Funnily Enough, Mark Wadsworth Was Guilty of Bringing the Labour Party Into Disrepute – But Not of Anti-Semitism 182


Mark Wadsworth has not been found to be anti-semitic, but to have brought the Labour Party into disrepute. He was in fact guilty of that. At a sensitive press launch, showcasing a very important report the Party was introducing, Wadsworth thought it appropriate to take the microphone in front of a massive media presence and launch a verbal attack on a Labour MP. Nothing Wadsworth said was anti-semitic, and I quite accept his assurance he had no idea that Smeeth was Jewish. Here was my analysis of the incident written on the day, which I believe has held up well. But Wadsworth’s notion that he was at an appropriate place and time to attack a Labour MP was, at the very least, extremely misguided.

In short, Wadsworth should have saved his justified complaint about the right wing infiltrator Ruth Smeeth’s co-ordination with the Daily Telegraph and pursued it by a more suitable avenue.

Equally, expulsion from the Party is an over the top reaction to Wadsworth’s rashness, and plainly is being done to placate the witch-hunt of “anti-Semites” which is the Blairites’ lead effort to undermine Corbyn.

The impression Wadsworth is “expelled for anti-Semitism” will now be allowed to stand, in the hope it will placate the Israeli lobby who marched 50 parliamentarians strong in a lynch mob to intimidate Wadsworth’s hearing. Corbyn seems to me to have gone down entirely the wrong path. You cannot sate the bloodlust of a witch-hunt by burning a few people you know are not really witches, in the hope the witchfinders will then get bored and go away. Caroline Lucas on Question Time last night, in her assertion that we must not be cowed into failure to criticise Israel and that anti-zionism does not equal anti-semitism, showed more political courage than the entire Labour Party leadership.

Watching that hatchet-faced Friends of Israel mob bear down on the Wadsworth hearing reminded me of the secretly taped meeting between Shai Masot of the Israeli Embassy and Joan Ryan MP of Labour Friends of Israel, where he told her he had over £1 million to give her to influence the Labour Party in Israel’s favour.

So Mark Wadsworth did bring the Labour Party into disrepute, but not nearly as much as Joan Ryan MP, and in about the same measure as every member of the lynch mob whose equally unnecessary intrusion on a party disciplinary hearing gave the media plenty of occasion for knocking copy. But do not expect natural justice to prevail in the UK’s distorted, propaganda-led politics of 2018.


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182 thoughts on “Funnily Enough, Mark Wadsworth Was Guilty of Bringing the Labour Party Into Disrepute – But Not of Anti-Semitism

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  • BigDave

    I’ve agreed with a lot of what you’ve written, but no way did Marc Wadsworth bring the Labour Party into disrepute. The fabricated media storm may have done, but there’s not much anyone can do about that. Every time a Labour Party member (Tony Blair?) says not to vote Labour, every time an MP says they will stab Jeremy Corbyn in the front, every time they use their contacts in the media to try to undermine the first leader of the Labour Party to be elected by the whole membership, twice, they bring the Labour Party into disrepute. And judging by the reactions I’m seeing, the NCC have just brought the party into disrepute also. Let’s expel them, and let the real pro-Labour socialists get on with the task of kicking out the Tories.

    • Chris Rogers

      @BigDave,

      100% with you on this. In my humble opinion, what Marc stated at the Press Launch needed to be said, and if you review the actual video footage what we find is a total lack of BAME faces in the Crowd. As for the Blairites, Progress types and Bitterites making hay of egregious claim by Smeeth, the fact remains, and loads of documentary evidence exits, that the Rightist have worked hand in glove with the Rightwing MSM since July 2015 to blunt, stymie and ultimately remove Corbyn & the Left from the Labour Movement.

      I trust Marc will challenges this most unjust verdict in an English Civil Court of Law and have donated to his legal funds.

  • Shatnersrug

    I’m sorry Craig in no way did marks actions bring the Party into disrepute with anyone other than the right wing press who we should have nothing to do with.

    Bringing the Party into disrepute is staging a show trial in the same week as local elections.

    Bringing the Party into disrepute is screaming at Diane Abbott in public about Mark Wadsworth during a Windrush meeting in parliament ala Wes Streeting

    Bringing the Party into disrepute is Briefing against the leadership to the hard right press, ala Smeeth

    Bringing the Party into disrepute is going to Saudi Arabia with BAE whilst trying to smear the leadership as anti-Semitic

    I could go on and on, the Labour right are so complete in breach of Party rules that it leads me to the conclusion that the NCC the body responsible for descisions is still controlled by Blairites – this will change

    • craig Post author

      I agree with everything you say about the Right of the party. But if you think that made it OK for Marc to interrupt the press launch of the Chakrabati Report with an attack on Ruth Smeeth (however much she deserves it) your judgement is frankly lacking.

      • Shatnersrug

        My judgment is not lacking, my argument is not whether what Mark said and when and where he said I absolutely agree that it was ill timed and I thought through, but “bringing the Party into disrepute?”suspension and then expulsion. He may have brought himself into disrepute but the party? Pretty ridiculous in my view.

        • craig Post author

          Expulsion is definitely over the top. I said that. But to distract the launch of the Chakrabati report was extremely stupid, I think we agree.

          • Shatnersrug

            Yes, we do, the whole thing has got my heckles up, but that of course is the point of the Blairites – the staged twaddle of less than 20 rich white women marching through the streets – absolutely ridiculous sight to behold, they claimed there would be 50 MPs there to protect Smeeth but the fact they had less than 20 is a good sign on its own!

            … and I’m trying to be zen about it I certainly don’t want to argue with you, so I apologise for my turseness

          • Squeeth

            The Chakrabati report is bullsh ite but not so much as her, for taking a sinecure in the Lords; even Bliar wasn’t low enough to do that.

      • Simon Cohen

        I think Craig has this spot on. It is good that the Labour Party has differentiated the ant-semitism issue from the ‘disrepute’ aspect.

        Marc was utterly wrong to use that event as a platform to attack Blairite M.P’s and make a point about ethnic imbalance. He should have known that he was playing into the hands of a media that was ready to exploit the slightest false move-he has other channels for doing that.

        Unfortunately the so-called leaders of the jewish Community (Board of Deputies) are spinning it as an judgement on anti-semitism:

        ‘Jonathan Arkush, the president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, who met the Labour leader this week to express community concerns about antisemitism, said it was the right result and was a step in the right direction.’

        This is quite bizarre.

        There was not a scintilla of anti-semitism in what Wadsworth said. Expulsion was too harsh but a good ‘bollocking’ was in order for a man that used the platform like a naive student rookey rather than a seasoned political actor.

        To be honest, if Labour failed to challenge the media driven anti-semitism narrative from the get go when the mural tweet was dug out. If there had been a debate then about what constitutes real anti-semitism then this mess wouldn’t be one. The fact that some of the most high profile accusations of anti-semitism were against people of Jewish background (Macholver, Greenstein, Walker) should have been enough to raise concerns about getting clear boundaries around an adequate definition. Instead the media ran riot with it and people like John Mann were allowed to define it. As someone of jewish background I resent people like mann and the media telling we what is or isn’t anti-semitism!

        lesson for Labour: never let the media steal the narrative.

      • Carmel Townsend

        Craig,
        Your piece about Facebook, et al is worrying, but expected. Is it coincidence that the number of comments are much lower than usual, on the latest articles?

      • james c

        Craig,
        Has justice been done and been seen to be done?

        I don’t think so, as Wadsworth will be reported as having been expelled from the Labour party following a complaint of anti-semitism.

        • Shatnersrug

          Interestingly I’ve been told by someone in the know that Mark actually ‘won’ on points and Smeeth didn’t get the outcome she’d hoped for and he was found as we know, not guilty of any anti-s. So the charge of bringing the Party into disrepute was a fob off.

  • reel guid

    Corbyn thinks principles are only something which you properly activate on taking office. You can be as icily calculating as you like in the meantime. He’d throw anyone and any country to the wolves in his quest for the premiership of England. And in the unlikely event that he ever got there he’d find he’d squandered a lot of the goodwill he couldn’t afford to dispense with.

    • glenn_nl

      “[P]remiership of England” – what on earth are you talking about? I wonder if your hatred of anything to do with England extends to knocking anyone if you think that helps besmirch that country just a little bit more. I’ve yet to hear you say a good thing about any politician who isn’t Scottish, which renders any statement you might make about them pretty meaningless.

      Perhaps you’d like to tell us who should be running the Labour party and passes your purity test, or will it just elicit some more “Yah boo, England Bad!” comments?

      • reel guid

        Caroline Lucas. She’s English and she’s a good politician. Dave Nellist and Simon Hughes likewise.

        I can’t tell you who should be leading the Labour Party. Someone we haven’t heard of probably.

        As for your charge of besmirching England. To put things simply, England is currently telling Scotland what to do. That’s just telling it like it is. It’s not anti-Englishness.

        • glenn_nl

          How about Blair – he was born in Scotland. What about Brown? Scottish too. Any problems with them? In fact we’ve had quite a few prominent British politicians who are Scottish, it’s hardly the top-down process of English dictatorial rule that you want to imply.

          I like Caroline Lucas too, she has more backbone than all the Blairite scum red Tories put together. It’s a shame that you cannot see that (to use words unfairly stolen by Cameron, and which we should take back) we really are all in this together. Welsh, Scottish, and the decent people of England too. They are not all toffs and imperialists, you know.

          • Republicofscotland

            “How about Blair – he was born in Scotland. What about Brown? Scottish too.”

            Glenn.

            Yes they are, but as I’ve often stated, they carried out their nasty wee plans at Westminster. As has John Reid, Lord Robertson, Rifkind, Younger and dozens of other Westminster yes men and women.

          • glenn_nl

            RoS: Certainly, of course they carried out their plans at Westminster. That a bunch of evil neo-con Scots carried out their war crimes from London doesn’t really bolster RG’s point though, does it?

        • SA

          Reel guid
          I notice that your posts have always been anti-Corbyn, best on the fact that Corbyn has been pro union. I think that this is a shame because Scotland has a better chance of a meaningful devolution and possibly a second independence referendum with Corbyn as PM than with this current lot. Caroline Lucas is a one woman band and can be as idealistic as possible whereas Corbyn is a leader of a major opposition party that has to consider a vast array of interests. I am sure he is fairer than this presidential May and I am sure who would listen to some good arguments but he cannot open too many fronts to defend given the current climate. So I ask you to please not be too harsh on Corbyn.

          • Republicofscotland

            “I notice that your posts have always been anti-Corbyn, best on the fact that Corbyn has been pro union. I think that this is a shame because Scotland has a better chance of a meaningful devolution and possibly a second independence referendum with Corbyn as PM ”

            SA.

            That is irrelevant, Corbyn is at best “if” he becomes PM and it’s a bloody big if temporary.

            He opposes Scottish independence, so to those who want Scottish independence Corbyn is neither here nor there.

            However I can understand why the good people of England would want him as PM over the Tories.

          • reel guid

            I agree with that Ros. My invective against Corbynites is motivated by their attitude to Scottish freedom. I don’t have any problem with Corbyn and Labour in England. And since there are no council elections in Scotland next week I’ll say vote Labour next week.

            Unless you’re in Wales.

          • glenn_nl

            RG: “I agree with that Ros.

            No surprise there then. But instead of agreeing with RoS – something you do an awful lot of, I have to say – why don’t you answer a couple of questions yourself? Only concerning rather contentious points that you yourself have raised, of course. Nobody is picking on you. So maybe RoS needn’t actually come charging to the rescue quite so gallantly, gentleman that he is.

        • Loony

          In your endless quest to differentiate between English and Scottish politicians you have omitted some highly relevant names:

          Tony Blair former Prime Minister of the UK and un-indicted war criminal was, and is, Scottish. Have you ever wondered why interest rates have been stuck at zero for a decade, why wages are stagnating and asset prices are inflating. If so maybe you could ask your fellow Scot Gordon Brown for an explanation.

          Do you ever spare a thought for the dead and injured of the Afghan debacle? If so perhaps your fellow Scot Dr. John Reid may be able to offer some solace – as it was he who launched the Afghan “mission” with some garbage about no shots being fired.

          Ah yes these Scots caused no suffering to the English (and vast swathes of the rest of the world) at all. If you really want independence just let the English vote – you will get a massive majority and will be gone the same day as the vote is counted.

          • John Porteous

            “If you really want independence just let the English vote – you will get a massive majority and will be gone the same day as the vote is counted. “

            The mind-boggling incompetence, among other things, of the Westminster government is having the effect that you seek – no need to trouble the English electorate – and should ensure that the coming Independence Referendum is won.

            This incompetence is not recent but is decades-old and flourished under both cheeks of the same arse. For Scotland, it matters not a jot which of the Tweedles is on the government side of the Westminster despatch box. Westminster governance is the problem and this time most Scots will ignore the inevitable promises – and inevitably empty promises – from London politicians.
            Not incidentally, Blair, Brown, Reid et al were London politicians.

        • Paul Barbara

          @ reel guid April 27, 2018 at 17:45
          I haven’t much time for her myself. I joined her on a seat at the Balcombe station (we had both been on an anti-Fracking demo, and where waiting for a train back to London). I tried to broach 2001, but she refused to even discuss it (but then I’d probably get the same from Corbyn, whom I support.

          • Shatnersrug

            Well she couldn’t could she, she doesn’t know you from adam, the press would have a field day with her “loony green conspiracy theories” etc you have to be realistic about these things.

            As for Jeremy he’s not really interested in sluthing more into preventing violence I’m sure he’s discuss it with you he’s pretty open

    • Clark

      “Corbyn thinks principles are only something which you properly activate on taking office. […] He’d throw anyone and any country to the wolves in his quest for the premiership of England”

      False!

      https://www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/10133/jeremy_corbyn/islington_north

      Jeremy Corbyn consistently voted against introducing foundation hospitals, while most Labour MPs generally voted for.

      Jeremy Corbyn almost always voted against Labour’s anti-terrorism laws, while most Labour MPs generally voted for.

      Jeremy Corbyn consistently voted against the Iraq war, while most Labour MPs generally voted for.

      Jeremy Corbyn generally voted for investigations into the Iraq war, while most Labour MPs almost always voted against.

      Jeremy Corbyn generally voted against introducing ID cards, while most Labour MPs almost always voted for.

      Jeremy Corbyn generally voted against allowing ministers to intervene in inquests, while most Labour MPs almost always voted for.

      Jeremy Corbyn generally voted against requiring the mass retention of information about communications, while most Labour MPs generally voted for.

      Jeremy Corbyn generally voted for a transparent Parliament, while most Labour MPs generally voted against.

      Jeremy Corbyn generally voted against replacing Trident with a new nuclear weapons system, while most Labour MPs generally voted for.

      Visit Jeremy Corbyn’s full vote analysis page for more:

      https://www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/10133/jeremy_corbyn/islington_north/votes

      • glenn_nl

        Come on, Clark – don’t let facts get in the way of some good anti-English bigotry!

        • Clark

          After Scottish Labour’s behaviour, I can’t really blame reel guid, but would urge reel guid to check out Momentum to see how the new members are trying to transform Labour.

        • Anon1

          He doesn’t really believe what he writes about Corbyn. He correctly identifies Labour under Corbyn as a threat to Scottish independence, so he has to discredit him.

          Craig is a little more honest. He supports Corbyn, but has to pretend that Corbyn is a secret Scots nat who any day now will suddenly rally behind Scottish independence. We’re yet to see it.

          The fact that all Scots nats can’t face up to is that under a Corbyn administration virtually all their arguments for independence are neutered.

      • Republicofscotland

        Thank you Clark for that comment, however I think the most relevant point in all the facts about Corbyn, is

        “While most Labour MPs generally voted for.”

        Which generally means in my opinion that Corbyn is the exception and not the rule. Difficult to change a party that doesn’t see the world as you do.

        • Clark

          It is difficult to change a party, but the hundreds of thousands of new members such as myself who joined to support Corbyn are making considerable progress at doing so 🙂

          • Clark

            RoS, what’s been going on in the Labour Party in England mirrors the democratic upswing that drove the Scottish Independence campaign, and the support for Bernie Sanders in the US. These are all parts of the same surge in political awareness communicated through the new independent media. Let’s not undermine each other, eh?

          • Clark

            Please, explain to reel guid. The influx of support for Corbyn is coordinated through Momentum. So far, the new members have replaced key officers on the Labour NEC. Next, as Craig pointed out, we need to replace a lot of Blairite MPs and Parliamentary Candidates. Meanwhile, Corbyn is forced by the old PLP to compromise on issues like Trident. It’s a long hard slog to undo what Blair etc. did to the Labour Party. The outcome is uncertain, but we have to try.

          • Shatnersrug

            Well said clark. And welcome to the party! No one said it would be easy, I’ve been in the party for 20 odd years (very odd!) and before Corbyn I thought it was over for Labour I was half expecting JC to retire and leave us with another awful Blairite clone. All the way along the Corbyn project is what stands between us and totalitarianism. My heart has hope but my brain knows that it all maybe to late. So I fight and enjoy whatever victories we gain but it’s a war and sometimes you have to lose a battle. If you look from the Blairites point of view they’re losing pretty badly and they don’t know how to respond

  • reel guid

    If a Labour member stands up at a meeting and points out that a Labour MPs is scheming at said meeting with an ultra-right newspaper like the Daily Telegraph then all the protestor could be guilty of is tactical maladroitness. Mark Wadsworth didn’t in the least bring his party into disrepute.

    • craig Post author

      To interrupt the press launch of the Chakrabati report with the accusation against Smeeth is about as extreme an example of tactical maladroitness as I can think of. Tactical maladroitness is precisely what I am accusing him of. Or lack of decorum. Or being an idiot.

      • reel guid

        Any party that punished a member for simply being an idiot would in my opinion have brought itself into disrepute.

      • Cathy Murphy

        Craig, the original interruption was not his – it was Smeeth’s

        He was responding to her shouting out about his ‘leaflet’/press release – very briefly – whilst making his main point, He spoke throw the Chair and his main point was about BAME representation on the enquiry!

        No lack of decorum!

        • Harry Law

          I agree with both Cathy and labougie here, I think Craig has not been as forensic in his parsing of words or their context as in the case for instance of Gary Aitkenead et al, If Cathy is right then Wadsworth was legitimately handed the mike to ask a question from the floor, whereupon he was shouted out by Smeeth or one close to her??? And as any good speaker knows, if you have the mike, you have the attention of the audience, he simply took advantage. This incident needs to be looked at in all the circumstances, who said what and when, and in what context. Without that it is unfair to judge the people involved, with such high stakes, knee jerk reactions are not helpful.

      • labougie

        Craig – you’re wrong here. Adroitness or otherwise is diplomat/politician speak. How can you hold Marc to those standards? He simply spoke his mind and should be applauded for that.

      • Jaxster

        He didn’t hijack the press conference the MSM were using the question and answer session to attack Corbyns leadership and to try and twist his words. Kate E McCann of the Telegraph ask a question about links between Corbyn and momentum. So when Marc got his turn to ask question he had a dig back at her and moved on with his question.

  • nevermind

    I go one further. The electoral system is rigged in favour of cheats, politicians are opposed to change as it could remove their levers to cheat should we ever get AMS or STV. The body politics in this country is dead as voters have lost trust, not just in party politics, but also in local councils who are as shady as their Westminster bosses.
    I regret that this countries political bodies and parties have been undermined by Zionist infiltrators under the term Friends, when all they are planning is to undermine our politicians should they in any way not conform to their agenda.

    I call that mutiny, it is a war without arms, using our public broadcasting services, a largely compliant media,. and many underhand pundits and operators and rich party donors who fish for politicians at all times.

    Its time for the English voters to call a general election, never mind the politicians, we are being betrayed fooled, taken to war without debate, have our local services trashed, the NHS debilitated so private health care companies can break of the most lucrative and easiest chunks. Both Houses are superfluous to the wishes and needs of us voters, they should be turned into the Westminster Grand hotel by the Thames.
    Decentralise power to the regions, select representatives at random out of a hat, not by elections, for one term only and the following term strict gender balance is applied. International affairs are delegated to diplomats that answer, and get their brief, to all local regions.
    Mark Wadsworth has been sniped by the FoI, its time to sbipe back. I absolutely agree with Craigs senti9ment to have all those who bayed for blood and voted for the war in Iraq to be deselected, especially after Ahmae Chalabi’s backhand thieving schemes with Marc Rich have come to light.

    looks like the little rogue state has managed to use its various guilt vehicles to undermine Governments and their foreign policies, make them compliant with threats and deliberate actions.

    • Paul Barbara

      @ nevermind April 27, 2018 at 17:38
      ‘…looks like the little rogue state has managed to use its various guilt vehicles to undermine Governments and their foreign policies, make them compliant with threats and deliberate actions.’
      You forgot bribery, ‘honey traps’ and blackmail.

  • labougie

    Having looked at the video of Marc Wadsworth’s comments, does anyone know (when the camera panned to Smeeth) who was the man in the pink tie sitting on her immediate left who (to my eyes) seemed to say ‘Yes’ to her?

  • Hatuey

    You know, I think the timing of this whole debate is quite worrying, and I expect opinion towards Israel to be a much more important issue in the next few months as the heat in the Middle East is turned up. But I also think it’s about time we clarified, once and for all, the distinction between anti-semitism and genuine concerns about Israeli policy towards Palestinians and others.

    Let’s not do it here, today, though, it’s very tedious. And in truth the whole debate is a bit of a ruse. You know it’s a ruse when a child would understand and agree with the basic arguments against what they do in places like Gaza, without that child having any understanding or awareness of anti-semitism or religion.

    Israel’s importance is blown out of all proportion as a rogue state in a crowd of rogue states. Israel isn’t a ring leader, it’s a follower. It does what its told and is amply rewarded. We all get it. I’m sick of people making out it’s mysterious and part of some global conspiracy.

    Without American support we’d see israel clearly for what it is; a prop in the theatre of a Middle East that has been re-running the same tired old show since oil was discovered there, over 100 years ago. Same script, same cast, same plot. Wake me up when the curtain comes down.

    • Ian Neal

      I agree defining AS is important. To my mind it is simple Criticising Israel & supporting BDS & exposing truth behind conspiracies is not AS.
      However I (and many others) believe there is a global conspiracy and it is led by deep state of US and UK and its military-media-corporate complex. Israel is part of this web along w Saudi & many others actors. To say so is not anti semitic and has nothing to do with anyone’s faith.

      As we have seen with Douma and Salisbury MSM is quick to label anyone challenging official/MSM narratives as conspiracy theorists. I know this well through campaigning for a reinvestigation of 9/11
      So it worries me that Momentum in the otherwise excellent statement on AS specifically oppose ‘conspiratorial thinking’ and Jeremy in his interview w evening standard
      https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/jeremy-corbyn-apologises-for-antisemitism-in-labour-and-admits-its-a-clear-problem-the-party-has-a3822031.html
      is reported as pointing to social media post pushing “conspiracy theories blaming 9/11 on Israel” as an example of AS. Now we have no way of knowing if the post Jeremy refers to is anti semitic it may well have been

      However my worry is that there is growing mccarthyism against anyone challenging official narratives and smearing them as conspiracy theorists or russiabots, useful idiots or gullible cultists.

      Whilst I don’t blame Israel for 9/11 they do have serious questions to answer such as why Mossad agents were observed celebrating the tower collapses, arrested and deported. This is a matter of public record and no conspiracy theory and to point to inconvenient facts such as this is not anti semitism. I trust the difference is clear.

      Craig I trust you will allow me to plug this event in London on May 15 and I promise not to mention 9/11 again for a while. Thanks

      http://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/911-justiceevery-nation-every-citizen-richard-gage-barbara-honegger-tickets-45069841108

      • Squeeth

        Since there’s nothing religious about that colony in Palestine, AS doesn’t come into it, which is why the occupiers shout about it so loudly. They know that the emperor’s got no clothes.

  • Craig

    Completely agree. People like Wadsworth and Jackie Walker have zero political antennae. What was he thinking? He wasn’t just rude to Smeeth, but was giving out protest leaflets prior to the event. Corbyn organized the Chakarbati report to shut down antisemtism as an issue hurting Labour: hence the viscous attacks on Charkarbati from the Jewish Chronicle, Dan Hodges etc, who want to keep the issue alive and as big as possible. Their other attack lines – misogyny, brocalism, the IRA, the terrorists friend, that he’s a weirdo who didnt want to send his kids to grammar school, doesnt want to use nukes – all seem to have failed.

    Obviously, expulsion is completely over the top and disproportionate. The only advantage it may have is as a piece of real politik – make some of Corbyn’s supporters who are harming him and the left realize that if they keep throwing around terms like ‘zio’ or organizing these counterproductive labour againt the witchhunt protests (per person they must get the most media attention of any left protest in British history), then they might get kicked out of the party.

    Its a pity that Chris Williamson – one of the few genuine socialists in the PLP – seems to want to tie his colour’s to Wadworth’s and Walker’s mast. I admire his bravery and his contempt for establishment and msm norms, but Corbyn and the left need to choose their battles carefully. Antisemtism should not be one of them. Concede – i.e. throw out people like Livingstone and Walker who are willfully offensive to many jews, even if not antisemtic – and move on.

    • Squeeth

      That report was a load of crap and made a mockery of JCs supposed belief in equality of opportunity.

    • labougie

      “People like Wadsworth and Jackie Walker have zero political antennae”
      Is that perhaps because they are real people, not politicians?

  • Neil

    “Caroline Lucas on Question Time last night, in her assertion that we must not be cowed into failure to criticise Israel and that anti-zionism does not equal anti-semitism, showed more political courage than the entire Labour Party leadership.”

    I agree with the sentiment of this but it’s far easier to adopt that position when it isn’t you in the firing line. I wonder what Lucas’s response would be if it were her that was having anti-semetism shit flung at her. Corbyn’s position is one of defense where as Lucas has the advantage of being a sideline player.

  • James

    It is one of the oddities of history that it has only been the political left that has really gone in for the show trial.

    Although, thank heavens, Marc Wadsworth is not going to be executed for his “crime”, this hearing seems to be very much in the tradition of Vyshinsky’s Moscow set pieces and such postwar travesties as the Rajk and Slansky trials. The key thread that links all of these together is the concept of a notable left wing figure being destroyed to make a political point.

    For a man guilty of no more than poor judgement, Wadsworth’s treatment has been outrageous. I have never been a Labour supporter, but the whole enterprise screams injustice to me. The sad thing is that this verdict will merely throw a bit more petrol onto the flames; who will be the next victim of Labour’s neocons, I wonder?

    If the party really wanted to expel people who were bringing it into disrepute, its leadership could start by looking closely at the group of Blairite MPs who have been trying to smear and sabotage Corbyn’s leadership right from the time he was elected.

    If I were a Labour member, I would expect more from my own MPs.

  • DelicateDave

    Sorry I don’t agree, questions where asked for from the floor he didn’t barge in other anything. Anyone of the other jurnos there could have said the same thing.
    Also the hearing should have been restricted to her complaint, you don’t go to court for speeding and come out done for tresspassing.

      • Dave

        They castigate you unfairly at every turn and when you finally respond in anger to their insults with an insult of your own they say your insult proves them right about you all along. The best response is to hold up a mirror and calmly accuse the accuser and watch them foam at the mouth. But its not pleasant having to take on a hostile lobby, which is something else they rely on to get their way.

        • Hagar

          Spot on Dave.

          You have been 100% correct all day. Pity there is not more like you brave enough to state the truth. Well done.

          Back in the day when the Roman Catholic Church ruled the roost. All dissent was met with the accusations of being a Heretic a Witch. Torture and execution, followed, usually public display of “burning at the stake”. Does what is going on to-day look familiar?

          Then along came the “ants” Protest-ants and put a stop to that badness. Unfortunately, the Roman Catholic Church got up an army to put down/crush those ants. It all ended in defeat for the RC Church.

          If you disagree with any or all of the badness that is going on in the world to-day you are branded by the media who seem to be owned or managed by the relatives/friends/cronies of those who are the perpetrators of the badness, as a Russian bot, anti-semite, bigot, racist or of inferior mental capacity.

          So before you, and you know who you are, have a go at me, I am none of these things. I can however see through the propaganda which is downright lies. I am a big fan of the truth. We have bad politicians in Scotland, I agree, however, there is eleven time more bad politicians in England. Whatever the population of England votes for we also get it, whether we want it or not.

          I bet they sleep soundly at night knowing they have done wrong, all day. And call it a success.

  • Digger

    Being perfectly reasonable about this verdict. But being reasonable is not what this Israel lobby confines itself too. Seems like that Corbyn and the Labour party have allowed themselves to be put totally on the defensive over these absurd accusations. Why on Earth is a Israel lobby allowed to exist in the Labour party? Israel is a state that has no respect for Human rights. If the Mongol hoards were ravening Asia, would Labour have a “Friends of Genghis Khan”? Corbyn needs to go on the offensive. “Friends of Israel” should be kicked out of the Party. You really cant afford to compromise with these violent nutters.

    • Paul Barbara

      @ Digger April 27, 2018 at 19:15
      If and when Corbyn becomes Prime Minister (and I certainly hope he does) he could put out a very strong statement about Israel, and make it a three-line issue, then demote anyone in a Ministerial or other power position.

  • Linda S.

    The Labour Party rules used at Marc’s hearing do not contain a specific offence of anti-semitism.
    Apparently “The panel then ruled the case against Wadsworth could be proven based solely on the perception by some people that what he said at the launch of the Charkrabarti report on June 30 2016 was anti-Semitism.”
    If this is true then Heaven help us all.

    • Dave

      This is the problem with Globalist ‘hate crime’ legislation which makes everyone guilty. By agreeing to this legislation the Left (and Right) are being hung by their own petard, because ‘hate crime’ is conflated with ‘hate speech’ and the offenders guilt can, in law, be perceived by the victim, and so under the legislation everyone can be deemed guilty by anyone who perceives them to be guilty, although in practice some are more guilty than others, depending on who is doing the perceiving, similar to some are more equal than others. Its legislation intended to protect the powerful rather than the weak.

      • Canexpat

        Couldn’t agee more Dave.

        It has been astounding to watch the criminalisation of an emotion. The entire concept of ‘hate speech’ and ‘hate crimes’ has been used to shut down necessary debate about important issues. Such debate threatens those who wield power and so must be curtailed at all costs. If there is one thing that I envy our U.S. cousins for, it is the constitutionally protected right to free speech. It is always informative to see which groups actually get prosecuted for these Orwellian crimes. Some types of hate are more equal that others it would seem. The recent absurd conviction of Count Dankula is a case in point.

    • Michael McNulty

      Smeeth could always leave the Labour Party and join the Tories to who she is clearly more-closely aligned, but that would mean she’d have to stand outside the tent pissing in when she wants to be inside the tent pissing in.

      • Paul Barbara

        @ Michael McNulty April 27, 2018 at 22:17
        Her constituents can make their view of her behaviour known at the next election, hopefully she will be deselected.

  • Tony_0pmoc

    Hatuey,

    You may have gathered, that my initial response to your personal attack on me, did not appear, yet I used the same words and spellings that you did. Have you got a special dispensation or something?

    I like Cubans too. I just posted a pro-Cuban few words here. That passed moderation no problem, and I am not anti Russian either.

    http://thesaker.is/cuban-sonic-attacks-likely-winner-of-us-lie-of-the-decade/

    Don’t blame me. I didn’t make up the rules.

    Tony

  • Squeeth

    Liarbour has brought Wadsworth into disrepute for years. I hope he sues the fuckers.

  • Squeeth

    The Chakrabarti Report was a craven white-wash and anyone there who kept quiet brought Liarbour into disrepute.

  • Martin Kernick

    Seems to me that if Wadsworth is guilty of bringing the party into disrepute then Smeeth is doubly so.

  • Tony_0pmoc

    This “Russian Bot” interviewed now on both Sky News & BBC Newsnight, can handle himself extremely well.

    Not bad for an OAP.

    He has a very similar history to me, though I’ve not been on the Telly yet (though I was once asked)

    “Ian56 Interview with BBC reporter Gabriel Gatehouse @ggatehouse for Newsnight”

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFbPG6fOU1M

    Tony

    • Paul Barbara

      @ Tony_0pmoc April 27, 2018 at 20:22
      Brilliant! Do you know if it was broadcast?

    • Paul Barbara

      @ Tony_0pmoc April 27, 2018 at 20:22
      It’s OK, I found the answer – they used just a tiny fraction of his interview:
      ‘Russia’s (dis)information warfare – BBC Newsnight’: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ye2Mg4Zxsk8
      Slimy gits, they don’t like it up ’em! as Corporal Jones used to say. THAT is supposedly balanced reporting, given the BBC’s accusations?

      • Tony_0pmoc

        Just seen the edit – what a cnt. The BBC took over 10 minutes of material, and edited it down to less than 30 seconds, to get the result they wanted.

        I mean FFS, I could edit The BBC News to make them seem as if They are not All Completely Evil Bastards, but I’d have to work on it, and I can’t be arsed – as its completely obvious unedited, if you still have a functioning brain

        Tony

    • Tony_0pmoc

      JOML, if you want to do Borat (who I have enormous respect for, even if he is English), this clip is far better. Ron Paul maintained his integrity (and always has – even though I don’t always agree with him). Ron Paul wasn’t acting. He got suckered into a movie scene with no pre-knowledge. It is a completely brilliant illustration of real relationships, but I am sure Borat knew exactly what he was illustrating. Borat in Grimsby is very much funnier, but then us Northern English have absolutely no problems with people taking the p1ss out of us, even if you Scottish do (I reckon you guys won the Independence vote by the way (The Englsh and The Scottish Labour Party and MI5 are bent))

      “Bruno Ron Paul seduction scene”

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOEJGKusJb8

      Tony

      • Michael McNulty

        I believe they were robbed of it too. The first major election with no exit polls?; a fire at one ballot station during the count?; a majority of Scottish working class and disadvantaged voting against their own interests and for continued rule by the dirty, lying, thieving, murdering fucking English elite? No way.

  • Cathy Murphy

    If Marc is guilty – then so is Ms Smeeth

    She and the Telegraph Journalist (Kate McCann) Shouted out at him first!

    Saying they had his ‘leaflet’ – which in fact was a press release – that he had refused to hand to MPs. But had given (embargoed) to the press. He then saw Ms McCann share it with Ms Smeeth

    Mr Wadsworth did absolutely nothing wrong! He was attacked, he very, very, very. briefly responded during his main point about the lack of BAME representation on the panel!

  • Carl Olsen

    Typo: But Wadsworth’s notion that he [should be ‘this’] was at an appropriate place and time…

  • Pete

    I was barely aware of Marc Wadsworth before today but I do remember him for one thing, which is that 22 years ago, he was one of the people on the Left to come out and rightly condemn Diane Abbot for her disgraceful statement about “we don’t want blonde haired blue-eyed nurses in Hackney.” She was referring to nurses whom Hackney Hospital had recruited from Finland, having been unable to find enough locals (of any colour) who were willing to work there. Mr Wadsworth did deploy a rather eccentric argument against her, namely that some Finnish people were black and that he himself was half Finnish, which seems irrelevant to me, but fair play to him, he said what needed to be said. I thought at the time that Abbot should have been kicked out of the Party for that remark. But there she still is, on the front bench at Jezza’s side, while Wadsworth has been expelled.

    It’s also thoroughly dishonest of the Party committee to say he’s being expelled for “bringing the Party into disrepute”, which is merely a means of avoiding having to defend the real and entirely specious reason. Craig is right in suggesting that his intervention was somewhat crass, but let’s face it there’d not be many activists left if we kicked out everyone who’d ever been a bit annoying.

  • John Glendenning

    Excellent analysis Craig. I have always admired Caroline Lucas and regard her as one of the best
    present members of Parliament. The neo-liberal caucus within the PLP are strong and will stop at nothing to undermine the Corbyn leadership. The political socio-economic direction of the party leadership – supported by a large percentage of the membership is anathema to them.

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