Labour are failing the nation
HELLO, and welcome to August 2018. The UK is scheduled to leave the European Union in 239 days.
Everybody knows the Prime Minister is a dead duck.
Only a quarter of voters think the Government will secure a good Brexit deal. Those of us who have been paying close attention find that figure startlingly high.
Preparations are being made to stockpile food and medicine in the event of a doomsday “no deal” scenario.
A cabinet minister has resigned or been sacked on average every six weeks since November. That figure doesn’t include junior ministers.
And what’s the main opposition party doing to capitalise on this chaos?
Why they’re tearing themselves apart over anti-Semitism, of course.
The latest Labour civil war can be traced to last month’s decision by the party’s ruling National Executive Committee to approve a new code of conduct opposing anti-Semitism.
This was primarily a futile attempt to make up for the shambolic 2016 inquiry into anti-Semitism that was widely seen as a whitewash.
The new code adopts the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of anti-Semitism but controversially omits four of the 11 examples the organisation provides of anti-Semitic behaviour.
This has further angered many in the Jewish community who lost faith with the party on this issue long ago.
It’s now four months since Corbyn apologised for the “pain and hurt” caused to Jews after it emerged he had opposed the removal of an anti-Semitic mural in east London.
His excuse was he hadn’t looked closely enough at the image, despite even a cursory glance being enough to ascertain it showed a group of Jewish bankers playing Monopoly on the back of the world’s poor.
This week Corbyn had to apologise again, this time for hosting an event in 2010 during which the actions of Israel in Gaza were compared to those of Nazi Germany.
Corbyn insists “views were expressed at the meeting which I do not accept or condone”.
Yet that didn’t stop him organising the event or inviting along people whose opinions are unacceptable to mainstream thinking.
I don’t for a minute think that Corbyn is personally an anti-Semite.
But he sure seems to have spent a lot of time hanging out with antiSemites over the years.
As far as I can tell, the only person whose politics are truly beyond the pale for the leader is Tony Blair.
Gordon Brown’s recent memoir reveals Corbyn refused to do a joint event with Blair during the campaign to keep the UK in the EU. It’s a strange form of morality when you’ll engage with terrorists and holocaust deniers but not the most successful leader your party has ever produced.
And even if the accusations of anti-Semitism levelled at Corbyn are unfair, the whole ugly episode still says something damning about his political judgment.
On the most charitable interpretation, Corbyn is a man who has been unable to shut down a damaging row over racism at a time when he should be providing leadership on the central issue of our age.
The UK desperately needs a functioning opposition as we enter the closing stages of the Brexit process.
Labour’s shambles is letting us all down.
MUCH sadness at Holyrood following the death of former presiding officer Sir Alex Fergusson.
The best anecdote came from photographer Adam Elder, who recalled a parliament trip to New York when Alex’s tartan trews caught the attention of a passing Manhattan lady.
As Alex began to explain the traditional dress, Adam interrupted to tell her: “He’s the president of Scotland.”
The information had the desired effect, with the woman theatrically declaring “If I had five minutes baby, I’d do you.”
“Well,” Alex noted calmly. “You don’t get that on Kircudbright high street.”