UK Election: Two cheeks of the same a*shole
UK Election: Two cheeks of the same a*shole
.. to quote Rochdale incumbent MP George Galloway
Synopsis
MP George Galloway like many Scots has a wry turn of phrase - even if TBH he can be a bit of an a*shole himself at times but aren’t we all?
Like the 🇺🇸 US (Biden, Trump) and 🇦🇺 (Albanese, Dutton) you’ve got a two-party dupoly (“uniparty” as the Cheekster puts it) protected by non-proportional representation voting systems and heavily funded and influenced by the pro-Israel lobby in each country.
Apologies for the gross simile - but let’s spread those cheeks and have a look.
‼️Note: Article regularly updated - see version history below
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Video Synopsis
⚠️ NOTE: ⚡️ LIVING Article: As with many Sleekit Scotsman articles - this will be updated post date of original publication with an edit history below.
This reflects the addition of new information as it comes to light and is intended to keep the article relevant, up to date and more importantly a comprehensive reference with quoted public sources for pro-Palestine advocates to build on.
🙏 My only request is that you quote Sleekit Scotsman ☮️🏴 as a reference if re-using information or images: 🔗🌳👉 https://linktr.ee/sleekitscotsman
‼️Version History:
Article updated: Mon 23rd September 2024 (Sleekit Scotsman ☮️🏴 articles are updated periodically to add latest information on the subject of the article for relevance)
Latest Updates:
Mon 23 Sep: Updated with note on the Jewish Chronicle newspaper which went after Corbyn - exposed for printing enabling untruths on the Gaza War. In section: Making room for Starmer: The Campaign Against Jeremy Corbyn
Wed 17 July: Conservative whistleblower on the Israeli Lobby exonerated. Update July 2024: Duncan exonerated
Sat 8 June: added in a section with a wee nod from Mr. Galloway himself! - EPILOGUE: Seal of Approval from the Cheekster
Tue 4 June - added in section on Chingford & Woodford Green candidate replacing the deposed Shaheen: Pro-Israeli parachuted in to replace Shaheen: Shama Tatler (Chingford and Woodford Green).
Also added info on Conservative pro-Israeli lobby funding: One third of all Conservative MPs funded by the pro-Israeli Lobby plus 187 paid trips to Israel
Mon 3 June - added in URLs to contents and hyperlinks back for navigation.
Contents
RIGHT CHEEK: CONSERVATIVE PARTY
David Cameron Foreign Secretary: The Government’s Legal Advice on Israel’s War Crimes
One third of all Conservative MPs funded by the pro-Israeli Lobby plus 187 paid trips to Israel
The “Independent” Labour Speaker of the House of Commons: Feb 2024 unprecedented move
Labour Parliamentary Candidates: Compulsory pre-screening visits to Israel
One tweet and pushed out: Dr. Faiza Shaheen (Chingford and Woodford Green)
Pro-Israeli parachuted in to replace Shaheen: Shama Tatler (Chingford and Woodford Green)
My UK Vote: After living outside the UK for 22 years
A final word from renowned political scientist Les Grossman
EPILOGUE: Seal of approval from the Cheekster
INTRODUCTION
As the Government lets legislation against boycotting Israel sit in the committee stages1, Sunak called a General Election on 23rd May for 4th July.2
He was a forlorn figure standing behind an enormous looking podium in the pouring rain with the old Labour 1997 Blair anthem “Things can only get Better” blasting out from protestors at the end of the street.
Except they won’t. Not under the other cheek of the same a*rsehole (I revert from the populist American “a*shole”) Keir Starmer according to George Galloway’s eloquent simile.
Like the 🇺🇸 US (Biden, Trump) and 🇦🇺 (Albanese, Dutton) you’ve got a two-party dupoly (“uni party” as the Cheekster puts it) protected by non-proportional representation voting systems and heavily funded and influenced by the pro-Israel lobby in each country.
Apologies for the gross simile - but let’s spread those cheeks and have a look.
In the meantime - here’s Galloway giving a good excuse for why he was late for a Commons debate. 🤣
RIGHT CHEEK: CONSERVATIVE PARTY
There is more focus on Starmer in this article since Sunak is going out either way. You can also take it as a given the Conservatives are unquestioning supporters of Israel with their conduct over the years and in the recent crisis.
This section reproduces parts of an article on the appalling bias of Government Ministers responsible for introducing legislation to outlaw “extremism” in the UK - read: suppressing pro-Palestinian protest. See below for full article:
Appalling Bias of UK Government Ministers responsible for changing legislation to silence pro-Palestinian voices:
Upcoming censorship law changes in the UK
David Cameron Foreign Secretary: The Government’s Legal Advice on Israel’s War Crimes
On 9th January 2024 UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron was hauled in front of a House of Commons UK Foreign Affairs Committee and asked several times if he had received legal advice on whether or not Israel was committing war crimes with its’ conduct in Gaza.3
It was clear the former-PM felt quite affronted at lowering himself to testifying before a committee - but also clear he had other information he could not reveal.
To be fair - he never once said “YES” - but painful to watch. 🤦♂️
What weasling words from this grub savaged by Alicia Kearns MP from his own Conservative Party and trying to be condescending to pit bull Brendan O’Hara MP of the SNP.
But the plot thickens with Kearns.
According to the Observer and Guardian newspapers of 30th March4, it turns out that Alicia Kearns HERSELF knew from at least March 13th that the Government HAD received legal advice Israel was committing war crimes. Presumably Kearns had kept that quiet for wo weeks until an investigative reporter was given a tip off, before she had to confirm the truth.
Quoting Kearns on 13 March at a private Conservative fundraiser in Hampstead, London:
“The Foreign Office has received official legal advice that Israel has broken international humanitarian law but the government has not announced it.”
“They have not said it, they haven’t stopped arms exports. They have done a few very small sanctions on Israeli settlers and everyone internationally is agreed that settlers are illegal, that they shouldn’t be doing what they’re doing, and the ways in which they have continued and the money that’s been put in.”
Disappointing behaviour from Kearns - unclear why as Chair of the inquiring select committee how she could NOT whistleblow immediately when people in Gaza are dying EVERY DAY … unless there was a better offer ……
Kearns has behaved with some integrity. On the IDF murder of 7 World Central Kitchen aid workers on 1st April and then pro-Israel apologists trying to say - “a one off we have NEVER attacked any other foreign aid worker” - she succinctly pointed out the attack on British doctors in January 2024, still waiting for an answer.5
Though unfortunately she was one of the many Conservative and Labour MPs who entered the House of Commons early in the crisis wearing pro-Israeli lobby issued IDF dog tags.6
Here is the longer version (2m) of Starmer’s excruciating January testimony - in which he shockingly confirms that the Israelis shut off water and electricity supplies to Gaza - and asked why this isn’t a human rights violation under international law. Even more painful to watch.
The biased Minister of State for Security
Minister of State for Security, MP Tom Tugendhat who was responsible for revising counter-terrorism laws is a strong Israel supporter. A conflict of interest to say the least. 4 Jan 2017 writing in the Spectator against UN Security Council resolution 2334 outlawing Israel’s settlement building on the West Bank.7
Tom Tugendhat UK Minister of State for Security writing in the Spectator Jan 2017 - “the UN resolution was a mistake … Britain was wrong to back the UN’s anti-Israel resolution”
Tugendhat was responsible for redefining “extremism” terminology working with Michael Gove that would outlaw certain Muslim organisations amongst others - and crack down on pro-Palestinian protest terminology in one swoop.
The proposals caused consternation in Church groups concerned at the demonisation of fellow Muslim Muftis, Cleric and their religious organisations validly protesting at the treatment of Palestinians.
In an unprecedented move the most senior leaders of the Church in the country, the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, wrote to the Government to express their extreme objection against the proposed changes.8
In addition to three Conservative Home Secretaries9, a former Head of Counter-Terrorism policing and a former PM Chief of Staff wrote against the changes as well as multiple NGOs.
One third of all Conservative MPs funded by the pro-Israeli Lobby plus 187 paid trips to Israel
Declassified UK reports that overall 33% of ALL Labour politicians have taken funding from the pro-Israeli lobby of some £430,000.10 Note that is just individual funding that’s actually declared. Not the overall direct cash funding to the Party itself or indirect soft funding through negative advertising and other campaigns and volunteers.
More concerningly - Conservative MPs have taken 187 paid trips to Israel from the lobby.
I hope they make the information accessible for the UK like the US Track AIPAC website effective in calling out US politicians who make sweeping social media statements on Israel with schmick infographics showing just how much they have been paid by the lobby. We desperately need one for Australia too.
The image below is from the US Track AIPAC Senate page. It’s just the very top part of the page with 12 Senators shown here - but if you scroll down all 96 out of the 100 in total Senators across the US are funded by the pro-Israeli lobby.
Incredible.
Interestingly the US pro-Israeli lobby AIPAC fund the Conservative Party in the UK also.
Quoting Declassified UK on sources of funding the Conservative Party:
The main funder is Conservative Friends of Israel, a parliamentary group which does not disclose its own sources of funding.
Other notable donors include the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), Australia-Israel Cultural Exchange, and the European Leadership Network.
Thirteen Tory politicians have accepted over £50,000 in total to travel to Israel since 7 October, including for “solidarity” missions.
Former Conservative Foreign Secretary Sir Alan Duncan April 2024: “my colleagues are influenced by Conservative Friends of Israel and are acting on behalf of a foreign country”
All the above funding is publicly available information. The correlation between Government policy, pro-Israeli supportive statements and actions, silencing pro-Palestine voices is indisputable but no-one would speak up.
Finally - after the IDF murder of World Central Kitchen relief workers on 1st April11, a former Foreign Secretary Sir Alan Duncan finally spoke out:12
Calling out Tom Tugendhat’s blatant pro-Israeli views as demonstrated by his Spectator article of 2017
Claiming colleagues are influenced by Conservative Friends of Israel and are acting on behalf of a foreign country
Finally. Putting aside the fact that it took the deaths of a bunch of whities to cause global outrage for him to make his statement - where did that get him?
he is actually himself now under investigation and will most probably be thrown out the party at best.
oh yes - and accused of what can you guess?
The Emperor has no clothes.
Update July 2024: Duncan Exonerated
On the 16th July - conveniently two weeks after the UK Election - Sir Alan Duncan was exonerated by the committee investigating claims of antisemitism.13
Duncan didn’t pull his punches in a press conference the following day and doubled down on allegations - very clearly.
“The perverse and I would argue corrupt relationship between the Conservative Friends of Israel (CFI) and the top of the Conservative party has gone on for too long - money, improper influence and the promotion of Israeli interests above our own have contributed to the destruction of the UK's independent foreign policy.
They've also undermined UNRWA, the UN and International Law and it all comes at the expense of innocent Palestinians.
You need no greater evidence of this than the total silence we saw about Gaza during the election campaign likewise nor was there a squeak about the acceleration of illegal settlement building and repulsive settler violence in the West Bank.
These issues have been buried more quickly than Gaza's 40,000 dead. If the conservative party is to recover it cannot do so without admitting and addressing this poison in its midst.”
The Panel judgement was reached on 14th June - but held off informing Duncan until a month later, two weeks after the Election.
LEFT CHEEK: LABOUR PARTY
I don’t think a leader of any UK political party has been such a visible lapdog for the pro-Israeli lobby. But then - the Gaza Crisis has allowed the influence to come into the cold light of day globally without the historical cries of “antisemitism and conspiracy theory”.
People know the difference between the decency of Judaism as a religion and being pro-Israeli - a blindly ideology in the face of a humanitarian disaster enabled by a demonstrably brutal regime.
This section reproduces parts of an article on the disgusting behaviour of pro-Israeli Lobby CAA CEO Gideon Falter. He deliberately incited protestors on a pro-Palestine rally (who did not respond) before being confronted by police and being caught out lying about his behaviour. See below for full article:
Pro-Israeli lobby CAA CEO caught out by police inciting a pro-Palestinian rally then lying about it:
Making room for Starmer: The Campaign Against Jeremy Corbyn
In 2016 after allegations of antisemitism in the Labour Party, then leader Jeremy Corbyn commissioned an inquiry into the allegations.
The inquiry was conducted by UK by barrister Shami Chakrabarti and Chaired by David Feldman of the Pears Institute for the study of Antisemitism. The report found no evidence of antisemitism but made recommendations for reporting incidents.14
The CAA vehemently complained at this and The Jewish Chronicle newspaper began printing a series of articles demonising Corbyn.
It is worth noting concerns on the ownership of The Jewish Chronicle and its hardline editorial during the Gaza Crisis. Understandable - but culminated in the exposure of printing untruths on the war that even the IDF denied.15 The paper had to withdraw multiple articles - but the enabling damage done. Just as the campaign against Corbyn. The JC is clearly a tool of the Israeli State itself.
In response to the CAA complaints and The Jewish Chronicle saturation coverage of Corbyn a number of prominent Jewish people wrote a letter to the Guardian supporting the report and the Labour leader and condemning “pro-Israeli CAA” amongst other groups5.
On 29 October 2019 Jeremy Corbyn was suspended from the Labour Party for “failing to retract statements that antisemitism was overstated by opponents” after stating:
“antisemitism absolutely abhorrent" and that "one anti-Semite [in the Labour Party] is one too many"
he said that "the scale of the problem was also dramatically overstated for political reasons by our opponents inside and outside the party, as well as by much of the media”
Again - sound familiar but now 4 years later in April 2024?
The head of the CAA Gideon Falter appeared on Channel 4 in 2020 discussing his group’s role in Jeremy Corbyn’s downfall denying antisemitism for political reasons and going on to note (somewhat arrogantly perhaps?) “we are giving Keir Starmer six months”.
See video below:
The Installation of Keir Starmer
Ahead of Corbyn’s resignation, Keir Starmer was already making strong statements against him indicating Corbyn’s position was untenable. After Corbyn stepped down there was a leadership election in April 2020.
Starmer faced off to Rebecca Long-Bailey who transparently published a list of all donors of over £1,500 and asked Starmer to do the same.
He refused to do so and staggered the actual acceptance of donations to avoid registration. One of his largest donations from from pro-Israeli Lobbyist Sir Trevor Chinn.
Chinn is Vice President of the Jewish Leadership Council (JLC)16 and is an executive member of the British Israel Communications and Research Centre (BICOM), which takes MPs and Journalists on “study trips” to Israel (in Australia the equivalent is AIJAC sponsoring similar trips with a significant pattern of quid pro quo from MPs attending).
For 20 years between 1973 and 1993 he was Chair of the Joint Israel Appeal (now United Jewish Israel Appeal) which sends charitable funds raised in the UK back to a central pool in Israel via Israeli global fundraising organisation Keren Heysod. The funds are used to work on projects many of which are directed by the Israeli Government (this is a global model - the equivalent in Australia is the United Israel Appeal).
Chinn donated £50,000 to Starmer’s campaign which was formally accepted late and registered soon after the leadership poll closed.17
Starmer won comfortably on 4th April 2024 and succeeded Corbyn as Labour leader.
Chinn’s donation was quietly registered on 9th April
In the recent crisis - on the UK Parliament’s votes on ceasefire - Starmer:
obfuscated the first UK Parliament Ceasefire vote in November 2023
unconscionably interfered in the February 2024 vote in the UK Parliament
The Feb 2024 behaviour was shocking….
The “Independent” Labour Speaker of the House of Commons: Feb 2024 unprecedented move
The Labour Speaker of the House of Commons Lindsay Hoyle in an unprecedented move due to the direct intervention of Labour by Keir Starmer broke centuries of Parliamentary tradition on 23 Feb 2024 by:
blatantly bowing to pressure from his own Parliamentary Party as an independent Speaker which infuriated even the Conservatives. The Speaker of course has a casting vote and sometimes pushes the boundaries of independence - but not like this.
this is the kicker - on Starmer’s request (or rather, the lobby behind Starmer) - Hoyle allowed manipulation of the wording of a ceasefire motion to allow Labour politicians not to vote on the issue - which would show their true colours closer to the Election.
To set the scene - notably Holye’s father MP Doug Hoyle founded Labour Friends of Israel (LFI) as he proudly talks to. LFI was founded by Hoyle’s father in 1957 to “act as a bridge linking [Israeli prime minister David Ben Gurion’s party] Mapai… with the Labour Movement in Great Britain”.18
LFI was founded a year after the infamous 1956 Khan Yunis massacre of Palestinians during the 1956 Suez crisis when Israel invaded Gaza and the Sinai. Israeli soldiers searching for resistance fighters went house to house and killed approximately 200 Palestinians which led to a conflict killing up to 400 in Khan Yunis and Rafah.19
The Israelis imposed a curfew on the citizens of Gaza who were unable to retrieve the bodies of their loved ones. Due to international pressure due to international pressure, Israel withdrew from Gaza and the Sinai in March 1957. Shortly after the withdrawal, a mass grave was uncovered in the vicinity of Khan Yunis, revealing the remains of 40 Palestinian men who had been bound and fatally shot in the back of the head.
Sound familiar?
Didn’t stop Hoyle’s father making closer ties with Israel with LFI - noting in the 1956 Suez conflict the UK was a co-aggressor with France and Israel invading Egypt, booted out by a UN Military force for the first time in it’s history a P5 Nation has been circumvented in the Security Council in such a way. This made is “acceptable” for closer ties by the two aggressors.
With his pride in LFI, clearly antisemitism for Hoyle is “criticism of Israel”. 20 Also Hoyle was one of the very first to visit Israel in November last year.
Sequence of events in the Commons in Feb 2024
A UK opposition party is given a few days per year to table a motion vote in the UK Parliament, which the Government can propose amendment to - but never other opposition parties who also have their days to lead motions.
In November last year the SNP called a Gaza ceasefire vote using this power, voted down but pro-Israeli Keir Starmer had a MASSIVE rebellion in his party, and shadow cabinet resignations over his pro-Israeli stance - see article here for Starmer’s pro-Israeli backers and how the vote panned out (section “15 November London: UK Parliament Vote 🇬🇧🗳️❌”) ℹ️ 👉 sleekitscotsman.substack.com/p/the-road…
As an aside after the UK Parliament ceasefire motion voted down - in the devolved Scottish Parliament 21 Nov the Scottish Government voted for an immediate ceasefire in a balanced and principled motion. 🏴✅
The SNP called another immediate ceasefire vote on 23 Feb, to which the Government tabled an amendment BUT Labour also unusually tabled an amendment watering down the language from “immediate” to “humanitarian”.21
In the background Keir Starmer pressurised the “independent” Parliamentary Speak Lindsay Hoyle (also Labour Party, who noted proudly his father founded The Labour Party Friends of Israel, and visited Israel himself in November) to break with precedent and accept the Labour amendment.
The reason was that the Labour Party would face another destructive rebellion again over essentially the right thing to do with respect to Gaza. This time with the full horror of what has unfolded a few months later being even more apparent the rebellion would be huge.The Speaker scandalously ALLOWED the Labour amendment breaking centuries of tradition, causing a watered down motion to be voted on, avoiding showing the real ceasefire sentiment under Keir Starmer in his own party…
SNP and Government MPs horrified by this twisting of British democracy (driven by the pro-Israeli lobby) marched out the chamber.
The Speaker came up with some BS later that he felt if MPs felt compelled to vote either way they would face a backlash and danger from the public (not just an antisemitic backlash). Even if this were true and widespread - it is a POLICE matter and NOT a Parliamentary matter.
Pro-Israeli organisations are latching onto (8) above to try to twist this travesty of UK Parliamentary procedure as some sort of antisemitic prevention extra special measure out of necessity. Utterly sickening rhetoric and they should be ASHAMED.
Hoyle admitted this was wrong. He later issued a weak apology for “misreading the situation”. Utterly shameful and unprecedented. As I have said multiple times … “you couldn’t make this up”…. (like the ridiculous stack of pro-Israel legislation that piles up in a heavily AIPAC funded US Congress at every turn).
Funding by the pro-Israeli Lobby: 40% of Shadow Cabinet
In the wake of the failure of the Government or Labour to consider a ceasefire vote in the UK Parliament Declassified UK looked at the connections in the Labour Party with Israel vested interest groups.
The findings were grim - 40% of the party funded by the lobby together with a large proportion taking paid flights to Israel by the lobby.22
🇦🇺 Drawing parallel - the paid flights to Israel is a long-standing tradition in Australia with 50 of the sitting MPs in the most senior positions of Government having taken these paid trips from the pro-Israeli lobby. In addition across Australian Parliament there are ELEVEN - count them, ELEVEN - “Friends of Israel” Pro-Israel political Parliamentary groups!!!! See article below for more detail on how The Australian lobby works:
The Pro-Israeli Lobby in Australia:
Australian Pro-Israeli Lobby: Modus Operandi
As with Australia - the number of funded candidates is one thing - it’s the positions they hold that are key.
And that is just individual contributions - it would be interesting to see overall donations to the Party itself as Declassified UK reported for the Conservatives.
Labour Parliamentary Candidates: Compulsory pre-screening visits to Israel
In September 2023 the month before the Gaza crisis kicked off LFI reported the latest trip to Israel for their Prospective Party Candidates (PPC).23
This is essentially Israeli sympathy screening for prospective Labour Party candidates before they even get accepted - as a concession to the pro-Israeli lobby by Starmer. Pictures in this delegation are:
LFI vice chair Sharon Hodgson MP Washington & Sunderland West (leading delegation)
LFI vice chair Dame Louise Ellman (former MP Liverpool Riverside) - who had left Labour over Corbyn but rejoined at the 2021 Conference24
Dan Tomlinson (PPC Chipping Barnet) - writing in Labour For Israel January 2024
Primesh Patel (PPC Harrow East)
Melanie Onn MP (Great Grimsby)
Danny Beales (PPC Uxbridge and South Ruislip) - who lost the by-election in Boris Johnson’s seat 2023, supported in a rally by the Jewish Labour Movement in June before this trip25
Jo Platt (former MP for Leigh & Atherton and candidate 2024)
Graeme Downie (PPC Dunfermline and Dollar)
Jake Richards (PPC Rother Valley)
It’s like the US Congress “right of passage” of a lobby-paid trip to Israel that the majority of Senators have taken - but this is before they are even in the Labour Party.
In addition to this trip - candidates must have compulsory antisemitism training provided by the Jewish Labour Movement. More below on the JLM - regarding the pro-Israeli candidate, a member of the JLM parachuted in to a constituency in London.
The Suspension of Diane Abbott: April 2023
Going back to April 2023.
A black female MP who has served faithfully served the borough of Hackney North and Stoke Newington for 37 years wrote in to a newspaper responding to an article on racism noting:
The very same day she was immediately suspended from the Labour Party to much protest from peers and supports. She later apologised for the statements.26
“The errors arose in an initial draft being sent. But there is no excuse, and I wish to apologise for any anguish caused.”
“Racism takes many forms and it is completely undeniable that Jewish people have suffered its monstrous effects, as have Irish people, Travellers and many others”.
She was suspended from the Parliamentary Labour Party but still attended the Commons.
At PMQ there were questions asked of Sunak both by Starmer and SNP Leader Stephen Flynn regarding the racism of the largest Conservative donor Frank Hester’s remarks on Abbott herself. Hester said:
Abbott made him “want to hate all black women” and that she “should be shot”
During the debate - Abbott rose 37 times to speak - but Speaker Lindsay Hoyle completely ignored her (no doubt under orders from Starmer et al) even though the topic was about her.27
Just incredible. This was off the back of Hoyle’s earlier tampering with the Gaza ceasefire vote.
Incidentally Frank Hester donated £10M to the Conservatives in the previous year. I don’t think Sunak gave it back.
After 13 months of suspension Abbott was finally readmitted into the Chamber just in time for the election. It was unclear if Starmer would let her stand.
Abbott categorically denied any offers of a peerage for her to stand aside (of course not) and Starmer said she would be free to stand and Abbott announced her intention to do so.28
Abbott had accused Starmer of continuing to “cull the left” with her harsh treatment and suspension - but more likely the pro-Israeli lobby demanding a scalp from a clearly independent speaker.
The candidate list for the seat has not been announced as yet. I wonder if an “anonymous Labour source” might leak something else to the press in the meantime?
One tweet and pushed out: Dr. Faiza Shaheen (Chingford and Woodford Green)
Shaheen stood for Chingford and Woodford Green in 2019 and was intending to stand again in the election.
She was devastated to receive a letter from Labour HQ saying that she could not stand as she would “frustrate Labour’s purpose”.29
Her crime was to “like” social media posts that allegedly “downplayed antisemitism”.
In a climate where any criticism of Israel’s conduct in the war is quashed with antisemitism.
Jewish bodies raised the issue and again dealt with immediately.
Shaheen has instructed a lawyer and will be revealing more information on exactly what has happened here. But in the meantime has released a few of the tweets she was quizzed about:
But apparently this is the tweet that was the decider. Liking Jewish American comedian John Stewart’s sketch “We Need to Talk About Israel” - to which John Stewart replied when he heard of her ban.
Her like was recent but the video itself was from 2014 - during the Israeli Operation Protective Edge which killed over 2000 Palestinians. This is the active case that the ICC were investigating when it was finally admitted in 2021 that collectively with the current crisis they are seeking warrants for Hamas leaders and Netanyahu and Gallant. Stewart mentions Ukraine in the video since that year Russia annexed Crimea starting the first war with Ukraine.
Regardless - the video is a light hearted satirical note that any time there is any criticism of Israel in US politics - the shouting “antisemitism crowd” comes out. From 2014. By a Jewish American comedian. Sound familiar?
And the irony of Shaheen being thrown out over this particular tweet…
Shaheen is another black female candidate looked on unfavourably by Labour in this instance excluded. Never mind the subject - there’s broader concern over Starmer’s commitment to any other diversity.
Pro-Israeli parachuted in to replace Shaheen: Shama Tatler (Chingford and Woodford Green)
And hot off Shaheen’s exclusion another preferred candidate was put in, Shama Tatler who is a member of Starmer’s Labour To Win.
She is also a member of another Jewish Labour institution, Jewish Labour Movement (JLM). Founded 1903 as Paole Zion פועלי ציון “Workers of Zion” some 14 years before the 1917 Balfour Declaration written by UK Foreign Secretary Lord Balfour that promised the lands of Palestine to the Zionist Leader in the UK at the time Lord Rothschild.
The JLM refused to work with Corbyn’s administration who had commissioned antisemitism training through a separate institution, the Pears Institute for the Study of Antisemitism (now dropping Pears name).
After Corbyn was deposed they refused Starmer’s request to train potential candidates in antisemitism until any faction supporting Corbyn’s position was banished from the Labour Party.
At the 2021 Conference Starmer duly banned several left-factions fighting the pro-Israeli saturation of the Party:
Resist: founded by deposed MP Chris Williamson for highlighting the witch hunt against Jeremy Corbyn. Williamson was called out in CAA CEO Gideon Falter’s video above on Corbyn’s exit as someone else who would need to be “dealt with”. Williamson later started ResistanceTV.
Labour against the witchhunt: campaigning against unjustified suspensions and banning of MPs from the Labour Party for accusations of antisemitism. The organisation later merged with the Labour in exile network.
Labour in exile network: exposing the tactics used to bring down Jeremy Corbyn and others
Socialist Appeal: a Marxist newspaper recently renamed “The Communist” in 2024
Starmer then announced JLM was employed to train every prospective candidate in antisemitism - in addition to the compulsory trip to Israel described earlier.
Tatler launched her campaign on 3rd June and was pictured with supporter former Ilford South MP Mike Gapes. Gapes is a 50 year pro-Israeli supporter and a regular attender of the Jewish Board of Deputies annual events, referred to as an “Honorary Jew”. He describes himself as a “non-Jewish Zionist”.30
Gapes famously resigned the Labour Party over claims of antisemitism on Corbyn but rejoined in 2023 to Starmer’s praise.31
Having Gapes supporting Tatler’s bid says a lot about the campaign and her credentials highlighting further the hypocrisy over the departure of Shaheen.
There was great upcry from the local Chingford & Woodford at Sharma’s installation - preferring Shaheen with her connections to the area. The local Labour office was defaced - directly calling out the Israel Lobby (not “Jews” notably - indicating some education at least!).
Pro-Israeli parachuted in: Luke Akehurst (North Durham)
Further consternation at Starmer inserting a peer from Labour’s National Executive Council into the safe seat of North Durham after the 23 year incumbent Kevan Jones stood down “due to health issues”.32
Akehurst is far-right wing of Labour but not only that has extremist views on Israel and the UN. He has deleted over 2000 tweets from his account but notably:
Director of the pro-Israeli cross-party lobbying group We Believe in Israel
Member of Labour First group stating “Labour First is a network which exists to ensure that the voices of moderate party members are heard while the party is kept safe from the organised hard left…” (I’m pretty sure this constituency can’t cover nearby Newcastle or Macclesfield if that’s his politics)
Sample tweets - noting Shaheen was barred for her tweets:
Reads like the playbook of the lobby.
Unfortunately from the 2019 election results and in view of the previous Labour candidate’s long tenure - the options then were either cheek:
Welcome to Scotland Laddie
And we’re off.
I think Starmer’s PR people will be a bit more careful next time he’s canvassing over the border in Scotland. He was given a “warm reception” last time - and quite rightly quizzed on his ceasefire approach with his telling hangdog expression:
And I see racist UK Israeli Ambassador Tzipi Hotoveley is visiting Scotland this week and should be aware unlike Westminster Parliament the Scottish Parliament voted for a ceasefire back on November 21st.
Hotoveley has said some terrible things during the crisis - including a call back in January for the IDF to target civilian infrastructure - illegal under international law.33 She will be given an appropriate welcome!
THE ALTERNATIVES
It is just staggering that the detail on the pro-Israeli lobby indisputable influence on the Government and Opposition (for now) is all publicly available information - of course not reported in the mainstream media.
It provides the subtext to the non-sensical attitudes of politicians in the face of humanitarian suffering and Israeli aggression - as a global opinion that has built over the crisis.
So what’s the alternative?
The UK population will have to choose carefully in terms of tactical voting.
The Lib Dems?
“Other” - which is a VERY small number:
The Greens
Galloways’s Workers Party of Britain - new party with one seat held by Galloway himself and nae budget
The SNP - who would you believe many people are lamenting don’t field candidates in England such is the brutality they savage both cheeks of the same a*se since no-one else will.
See SNP MP the wonderful Mhairi Black of the SNP giving an incredible speech in the UK House of Commons34 calling for a ceasefire ahead of the stitch-up debacle on the actual vote back in February 2024.
Absolute common sense.
In terms of tactical voting - I wish the UK had a site like the US Track AIPAC where they specifically list “clean” sitting politicians - who are undoubtedly having their opposition candidates campaigns heavily funded by AIPAC either directly or through multi-channel negative advertising scare campaigns.
My UK Vote: After living outside the UK for 22 years
As someone who has resided in Australia for the past 22 years, I received the email above from my last UK address local council on the announcement of the election.
Quite stunning.
So despite being out the country for over two decades I am now still eligible to vote. which is totally wrong. I do pay taxes in the UK though to be fair - but still it’s not right.
It used to be you could vote from overseas until a maximum of 15 years out the country (which is still too much) and I duly received a letter then saying thanks but bye.
But the Conservatives last year changed legislation to abolish the upper limit - in a desperate attempt to pull in more votes.
Well thank you very much - I’ll vote for my candidate in the last place I lived in the UK - Islington North….
…. Jeremy Corbyn - now an Independent ✊🇵🇸🖕
A final word from renowned political scientist Les Grossman
Les da man.
EPILOGUE: Seal of Approval from the Cheekster
Well - after sharing on Galloway’s page - seems he approves! A repost and a follow.
Wee video of the article I shared. For music, I recalled a song I heard years ago that had a sample from “Once Upon a Time in America” in a broad Brooklyn accent: “doighty doighty politician”. The Farm 90’s band from Liverpool “Hearts & Minds”
Very apt for what’s going on here.
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