Labour MP spoke during televised interview
Reinstated Labour MP Chris Williamson has reached out to Jewish community leaders during a televised interview.
Speaking to RT, Williamson reaffirmed his commitment to fighting ‘racism in all its forms’ and said he would like to ‘work in tandem’ with the Board of Deputies (BoD) as ‘allies’:
Momentum founder Jon Lansman ignored Williamson’s gesture and chose instead to attack a tweet by Williamson thanking Labour members for their support for its supposed lack of contrition – but was taken to task by others pointing out Williamson’s comments to RT above.
Right-wing Labour MPs, meanwhile, were too busy trying to pressure Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn into interfering in the party’s disciplinary process – a screeching u-turn on their previous outrage at false media reports of such interference – to show any sign that they noticed or recognised Williamson’s attempt to build bridges.
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You can only build bridges with people who are open to it. And they show they are not willing to participate in this.
Exactly the opposite of course…… THEY are into blowing up bridges. But I’m sure Chris is fully aware of that – how could he NOT be! – and is just being diplomatic.
Why on Earth must he work with the JBDs and the JC. I don’t have the figures in hand but I am certain that they both back the Tories and any group that will attack our JC? Always remain courteous and polite but to remember they won’t be advocating for people to vote Labour. Regards
Is Lansmann in the right party? Double agent?
Your witty post rings alarmingly factual. More than a double, perhaps? Forget those ridiculous EU elections as most of the Labour voters round here couldn’t see the point. Compare our position now with our place in the polls previously. We should have more faith. Whatever people might think and say we will do well and that includes Richie Allen’s continuous abuse of JC, a man who has acted for the underdog from before Mr Allen was born. As for Momentum’s elite, well we know what they are all about. Time to refurbish Traitors Gate. Cheerio.
Chris, your gesture is admirable but figting anti-Semitism is not their concern and you are not their target, therefore at best they will ignore you and at worst they will humour you and use you. The Board of Deputies and others such as the JLM are only interested in one thing, which is to protect the colonialist occupiers of Palestine and ensure the continuation of the apartheid State of Israel.
In fact they need anti-Semitism to distract attention from their true motives of depriving the Palestinians of their land and homes. If they can use you to further that deception they will.
Jeremy Corbyn is their main target here because when he is PM he will have a place on the world stage with which to condemn Israeli atrocities against Palestinans and it terrifies the living daylights out of them.
Be very very careful if you get any response from them. You would be far better associating with Jewish Voice for Labour – JVL, they are a genuine Jewish movement dedicated to bringing a just peace to the Middle East.
Is Lansman in the inner or outer party? He participates in the 5 minutes hate but is he Winston, O’Brien, Julia or perhaps even Goldstein? All these things are so hard to fathom; at least with CW, I can go to bed secure in the knowledge that he’s a socialist.
Lansman is in his own Party and criticises Jeremy Corbyn whenever he gets the chance, that’s all you need to know.
Jack T 27/06/2019 at 10:40 pm
Which begs the question – Exactly why were we encouraged to vote for him as part of the left slate.
SteveH, good question and I’m assuming you also know the answer, which is keeping him on the NEC is a concession to the Zionists and some of the union leaders in the Party.
Lansman is extremely clever at mixing with the right people and is yet another of those enemies within who at first glance appears to be on the left but upon further examination his motives become clearer. He wants a Jon Lansman Labour Party not a Corbyn Labour Party. Cosying up to Corbyn is one way in which he is trying to achieve it.
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/we-have-a-major-problem-with-antisemitism-says-momentum-founder-963csbx6w
“Lansman is in his own Party”
Yes, JackT, I don’t thing that’s far off the mark.
Psychologically, his actions seem aimed to curry favour with the right wing zionist establishment represented by the Board of Deputies – in a rather pathetic way – whilst displaying his credentials of being ‘radical’ Labour.
Of course, he comes over as a rather needy and sad individual who, in trying to please two irreconcileable political masters, looks a bit pathetic.
Of course, the giveaway was when he took to defaming Jewish Voice for Labour – it betrayed a slavish desire for approval from the zionist right establishment rather than the radical thinking left of the Jewish community.
By your deeds shall ye be known!
There’s a lot of strange stuff behind all of Mr Lansman and co. They act as if they represent the party as do the Tingers. Many of the Momentum members that I have had the pleasure of meeting have been wonderful Socialists but they do sometimes feel bewildered and confused. They’re a great asset and we have got to keep them. It’s not unknown in the party for the members to be at loggerheads with some of the leadership. I keep saying that I will never discuss Momentum here but once again I’ve fallen of the wagon. God bless.
Jonathan Cook replying to a Lansman tweet…
https://twitter.com/Jonathan_K_Cook/status/1144551403760881665
I concur. Looking from the outside it is clear to me that it’s not only the neoliberals that have an agenda to wrest control of LP back from Socialist leader and direction but there are ‘left’ liberal factions with their own duplicitous agenda.
Yes read a great book recently on Labour and 50 years of its relationship with Zionism.
Poale Zion/JLM it argued was never about getting Jewish people to vote Labour it was and is really is about getting Labour to support the Israeli narrative.
There were also shocking comments from Right Wing Labour such as Sidney Webb of The Fabians (then a peer) in the 1920’s who said “Thank God there are no Jews in Labour.”
As Hope Not Hate reported a while back US Far Right Billionaires are funding far right Barbarian Groups around the World and individual Barbarians here but it is the Left of Labour etc. who confront them on the streets (have you ever seen any of the Right Wing Labour 118 on the front line?) and it is the Left who are countering them with IDEAS – the Far Right Barbarians attempt to divide diverse working people (whose labour really creates the wealth and make societies work) thus siding with the rich and powerful!
Because the Far Right are focussing on Muslims at the present because they think it has traction if you think they have forgotten Jewish citizens etc. then you have much to learn.
It is and will be Labour, diverse working people, all socialists and trade unionists who will continue to confront the Far Right Barbarians on the front line – Chris has a point – join us there.
Actions speak a thousand words!
Solidarity!
Actions speak louder than a thousand words!
CW was speaking at a Momentum meeting where they all applauded him, so begs question is Lansman even following his own party line
Now what to do,
CW to challenge TW, suspend and kick out Pantomime Dame, confirm Campbell expulsion, deselect as many of the signatories as possible, prosecute Bitterites who stole data and destroyed records, confirm conference position on Brexit will be carried forward into next GE, lose JLM and replace with JVL, draw up list of spokesman for media, attack media bias, call it out, sign up to BDS movement
And on and on and on, until message gets through, we are a proud party and you smear us at your peril,
Bravo! You’ve hit the back of the net. Not a bad manifesto. We can use one word to destroy tapewormism, not garlic and stakes but Socialism. Regards.
Yes, a good to-do list. And tapewormism. Great word!
Thank you. We are the party that has a sense of humour and a history of self abasement. We should use that more. Instead of booing, false hysterical laughter will be a very useful tool. Our foes, although idiotic they are vain, venal and believe themselves to be beyond criticism. Laugh at the media , the biased whores in the media and the parasites within our ranks, ignore the professional clowns who believe the working class are morons and also believe themselves to be unquestionable leaders of the horny-handed sons of the soil. Having said that Ms Glenda Jackson was my m.p and she fought relentlessly for her constituents.
I see that insatiable Uncle Keith has been chuntering against CW’s reinstatement. Shouldn’t he be spending more time with his family? I doubt that many people will take his advice about anything.
Yes – I don’t think Keefy is the best advocate of principle!
If you mean Keith Vaz, he was one of the 3-person panel who reinstated Williamson!
Doug – “we are a proud party and you smear us at your peril”
Doug, on present performance they have nothing to fear. We just cower in a corner pleading with them not to throw stones at us. When people like Chris Williamson have had enough they get suspended and even expelled from the Party.
How are the BoD “Jewish leaders”, when it is widely acknowledged that they represent only a portion of the Jewish community, largely that which is religious as opposed to secular, right-wing and perpetuates the view that anti-Zionism equals anti-Semitism? Chris Williamson is doubtless well-intentioned, but as others have said, dialogue is impossible with those who are unwilling to talk.
The irony of the situation is that the remarks for which Williamson was suspended were made in the context of his defence of Labour as a party that takes its anti-racism seriously. It was true, and remains true that the Labour leadership has been too apologetic to those who could not be appeased and have taken such contrition as a sign of weakness and a signal to attack pro-Corbyn forces once more, again with the same tired old false accusations.
Even a cursory examination of the baneful history of the anti-left witch-hunt will show that socialist and anti-Zionist Jews, alongside black anti-racists, have been the prime targets of those who find themselves unable to unseat Corbyn as leader by the electoral process. I greatly admired Williamson in his determination to stand as their ally, speaking truth to power and openly saying what many thousands of Labour members and supporters on the left have long been thinking. ,However, I now fear that he has been psychologically cowed and silenced, subject to gross intimidation by the pro-Zionist right. I fervently hope that I am wrong.
So, welcome back, Chris. Don’t let the bastards get you down, keep up the fight!. More power to you!
Redveg – “I now fear that he has been psychologically cowed and silenced”
Good point, as are your other observations. I fear it began with his apology which was not required and to put it bluntly, was foolish.
The uproar now was predictable and Labour should have had a strong repost to counter it instead of hiding behind the door, too frightened to come out.
This is yet another example of the harm which the appeasement policy has encouraged. So called supporters of the left, typified by the disgusting Ayesha Hazarika on BBC QT last night, have fallen over themselves to jump on the appeasement bandwagon and condemn CW to the same fate as Jackie Walker and others, stabbed in the back by Lansman.
Where is the list of Labour parliamentarians who support Chris Williamson, why have they not come out in droves against an enemy who will use any tactic to prevent Jeremy Corbyn from becoming PM? Sitting on the sidelines whilst watching CW being fed to the wolves is cowardly in the extreme. These are the people who we burn shoe leather to support, where are they now? And people ask why doesn’t Chris stand against Watson, this is your answer!
“the appeasement bandwagon”
Yes – that’s another strategy that’s gone well, hasn’t it? – elevating the interests of the Israeli state over truth and justice.
I cringed every time I heard a Labour MP say “Of course there’s antisemitism in the LP”. JC was one of them. I thought we were still trying to find it – if it exists at all.
This is not about Anti-Semitism; it is Socialism v New Labour & the future of Palestine & a one state solution, where Arab & Jew may live together, or the extinction of the Palestinian people.
And good relations with Russia, Syria, Lebanon etc.
As long as you remember to bring the same long-handled spoon as you would at Trump’s table.
Foreign policy is the red line for these people. Israel is the number 1 de facto military and security asset in the Middle east for western Capitalist and banking system gain and hegemony, so policy must not change from the egregious, aggressive warmongering, bomb dropping, sanctioning tyranny that they label ‘spreading democracy’ and the ‘rules based order’ aka… do what we say or else. The ‘west’ runs a massive gangster system complete with extortion, murder (of millions), bribery, support for repressive enablers, destruction of civil infrastructure etc. to keep the domestic populations under the jack boot and weak. Israel has a free hand to do what it wishes in and around it’s colony and illegally occupied territories because it serves and is part of the system.
Israel uses anti-Semitism to interfere in our political systems sanctioned by our state and state media. Israel is the true face of western ‘democracy’ because our states always support it. The verbal raps on the knuckle and U|n votes are just PR to keep the UK domestic population and political class appeased and can retain the illusion they are moral ‘we don’t condone’ or ‘we condemn an action’. All talk but no action.
Lest we forget our regimes support for Saudi etc. Bahrain, where a brutal, deadly, sectarian repression has been ongoing for years against a popular uprising with ‘our’ support… of course media is silent on the subject… what you don’t know about doesn’t happen!
Well said Maria, it boils down to they are monsters but they are our monsters.
Jack T, I believe it’s the systems (financial, economic, military and political) that are monstrous. individuals only become monsters when they buy into them and serve them. We have to change the systems… ‘we’ made them so they can and must be changed but not into totalitarian regimes which is where appear to be heading.
Maria, ‘systems’ are inert, monsterous people produced them for monsterous reasons. People – psychopaths/sociopaths are reponsible for dreaming up these instruments of supression but as you said, it is up to others…. us, to combat them.
Phillips has just been on Radio 4 explaining why the decision was wrong (although not actually blaming Mr Corbyn) but saying the panels rigged etc. Called for withdrawal of whip.criticised length of time to reach decisions etc. Finally said Labour Party has “lost it’s metal,used to be the party of struggle “. Then stated Labour needs to stand its ground,”make a decision and stick with it”. If only the interviewer had not been Nick Robinson they may have asked how that squared with the previous five minutes of “the decision on Mr Williamson must be reversed.
Is that Jess Phillips urging us to stand our ground? I think she means THEIR ground. After all, the Labour party only exists to cater to the demands of the JLM & BOD, doesn’t it?
Make a decision to fire Watson & Hodge and stick to it, yes.
Is it time for momentum 2? Momentum 1 will still continue but lets set up an alternative that is more ‘on message’. I think many many people would migrate to momentum 2 if they had an opportunity.
Momentum2? Another unaccountable Party within the Labour Party?
Rather than join Momentum, Momentum 2 or any other offshoot or affiliate however well-meaning, I think if enough of us explained to the Party whose side we’re on…
Dear Labour Party,
I’m a member ONLY because Labour has moved to the left in electing Mr. Corbyn as Leader.
I will support the deselection of all MPs and the dismissal of all paid employees who work against him.
In the event of a successful challenge against Jeremy’s leadership I will THE SAME DAY terminate my membership and my standing order and I will encourage others to do likewise.
Of course the BoD and Jewish Chronicle will ignore or intentionally distort it but Chris Williamson’s gesture is right in that it shows reconciliation and show them up for their false position.
People are concerned that over the summer GCs will not be held and Executive committees will rubber stamp their MPs. What can be done? The GC is the management body, can do do an article on this? page 42 Clause VII.
Management
1. The management of this CLP shall be in the
hands of the General Meeting. The decisions of
the General Meeting shall be put into effect by an
Executive Committee which shall be appointed by
and report to an Annual General Meeting of this
CLP and to other such meetings as required by
the CLP rules and procedures.
Jewish Voice for Labour speak out on Chris Williamson
“A JVL Statement
Posted 28 June at 11.38; updated at 13.19
Jewish Voice for Labour welcomes the lifting of Chris Williamson’s suspension by the Labour Party and looks forward to the NEC’s ratification of the disciplinary panel’s decision.
Investigations into allegations against party members are made according to procedures which operate independent of the leadership and of the Parliamentary Labour Party. The fairness of the process is undermined by hostile, personal campaigns such as that being waged against Chris, who is a hard-working and diligent MP with great standing in his constituency and a strong record of anti-racist campaigning.
There is huge support for Chris within and outside the party and this has not been reflected by the media coverage of the story.
At a time of Tory crisis and when the population of this country stands in desperate need of a Labour government under Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership, aiming to unite people around protection and promotion of hard won rights and services, the party needs the dedication and principled commitment of Chris Williamson and others like him.
https://www.jewishvoiceforlabour.org.uk/blog/the-lifting-of-chris-williamsons-suspension/
I have said it before and I will say it again “Jon Lansman is a threat to a Socialist Labour Party”
Well,Chris has had his answer,and so have we all.