By 11/05/2016 0 Comments

Real Agenda Behind Anti-Semitism Slurs

On May 9, Dr Simon Bennett published a first-person article in the Leicester Mercury attacking the Socialist Party titled “Why hard left is a threat to Labour Party.” On May 11, the Mercury published the following first-person response from Socialist Party member Steve Score, in addition to a letter published by John Merrell, who is also a longstanding member of the Socialist Party in Leicester. Notably the Mercury chose to lead with a title that bore no bearing to the content of Steve’s article, using the nonsensical title “Why the Left can never be anti-Semitic.”

Real Agenda Behind Anti-Semitism Slurs

In the run up to the May elections there was a media campaign led by the Tories and Blairite Labour MPs to denounce the Labour Party and its leadership as having an ‘anti-Semitism problem’.

Simon Bennett’s first person piece is an untrue and scurrilous addition to this. He attacks the Militant which up until the early 1990s was part of the Labour Party, and its successor the Socialist Party.

Simon made very grave and unfounded accusations. Militant and the Socialist Party have a long record of opposing racism of all kinds. Many prominent supporters and members are from Jewish backgrounds. In fact Simon comments on a list of thinkers that Militant based itself on such as Marx and Trotsky – who both came from Jewish families!

We have always supported the rights of the Palestinians but also recognise the rights of Israeli people. We believe that only a socialist Israel and a socialist Palestine as part of a voluntary socialist confederation of the Middle East could guarantee democratic rights for all. Opposing the actions of the Israeli government does not make you anti-Semitic.

We have a sister organisation in Israel-Palestine (Socialist Struggle Movement – like us, part of the Committee for a Workers’ International) that also calls for a two-state solution and has a long history of opposing anti-Semitism as well as fighting the oppression of the Palestinians. Our association with that organisation wouldn’t be possible if we were adopting an anti-Jewish position.

What this argument is really about is the future direction of the Labour Party. The Blairite Labour MPs are aiming to remove Jeremy Corbyn as leader. They are using this particular cover to push forward their campaign. Militant (as with the Socialist Party today) overwhelmingly consisted of working class people who argued for a positive socialist programme to improve the lives of the 99%. The Blairites really stand for the 1% richest in society.

Militant’s record, for example in playing a leading role in opposing Thatcher’ cuts in Liverpool and also the campaign to scrap the Poll Tax is actually very relevant today. The expulsions pushed by Kinnock were the beginning of a move towards the pro-big business, privatising, pro-austerity agenda of Labour under Blair.

It is vital to oppose the austerity policies, enacted by both Tory and previous Labour governments, that have affected the living standards of millions of people.

Corbyn won support because he spoke against that austerity agenda. The future of the Labour Party depends on whether the Blairites can seize control, or whether it will truly become a party of working class people.

Bennett 2

 

Letter: In Defence of Militant

By John Merrell

“I’ve been a Militant supporter (now Socialist Party member) for over 40 years. I was working class before and have remained so. I’ve also lived in Leicester all my life. I obtained a degree at the local university but that didn’t stop the money worries which beset working class people.

In those four decades I never heard an anti-Semitic remark by a Militant supporter or read one in the Militant newspaper. I’m sure Simon is aware that Karl Marx was Jewish. For almost two decades I was a member of the local Labour Party and during that time I was elected vice-chair, chair and delegate to National Conference on a number of occasions. As there was only a handful of Militant supporters present I believe my success showed respect for the way we conducted ourselves and support for the socialist ideas of the Militant.

I was a delegate at the 1985 national conference. Simon omits to mention what happened after Militant supporters were expelled. Neil Kinnock led the party to his second General Election defeat in 1992, whilst Militant supporters set up the National Anti-Poll Tax Federation which led to the defeat of the Poll Tax and ultimately the downfall of Thatcher.

On a positive note if Simon would like to debate the policies the Labour Party should adopt now to win the next General Election I’m sure the Socialist Party would be happy to do so, at a venue of his choice.

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