IS LABOUR DOOMED TO SPLIT?
“The gun is now visibly smoking,” said The Daily Telegraph. After all the accusations of anti-semitism made against Jeremy Corbyn, we have damning evidence: a 2013 video in which he said that “Zionists” – by which he means “Jews”, say critics – despite “having lived in this country for a very long time, probably all their lives, don’t understand English irony”. That these remarks were made by a famously humourless man is itself ironic – but the suggestion that Jewishness prevents a person from being “100% English in character” isn’t remotely funny. If a Tory said the same of a racial minority, Labour would call for their head. There’s been talk of moderates splitting from Labour: if this doesn’t make them, what will?
There is undoubtedly a sense of “impending doom” within Labour, said Francis Elliott in The Times. There is sure to be a sizeable anti-corbyn rebellion next week when Labour MPS vote on adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of anti-semitism, which the Corbyn faction has so far rejected. We can expect further infighting at the party conference, with the hard-left pushing to introduce a system of mandatory reselection for MPS, thus making it easier to deselect anti-corbyn candidates. Then, of course, there’s the squabble over whether Labour should back a second Brexit referendum. That, however, could be the one issue that keeps the party together: many moderate MPS calculate that it’s worth sticking around, “at least for now”, to try and force a change of policy. Spare me the wishful thinking of the “London-based punditry corps”, said Paul Mason in the New Statesman: the vast majority of Labour MPS are revolted by the idea of a split – they just want to “be listened to, see their talents recognised, and be armed with policies they can go onto the doorstep and sell”. The press can do all the “mouth-frothing” it likes, but Corbyn’s support among voters is as strong as ever. And while some MPS have spoken out against his remarks, said Labourlist.org, others are persuaded by Corbyn’s defence that his words were taken out of context, and that he was referring to a specific group of “pro-israel activists” and not British Jews in general.
It’s true that many MPS would never dream of quitting the party, said Stephen Bush in the New Statesman. It would be “like losing a limb”, and it would leave Labour at the mercy of the hard-left. But be in no doubt, some are planning to break away: “The only question is when and how.” Tony Blair’s former chief of staff, Jonathan Powell, has organised meetings of “distressed Corbynsceptic MPS” who agree that the Labour leader’s position is unshakeable and that consequently they must go elsewhere. As one said to me, “Once you work through the stages of grief – denial, bargaining, anger – you’re left with acceptance that you can’t remain in the party, no matter how difficult the circumstances of leaving are. And actually, once you get there, it’s quite freeing.”