Any thoughts on tonight's Panorama ( Labour Party and antisemitism)?

[BoogleMcGroogle]

I understood there to be a problem with antisemitism in the Labour party, but it really bright home to me just how institutionalised and acceptable this has been allowed to become.

It's pretty clear Corbyn doesn't care enough about antisemitism to take any meaningful action or check how his behaviour and views might have contributed to this situation.

And the statements put out by the Labour Party HQ pretty much dismissing everything as anti-Corbyn conspiracy, while wheeling out some gormless and confused shadow junior minister, were unforgivable.

I'm pretty sympathetic to the ideals of the Labour movement, but couldn't in all good conscience lend my vote to a party with a leadership that's let this happen.

I'm a LibDem member and vote as such ( although I've noted Labour and Green I Local elections). Looks like the LidDems were ahead of the curve in looking dead in the water a couple of years ago

But my concern for Labour isn't disingenuous. My father's family is Labour through and through. My grandfather led a Labour council and his older brother was a twice elected London Labour MP, who as a young man took a beating on Cable Street but didn't let Moseley's thugs pass. That's one of the reasons this really matters to me. I really don't want my son to have to do the same one day.

I watched it. For the first time in my life I am careful about who I tell that I have a Jewish Dad and Jewish family. I've warned my dd to do the same. I watched it on the hope I would consider this to be an overreaction on my part. Turns out, no, it isn't.
I always voted Labour until Corbyn took over. I listened to Tom Watson on R4 Today this morning. His despair at it was obvious.
Ghastly.

I watched it expecting it to be bad - it was worse. I've been politically homeless since Corbyn became The Helmsman. Add that to Labour's rampant misogyny and the whole thing is fucked.

I was always sceptical about Corbyn and came in for some grief for it, but those that thought I was awful are waking up to reality.

I'd like my party back. They have stood twiddling their thumbs during the onslaught of austerity and have failed the very people that formed the Labour movement.

@OhYouBadBadKitten - who do I vote for?
With a heavy heart, probably Lib Dem. They have their own antisemitic scumbags and are lousy on self ID. At least I know where they are with Brexit.

I watched this and was appalled. That mural, and the Statue of Liberty image

Under Corbyn, Labour are so angry and aggressive, they just seem to want to pick fights. And their political thinking is very simplistic, every issue is boiled down to having "goodies" to side with and "baddies" to hate. They support Palestine, therefore anti-Semitism is automatically the default result. It's pitiful - most GCSE students have better analytical ability and clearer thinking than that.

Those ex Labour employees (disgruntled former employees with a personal and political axe to grind says Labour) seemed very genuine in their frustration.

What’s astonishing is that Labour hired a top law firm to send expensive legal letters warning of the consequences of breaking non-disclosure agreements.

Workers of the world unite it ain’t.

I do believe the Labour Party is now at tipping point and a split is inevitable. What I would call "decent Labour" - MPs, activists, members, voters - cannot possibly hang on to any hope for any longer that the current party set-up is salvageable if they continue to stand their ground and fight from the inside. It isn't working. They now have to choose, because if they don't, they are tarnished too by their complicity.

I had hoped that TIG would be the start of the migration of "decent Labour" but that hope was quashed dead when it was joined by three Conservative MPs.

This is such a sorry state of affairs. I am not Jewish but I could cry when I hear that our own countrymen and countrywomen feel that they have to keep some portable liquid assets in case they have to leave quickly. In fact, I am ashamed, as we all should be.

@bellinisurge - I mirror your sentiments completely. I will put an X in the box for Lib Dem knowing it will mean another win for Tory where I live. I just can't bring myself to vote Labour for the first time in my life.

singinglily you are absolutely right. I can't imagine how painful this must be for the many decent Labour MPs (Jess Philips, Stella Creasy, Tom Watson, there are lots) and longstanding campaigners? I'd put a cross in a box with their name any day of the week. But they are watching their party descend into this malign chaos. Worse still, can you imagine how it must be to be a Jewish Labour MP? I'm thinking of Margaret Hodge who faced down the BNP in Barking only to be caught up in this shitstorm. Now I can see why she expressed the view that JC is 'a fucking racist'.

But the truth is, the party isn't their party anymore. It's been colonised by intolerant extremists. Honestly, I'm 'lucky' enough to be FB friends with some of them, and you should see what they post. It's like a 'drunk the Corbyn Kool-Aid cult'.

I have experience of being reported upon by Panorama in a different sphere and will never trust that programme again.

I think the Labour Party has a huge anti-semitism problem, which was known long before last night’s panorama and is now undeniable. I am unimpressed with the party’s response. Jewish people are saying they don’t feel safe and might leave if JC became prime minister and no one seems to care, it’s shocking.

It’s got fuck all to do with criticising Israel, which people are perfectly entitled to do (I will often agree). This goes way way beyond that.

I didn't see it but DH did and was appalled. I'm going to watch it later although judging from this thread and the screams of 'bias' from Momentum, I'm going to be equally appalled, if not more so.

I agree with a poster upthread - if it hasn't got a swastika on it and isn't goose-stepping Corbyn won't recognise it's anti-Semitic.

It's a relief to hear that it is Lib Dem leaning people in the main on the thread. I raised my point about the Conservatives and Islamaphobia because it is politically very expedient for them to really push the antisemitism of some in Labour. It is of course absolutely right that it is driven out entirely and to do that it has to be bought out into the light.

I am absolutely sure that there are Conservatives who are as just as appalled by Islamaphobia as they are by anti-semitism, just as I sure that there are Labour supporters who are equally appalled by both. These are concerns that transcend all party politics and I would hope that people are calling anti-semitism out because it is just plain wrong and not because it is merely "politically expedient".

There was very little on the Panorama programme that was new, I’ve seen most of it on twitter and in the news and Jewish press and so on over the past year so I’m a bit when anyone goes ‘typical BBC bias’. They just put it all together in one place.

I'm a Labour voter historically OYBBK.

The programme was shocking. I’ve been on the receiving side of subtle and overt anti-semitism over the years and it’s really frightening to think that the Labour Party in the main doesn’t even recognise it and when it does, doesn’t take it seriously. It makes voting for them impossible.

It’s never been easy to be a member of a minority group but I’ve never felt this frightened before. I’m against the occupation of Palestine, I’m an atheist but I’m still from a 100% Orthodox Jewish family. It doesn’t matter what I think, what beliefs I have - I feel vulnerable because of who I was born to. However grim Corbyn and his Momentum cabal prove to be, he is able to hold on to his position. I hate the Tories and have voted labour up till Corbyn. I have to vote Lib Dem till hopefully one day Corbyn and Momentum are removed.

I think it's hideous... Awful.

So rotten.

Oh you bad, no one needs to push anything. what a strange comment.

It's there for all to see bubbling away since corbyn came to power. It's a rotten heart of this new group.

I don't need Tories to tell me about antisemites. It's in plain sight.

Op the irony is that labour are the right wing thugs now.

Or true socialism. The national socialists? Hitler... All extremes meet in the middle.

It made horrific viewing imho but sadly I'm not surprised.

I'm a former party member (left 2 years ago).

The influx of Momentum is destroying the party from within.

I have not (since resigning my membership) and will not vote for the LP again whilst Corbyn is leader.

Even then I'll be looking closely at the ethos of any new party leader before I would vote for them again.

Shocking. I voted Lib Dem at European elections. Labour family through and through, never thought I’d see the day

And though I never thought I wouldn’t vote Labour, I won’t rush back now

I, too, have been horrified at how blase people are towards Anti semitism in everyday life. I have a friend who is very, very left wing and was genuinely taken aback at a comment from one of his close friends (racist, anti semitic 'gag' about the facial characteristics of a known Jewish MP). When I challenged him - because no bugger else did - I was told I read too much mainstream Media and was seeing stuff that wasn't there. Had the comment been about any other ethnic group it would never have been posted as it was racist.

I am politically homeless, made worse by the fact our very good, very committed MP isn't standing for re-election. A decision, I think, that has been forced by her obvious unease in her Party.