Edinburgh Tram called "a green folly" and looking green but not being green

I’m not up to speed which tram project this is, but in the case of Edinburgh, I always saw it as a vanity project and, frankly, a green folly, as Edinburgh already had (and has) one of the best city-run bus services in the country. I think it was about looking green rather than being green.

Alastair Mc

Growth and de-growth from Bob W

The business community is, as ever, committed to growth at all costs. Never mind that permanent economic growth on a finite planet is a non-starter, that is their mantra. Growth, no matter what is produced; if it makes a profit it is OK. There is a green version of this which calls for "green growth", which is a combination of greenwash and mild reforms.

My​ ​attitude is that we need growth in health, education and housing provision, social care, renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, culture, FFPT, participative sport and free time, and de-growth in armaments, cars, plastic, fast fashion, meat, food miles, advertising, and useless and unnecessary goods. This would mean curbing aviation, road building and counting out such projects as HS2.

The former view has an echo within the labour movement and it needs to be countered with the latter in my view.

Very nice to read your article in 'Rail Professional', April 2020 issue

email dated 24 March 2020:

Dear Transport Convener, Cllr Lesley and friends - fun photos to click on, below.  As your reward for reading to the bottom - don't cheat!!

Re: the Edinburgh tram line - 'Trams to Newhaven' and coals to Newcastle

You ended your piece by writing, "the status quo is quite simply not an option.  To Newhaven - and beyond!"  To infinity and beyond, of course.

Do you know why your predecessors destroyed the tram status quo, to go for diesel buses some years ago?  We did the same in the Black Country and Brum but I am ignorant of the reasons, if you are able to help, please. 

We then had the status quo of diesel buses for many years that you want to partly change, it seems as no longer being an option.  Why all the chopping and changing between two different status quos over the decades?  Why not simply transform the two basic modes - bus and train?

Did we see the growth in diesel buses as Edinburgh grew and prospered?  Grew and prospered with humdrum buses and not flash trams.  Therefore, for many decades the diesel buses were the real deal, the satisfactory status quo, the success that you are upsetting, yet again, for the return of the tram status quo, once more.

Perhaps you meant that you wanted a high-status symbol to befit a world, grandstanding city like Edinburgh?  Something more prestigious and glitzy and glamorous.  Or, a solution looking for a problem?

However, is the bigger and grander the project the more expensive it becomes and, therefore, the more greenhouse gases are spewed out to screw up the world's climates for the worse?  In other words, the more we spend on finite resources like fossil fuels the more unsustainable our society becomes to turn it into planet venus, as some scientists fear?

Why should the "bus on rails"* tram on tracks on the road be better than smart electric buses straight on to the road without railway lines having to be laid first?

Or, could you join the current European mainland trend of even fare-free public transport in some places like Tallinn in Estonia, Luxembourg and Dunkirk?

You want the trams "to complement and support our excellent bus services" but could the danger be that the trams will replace some bus routes?  And, at the most colossal expense, as here:

 Edinburgh Conservative Group OPPOSES their tram...

With every good wish for fareless electric buses to bribe the car commuter to use the humble, mundane, workhorse bus.

* quote courtesy of UK Tram Ltd, the national tram promotion group at the heart of our Transport HQ in Brum.

Tweets to Lisa

Putting Metro trams on Dudley Railway, at 10x construction cost of rebuilding the Borders Railway in 2015, is no way to net zero, Lisa. It is wrong priorities when the railway is already built, needs finishing and when slashing fossil fuels is urgent 'cos of climate emergency.

MY SLIMMED MANIFESTO FOR METRO MAYOR

1. We all need to be much better informed, concerned and engaged over slashing greenhouse gases.
2. Use notices, advertising and billboards to get the message over.
3. Do all the things that are so obvious to slash fossil fuel consumption.
4. Restore the railway lines for TRAINS that the authorities have not yet converted to run homes, offices, shops, roads and trams down them.  Nearly 50 Kms still left for TRAINS!  LOBBY TfWM/WMCA/W Mids Railway Executive at 16 Summer Lane.
5. Put solar panels on every E, W, S facing roof.  Every building a mini power station for their own energy use.
6. Insulate every building for minimum heating
7. Bring in fuel rationing from 1973/4 and the coupons from then - just dust them off!
8. Bring in Fare-Free Public Transport paid for from abandoning anymore £15 BILLION Metro tram and £106 BILLION HS2 extensions.  Fareless buses, trains, trams as reward/compensation on bus priority roads.  Not just for old crocks like me but EVERYONE!
9. Bring in Universal Basic Income to slash unnecessary production and consumption.
10. Make it easier for us all to walk and cycle by converting the far too many urban water-logged, puddle strewn, muddy bridleways into having a free-draining, all-weather surface and, wide enough for all non-fossil fuel use, including horses (next century's transport mode!!)

HS2 FOLLY tweets with Brum Chamber Future Faces

Building HS2 in such a small country as England is absurd. Especially, when it goes so fast it has to have few stations; so you still need all the existing intercity services. £106 BILLION of greenhouse gas emissions is ecocide. I fear the future. I really do. Let wisdom prevail.

"West Coast Main Line is 400 miles long & one of the busiest railways in Europe. Size doesn't really come into it, we desperately need to increase our rail capacity and HS2 provides a huge boost. If we don't increase rail capacity & seats then we're accepting more cars & HGV's." Mark Hipwell

Modernise our existing "very Victorian railway", first. Put passenger trains on the remnant of railway lines that the railway industry, itself has not yet obliterated with offices, homes and roads. Especially, finish the already built but only half-used 120 Kms Black Country Railway.

Complete, in full the 74 miles Worcester, Black Country, Derby Mainline Railway "of national strategic significance". Not with the present nightmare plan of multi-modal, multi-mix up of trams, a test track, a trail of trees and a cycle-walkway. What is the matter with you all?

"We just understand how much "Just update the current infrastructure" would actually cost or reopening/extending/completing old lines that don't offer anywhere near the capacity required or in the right places."

Mark, what is the cost for building the double-track railway bridge over M6 Toll when it opened in Dec 2003? Every other bridge/tunnel is also complete for the missing 56 Kms but NO TRAINS or stations! We sit in traffic jams on M5/M6 alongside or near this wasted mainline. WHY?

"Not sure, but not sure the relevance to HS2. It's a political decision not to finish this line you're talking about"

As from Jan 2020, the DfT/HMG have had their 'Restoring Your Railway' project. W Mids Rail Executive, since Oct 2018 want passenger trains from Stourbridge Jct to Canal St tram stop at Hart's Hill on this mainline. So why not just continue it to Burton on Trent and ditch Metro?

All you young, bright things in Future Faces need, please, to wake up to the dire warnings from old ancients like David Attenborough: "collapse of civilisations", "extinction of much of the natural world", "time is running out". I'm another old git, warning pleading with you all!

Are you aware that your suggestion of changing the existing line would cost more than HS2 and delivery less benefits as well as more environmental changes plus knocking down some towns and cities and will take longer and disrupt millions in the process?

You've misunderstood, Sparky! It is URGENT we slash fossil fuel use. So abandon all current Metro "bus on rails" tram extensions, esp WBHE and finish with trains/stations the 120 Kms Black Country Railway already built but still no trains between St'bge Jct to Burton on Trent.

Regional government by decree not democracy is totally unacceptable

Please remember that, in your position, you can ask for commuter and regional trains on the double tracks that don't get Metro or the VLR test track - nearly 50 Kms for passenger/freight trains to relieve chronic congestion on M5/M6 and main roads.

On page 30, here, W Midlands Rail Executive in Oct 2018, were wanting passenger trains and two stations between Stourbridge Junction and the Canal Street tram stop on the tram line/railway line.​  Look for the green line on the map with two stations marked.  You'll need to enlarge it.

 Stourbridge-Brierley Hill Railway plan.pdf

​​In that case, they might just as well put the trains all the way through to Dudley, Walsall, Lichfield and Derby!.  Plus nine stations all for less than £200 million on 56 Kms, instead of half a billion for trams on 10.7 Kms!

Please remember that in the most outstanding democracy in the world, a world-beating democracy in fact, there has not been a single debate, let alone a vote in any of the seven council chambers in the West Midlands about spending Metro millions and, it taking over perfectly good railway lines to give us a multi-modal, multi-mixed up mainline railway.  Hopeless!  Not one debate or vote since Metro started in 1981.  This is no better than China - in the news this evening.

I would like you to join me in asking about the complete absence of following the most basic democratic requirement of a properly conducted debate and vote before going ahead with spending £15 BILLION to 2040, to replace some bus routes and railway lines with mainly Metro trams.  Edinburgh City Council debated and voted first, I think in 2018 and, certainly, in 2019 before going ahead with their new tram extension to Leith and Newhaven.  The vote went 36 to 26, if I remember correctly.  The Edinburgh Council Conservative Group were opposed and voted against on the grounds of cost and because the inquiry into the shenanigans and failures over the first tram line was not complete.

Scotland seems to have higher standards and does things correctly as regards elected members being properly informed over the full implications of big decisions.  Our councillors, in all seven authorities, need to be fully informed of both the pros and cons of reinstating a £15 BILLION tram network.  A network, the first of which they saw fit to completely obliterate in the 1950s and, since the 1980s, are reinstating on the railway network and roads!  Instead of restoring our railways, first.

On the Labour Party current furore

On the Labour Party current furore; as someone who left them well over 20 years ago, I cannot claim to be an expert on their internal affairs. However, the EHRC report only lists 2 claims/instances of antisemitic impropriety; JUST TWO! One refers to a statement by Ken Livingstone, which for the life of me I cannot see as antisemitic, and the other was about some obscure councillor who was dealt with by expulsion, and the matter thereby resolved, some time ago. How on earth this justifies the endless accusations of antisemitism and the suspension of Jeremy Corbyn is beyond me. (By the way, the EHRC report does not claim that the LP is institutionally antisemitic).

I see the whole saga as a Zionist offensive to prevent a pro-Palestinian politician ending up as the PM. It should have been seen as such and fought resolutely right from the outset but it was not; appeasement was always the order of the day. JC and his movement have now paid the price.

Bob 

SPRINT DIESEL BUSES

 I'm opposed to Sprint buses for your excellent reasons - cost and road widening and,

1.  they are a two-class bus system when all buses must become first-class and as superior as Sprint.
2. the authorities will always be mesmerised by flash, glamorous but highly expensive, high greenhouse gas emitting, transport modes like Metro and now Sprint.
3. BUT "All that glisters is not gold".
4. Sprint is diesel.  We must move to first-class electric buses on bus priority roads.
5. The money saved by abandoning Sprint and Metro should be spent on Fare-Free Public Transport as a reward for not using a car and as compensation for greater Covid-19 risk.
6. Sprint has fewer stops so ordinary buses are still needed!
7. You might just as well do away with them!

DUDLEY TO BRUM - NOW, SLOWER BY PUBLIC TRANSPORT!

 Edgbaston Metro tram means that every bus user coming down Hagley Road has a slower journey into Brum city centre. Either, get off the bus to change for the tram or stay on the bus and get taken round the Wrekin on a long, slow route. The tram gets the underpass and Broad St that every bus used to have. TRAGIC FAILURE BY OUR COUNCILLORS. 

Regional government by decree not democracy

Regional government dictat, instead of debate and vote, gives £15 BILLION to 2040 for underground and overground "bus on rails" electric trams to duplicate and replace buses and trains.  We could have, instead, fare-free electric buses on bus priority roads.  And the 120 Kms Black Country Mainline Railway "of national strategic significance" actually FINISHED.  Wonders would never cease!

TO ADAM AND HARRY

I am genuinely sorry for creating the extra work and cost when it became necessary to fence off the whole length of the path for 310 metres, according to how the digital Ordnance Survey map has measured it.

It must have cost a lot and you both worked hard to come up with a great job.  Thank you.  Would you like a contribution?

For decades, there has always been a conflict between farmworkers/landowners and those of us who love the outdoors and the way you farmers manage the countryside to give us our food.  However, I strongly want peaceful co-existence.

Yet, I know you must see us as a damned nuisance when, understandably, you want the whole countryside to yourselves.  Please understand that walkers like me respect you and highly value your work on our behalf.  Thank you.

Please let us all share your beautiful place of work.  And be on good terms.

Please don't sell the land to property developers like St Modwen who want to concrete, brick and tarmac agricultural land that is so important for feeding us.

Please welcome caring walkers like me.

Best wishes

Tim Weller

My manifesto for adoption by WMGP!

MY SUGGESTIONS:

On housing/planning to save Tack Farm landownership going for St Modwen's housing scheme; and, W Mids National Park;

to scrap TfWM's multi-modal, multi-mixed up transport schemes;

on the conversion from: huge spending on climate wrecking infrastructure projects like Metro, Sprint, HS2 extensions to the east, Commonwealth Games, the demolition and rebuilding of Centenary Sq (yet again but no plans, I hope!) and other buildings ...

TO, instead: Birmingham Left Unity's brilliant Fare-Free Public Transport, the completion of the 120 Kms Black Country Mainline Railway "of national strategic significance", conversion of every building to solar energy production and to minimise energy use with massive insulation measures for energy reduction.

Nationally, I think we need to arguing for fossil fuel rationing and the fuel coupons we had in 1973/4 during the energy crisis.  Even more of a crisis/emergency now!

AND, Universal Basic Income to cut unnecessary production and consumption with the jobs at any price clamour.  The wealthy like me to subsidise those who need the essentials for comfortable, healthy living with people doing much necessary work, only.

With the Conservatives in power for us and, nationally of course, I'm guessing that Liam Byrne will get elected in May.  He needs to be pinned down to see you, too.  I am also wanting him to engage with me, too.  He refuses to reply to emails.  I have byrnel@parliament.uk

I remain a declared Independent candidate for Metro Mayor but I hope I won't need to stand.  Please tell me of any Zoom hustings you may get to hear about.  Thanks!

Why don’t you oppose Metro trams mucking up our public transport with more changes and slower journeys?

Why don’t you oppose Andy Street's/TfWM/WMCA Metro tram extensions mucking up our public transport with more changes between modes and slower journeys?

£15 billion to 2040 for mainly underground and overground trams to replace and duplicate bus routes and to break up the UK’s only mothballed 120 Kms mainline railway that needs finishing with TRAINS!  But their plan is for multi-modal, multi-mixed up trains, trams, test track for VLR and an extended cycle-walkway on the 120 Kms mainline, Black Country Railway!

Over-indulgent, flash to impress, “bus on rails” trams to entice motorists out of their cars.  But it has not worked!  However, this does work: rewards and compensation for bus users with Fare-Free Public Transport as seen in Luxembourg, Dunkirk and Tallinn and many E European towns and cities. 100 around the world, including about 50 in the USA, apparently.

Not so obvious, at all!

Why have an electric "bus on rails" on roads when an electric bus, without the rails, can go directly on roads to meet, not a "bus on rails" but, only commuter, regional, intercity trains at stations?  Called integrated transport!

Do this, at a fraction of the price that could then go to give everyone free bus/tram/train travel as their reward/compensation for using public transport.  I've had it for nearly 13 years and I still use the bike but, then, I'm unique!

Use the bus priority roads for fareless electric buses and the railway lines for trains.  Obvious, really!

Metro trams exacerbates the runaway greenhouse effect

£15 billion to 2040 of mainly Metro extensions is deeply ungreen and exacerbates the runaway greenhouse effect. We must spend ONLY on those projects that will slash fossil fuel use quickly. Metro is not one of them when it simply and wastefully replaces buses and trains.

Remembrance Sunday remembering NOT to war!

We must try and remember to learn war no more.  To live, if not in harmony with one another, at least in more peaceful co-existence with all our different beliefs and ways of doing things on this one and only planet. 

Input to the BMC Climate Project

I have just attended my second Zoom BMC Midlands Area meeting.  I think I will be given time to speak, at our next meeting, about my particular interest that is the climate crisis/emergency and what we as individuals can do.  Individual changes I'm suggesting, below rather than waiting for the government to act that never happens.  Or, certainly not in time!

Please read my questions and tell me what you think.  Could you also bring me up to date about what you are doing now?  I was most impressed by what you have written on our website.  Moors for the Future and the impressive list under 'What else?' at:- https://www.thebmc.co.uk/the-bmc-and-climate-change 

1. Where do you stand over how we all, as hill walkers, climbers and mountaineers, react to the climate emergency?
2. Should we, individually and as BMC, have a strategy to respond to the December 2018 statement at COP 24 from David Attenborough?  He spoke of the "collapse of civilisations" and "extinction of much of the natural world" and "time is running out" warnings.
3. How do you respond to a teenager, last year who sailed instead of flying across an ocean to pursue her goal?
4. How do mountaineers who jet all over the world to climb the high peaks respond to that challenge?!
5. How do we all walk, climb and run the talk to lessen our impact?
6. Has anyone else cut their travelling and explored lower hills and new, even remote countryside nearer to home with fewer long-distance expeditions?  I've had great navigation training for remote hillwalking, even in deepest, darkest, rural Worcestershire and Shropshire!
7. In so doing, has anyone else found wrongly mapped public rights of way and missing or closed footbridges on our OS maps and on the legally enforceable definitive maps?  Report them!
8. Can access to some crags, hills and countryside be boosted by fossil fuel-free, active travel if all cycle-walkways were upgraded to be free of mud, waterlogging and widened for greater use?
9. Can more disused railways that can't have their trains back be used for walking/cycling/horse riding, as some are?  To improve access to crag and hill!
10. I'm cutting down on my car trips and, when I do use the car, I park further away and then mountain bike tracks until I am forced to start the walk for the day.  Only 140 Donalds and 224 Grahams to visit, for a clean sweep of our neighbour's really big hills!

My profession of faith

Happy birthday, Andy! Have just seen this post from three years ago! I married Linda Verduyn in 1983. We have two youngsters in their 30s who are both expecting their first this month. My Christian faith is now centred on JC as my Master, Lord and exemplar, rather than Saviour. I attend Hasbury Christian Fellowship with Linda who keeps me on the straight and narrow but I am more on the road to broad-mindedness while staying on the narrow road as regards following JC in His life and teachings. I just love the JC of the Gospels!

JEWISH ANTISEMITISM? NO PROBLEM!

WARNING!

Right on Labour, Ian Austin, will condemn this as all highly antisemitic.  And, this is anti-James O'Brien, although I love both of his books (named as the very last paragraph, below) and, sometimes, half-listen to his show.  James is especially brilliant when children phone in - Thursdays, 12 noon - but only in holidays, I think!

LBC, BBC, EHRC to see the light.

I listened, on catch up LBC radio, to the full 3 hrs of the James O'Brien show on Thursday, 29 October 2020.  I don't think he gave Corbyn's supporters a fair hearing to get what they wanted to say off their chest over that day's report from the EHRC.  James gave them short shrift and said he did not want callers phoning in to say that Corbyn was simply terrific and more sinned against than sinning.  James was too doctrinaire and dogmatic, giving me the impression that only his view was the correct one.  He was inflexible over insisting that callers defending Corbyn must only answer his, James's narrowly defined questions, eg, over how the caller responded to EHRC's three legal breaches over antisemitism.  Or, they could only answer the question, how did the Labour Party "end up in such a deep and ugly hole?"  If they were not answering his question, the call was politely and pleasantly terminated as soon as decent, with James saying "I don't want to fall out with you" but ...  And, once more his own view was sometimes stated!  Or he said, "You know we are going to part company at this point?", as though he had no wish to hear any point of view other than his own.  Far too narrow-minded, I thought.  He has got to learn to allow less eloquent listeners phoning in to get everything off their chest before interrupting or ending the call.  He interrupts too much!

Unlike presenters and journalists on Channel 4 News, James makes no attempt to be neutral and unbiased.  He is far too partisan, a black and white man who seems to be unable to see moral greys.  But, certainly, entertainingly provocative!

ALL EMBRACING ANTISEMITISM from the IHRA to catch out our enemies like Corbyn.

James failed to understand that people have different views over what antisemitism is.  He seemed to think it was obvious and, that there were no differing interpretations over where you draw the line between freedom of thought/speech and, racism.  What any Jew claims is antisemitism must be antisemitism might be James' view.  I think, freedom of speech, satire and attempts at comedy should be allowed without condemnation and censure.  Why can't we poke fun at the ancient Jewish stereotypes in cartoons, murals and parables?  Or, allow an innocuous sentence in a 2011 Forward to a reprint of a 100-year-old book?  James 'quick to find antisemitism' O'Brien, gleefully fell on Corbyn as an antisemite for this sentence.  A rather extreme condemnation of the poor, much-maligned man?

On James's Show there was one caller who mentioned at his Labour Party meeting there were members who were so desperate not to be seen as antisemitic that they were asking what antisemitism is, exactly so they wouldn't be condemned like Corbyn.  They were as nonplussed by it all as I was!

PRINCE HARRY

Why can't Livingstone be allowed to mention a book where it was stated that Hitler wanted to get rid of the Jews to Palestine in the 1930s?  Or, Prince Harry be allowed to fool around at a fancy dress party in a Nazi uniform?  Why can't every aggressive, warmongering nation (even the current occupant of the unholy Holy Land) be reminded of Nazi actions and how that ended so horribly for them in 1945?  Why is Israel exempt from having a guilty conscience?

NOT ONLY PRINCE HARRY IN NAZI UNIFORM - but a Jewish Prime Minister, too!

Such was the anger at the possibility of peace between Israel and Palestine in 1995, that our right-wing friends dressed up an image of Prime Minister Rabin in Nazi SS uniform!  How's that for antisemitism?!

ANOTHER JC 'pilloried'

What is so wrong with Jesus of Nazareth, in his very likely made-up story of the Good Samaritan, criticising, poking fun at and, putting in a very bad light indeed, his own religious leaders not caring one jot in seeing either a fellow Jew or, one of their traditional enemy beaten up and lying on the road half dead with all his worldly goods stolen?  Then, to cap it all, a despised Samaritan being the hero of the story!  No wonder the JC of Nazareth was hated and pilloried by the religious establishment of his day.  The state of Israel has done much worse over its 72 years since its foundation.  Created out of victory in war and, without Arab/Middle East agreement at the time.  In 2019, both the Jewish establishment and the Christian establishment had it in for Corbyn, the Arch Antisemite - the former Chief Rabbi, Jonathan Sacks and the Archbishop of Canterbury united in a common bond in condemning Corbyn.  This is another antisemitic paragraph from my pen.

TREACHEROUS CORBYN in his contact with our enemies.

Similarly, the JC of Islington North has been pointing out how the Palestinians have lost out, badly, since the foundation of the State of Israel in 1948.  Corbyn is seen as a traitor with his contact and talks with the other side - Irish Republicans and Arab Muslims.  Hence, he is seen as a threat and a traitor and unfit to be prime minister because he is not on our side; not "one of us" (M Thatcher) in supporting our important post-War wars to reinforce and impose Wealthy White Western democracy and domination in the world.

One JC was "the friend of tax collectors and sinners".  The other JC was a friend of terrorists and antisemites.  Both as wicked and as bad as each other!  One, a self-hating Jew, as some of today's Jews might claim; the other JC a hater of Jews.  Such is the glorious mixed up and diverse world in which we all have to get on with each other - or, perish as fools.  Exactly as we are doing.  Shockingly.  Ecocide.

CONDEMNING A LITTLE LESS AND UNDERSTANDING A LOT MORE (not how John Major put it!)

Can we not have irony, satire, tongue in cheek cartoons, murals, other images and parables put about without being afraid of the label 'antisemitism' being pasted on one?  Clearly, not.  As with Muslim sensitivities over images of the Prophet, so with Jewish sensitivities, we must hold back, zip the lip and do nothing to upset either faith/culture.  Multi-cultural, multi-beliefs, means multi-understanding and multi-restraint.  But tolerance and peaceful co-existence must work both ways.  We all have to accept, to give, over both Jewish and Muslim sensitivities to stop violence and abuse.  But, perhaps, both lots of adherents might like to give, to concede, too - would they, please?

THE 0.3% OF LABOUR MEMBERS who drew in the EHRC investigation and their two proven cases.

The old antisemitism is hatred, showing discrimination, prejudice and being hostile to Jews.  The new antisemitism seems to be of two kinds.  The first kind is the outrageous threats of violence, actual abuse and disgusting name-calling towards Jewish Labour MPs from members of the public that should be a matter for the Police.  Members of the party should have been expelled once the evidence against them was obvious and irrefutable or, a guilty conviction in court.  Yet, only 0.3% of the membership had a case against them for possible antisemitism, it seems.  Yet, we had an 18-month major EHRC investigation into the Labour Party.  No doubt, James would call 0.3% as trivialising "the deep and ugly" problem at the heart of the Labour party.  (He didn't do so on air, from what I heard.)

Next, you have the banter of the office where, if offence is taken, then displeasure is made crystal clear to the perpetrator by the victim.  If it happens again, you take it up with your line manager for something to be said to stop that kind of talk.  If it happens for the third time, then the perpetrator is taken to a disciplinary hearing.

THE ULTIMATE ANTISEMITISM was seen ...

... in the right-wing Jews who wanted the assassination of their very own Prime Minister, Yitzhak Rabin, 25 years ago this week - and actually carried out, too.  Astonishing!  Yet, it is these very same people who are most accusatorial and condemnatory of the antisemitic Labour Party and the lovely, empathetic, compassionate man who accidentally became the leader in 2015.  The man was noted for opposing every UK war the nation indulged in during his lifetime.  An allotment holder and vegetarian, I believe!  No wonder, like me, he did not exactly scream in delight at all the wars and killings in the Holy Land.  No wonder we are both antisemites.  We could be nothing less!

ALL QUIET ON THE ANTISEMITISM FRONT EITHER SIDE OF CORBYN'S LEADERSHIP

How was it that within weeks (or was it days?) of lifetime pro-Palestinian, Corbyn becoming leader - inheriting the top job from a Jew, Ed Milliband - there were heard complaints of antisemitism by the new leader when he had been around in the party for fifty years?  Had a significant number of the HQ staff been changed from Milliban pro-Jewish staff to Corbyn pro Palestinian staff members?  I think that is unlikely.  So how was it that Milliband never had antisemitism problems but within weeks/days of Corbyn becoming leader, the Party was embroiled in antisemitism and racism for over four years?  Did the EHRC find it proved that Corbyn was an antisemite?  I don't think it did.

Who were the Jewish Labour MPs who did not suffer threats, abuse and, name-calling?  Was it only Ed Milliband?  And why did Ed escape the antisemites?  However, in November 2014, he was losing funding from supporters of Israel who thought this Jew was not sufficiently pro Israel.  He was toxic enough but Corbyn was the last straw.  He was going to be taken to the cleaners, good and proper. And he certainly was!

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/labour-funding-crisis-jewish-donors-drop-toxic-ed-miliband-9849299.html

https://www.channel4.com/news/i-have-never-seen-any-evidence-of-racism-of-antisemitism-or-anything-closely-related-to-jewish-labour-member-andrew-feinstein-on-corbyn

'How To Be Right'; 'How Not To Be Wrong'; how did I do?  Right or wrong?  Or, just … ?

 

Tim Weller

On the Labour Party current furore; as someone who left them well over 20 years ago, I cannot claim to be an expert on their internal affairs. However, the EHRC report only lists 2 claims/instances of antisemitic impropriety; JUST TWO! One refers to a statement by Ken Livingstone, which for the life of me I cannot see as antisemitic, and the other was about some obscure councillor who was dealt with by expulsion, and the matter thereby resolved, some time ago. How on earth this justifies the endless accusations of antisemitism and the suspension of Jeremy Corbyn is beyond me. (By the way, the EHRC report does not claim that the LP is institutionally antisemitic).

I see the whole saga as a Zionist offensive to prevent a pro-Palestinian politician ending up as the PM. It should have been seen as such and fought resolutely right from the outset but it was not; appeasement was always the order of the day. JC and his movement have now paid the price.

Bob