, the right’s policies and the supporter’s of the right’s behaviours , make a real revolution more likely than not in a decade or so.
Interesting to see that RN’s older son doesn’t show much gratitude. He’s poring more ordure over Corbyn.
Ralph Miliband was a Marxist intellectual of high standing. His politics were a million times better than those of his two Blairite sons. However, I did feel some grudging respect for Ed Miliband (for the first and last time) when he defended his father against the doubtless truly antisemitic muckraking of the gutter press.
Having said that, I have to make some revision to my characterisation of the MSM as “the gutter press”, for in attacking the reputation of a dead man, they descended from the gutter to the sewer.
Knowing as he does, what the right-wing media and too many in the PLP can do for the reputation of principled socialist, you would think that Ed Miliband would do the decent thing and stick up, not only for Corbyn, but for others like Chris Williamson who have been witch-hunted. But, no, he adds his voice to the Blairite chorus. “Red Ed” he most definitely is not!