Most of my life has been on the Left of the political spectrum. Like most people I know, I was always more devoted to talking about doing rather than doing. Ideas, I had. Lots of ideas. And they all came with a glass of something. Action, not so much. I was a member of the Labour Party for a while. I was a member of the Socialist Workers Party for a short while. And, as I tell my students now, I’ve worked on every national newspaper except The Sun and The Daily Mail.
The liberal left. That’s me. Worked in the media then in academia. Lived in north London then in Brighton. Cut me and I bleed sourdough.
But in recent times it’s seemed that the climate has changed. And it feels like a cold wind is blowing.
Last week I got kinda grumpy. And I’m not a grumpy person. I’m a happy person. Glass half full? Half empty? I’m happy to have a glass. So anyway, last Monday (July 16) I turned on the radio, the Today Programme, and there was a report about fighting in Gaza. John Humphrys introduced the piece “Two Palestinian teenagers were killed in an attack by Israel on Gaza. They were pupils at a school run by the United Nations Relief Agency”.
Humphrys introduced Chris Gunness from the UN Relief Agency. He spoke with an emotional urgency, voice quivering. “There was an Israeli air strike on a popular gathering place in Gaza City, a park where many families go, two children were killed… Imagine a foreign power using massive air power on a building in central London and two British children are killed… There should be international outrage and condemnation”.
There wasn’t a discussion about why what had happened had happened. There wasn’t any talk about what had inspired the Israelis to do the terrible things they’d undoubtedly and unquestionably done. No dispute that there should be international outrage and condemnation.
To the casual listener – and most listeners of the Today Programme are casual, listening with one ear as they’re getting up, getting dressed, getting the kids ready, getting ready for work – it sounded extraordinary. The might of the Israeli army bombarding people living in tents, dropping high grade bombs, killing children.
The next day - on the radio again - and there was a report about the Labour Party and a new definition of antisemitism. Seems that Labour had come up with a new way to define antisemitism and the Jews didn’t like it. Seems that 68 rabbis had written a letter to The Guardian to complain.
There wasn’t any discussion about why there needed to be a definition of anti-Jewish racism. There wasn’t any discussion about why the Labour Party had decided that the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition, a definition that had been adopted worldwide, was not good enough. No one said “Can you imagine a situation where the Labour Party were to tell Black people what was and what wasn’t racism?”
No one said “Can you imagine a situation where the Labour Party were to tell women what was and what wasn’t sexism?”
To the casual listener, it sounded… Jews again. Jews complaining again.
Two days but it could have been any two days. Israel doing terrible things. Jews complaining. And the two things are seemingly inter-linked.
Doesn’t matter that I’m from east London. Doesn’t matter that my ancestral roots are in eastern Europe. Doesn’t matter that I last went to Israel when I was 17. It seems that, in the world’s eyes – in your eyes – I am linked to Israel. And Israel is linked to me.
What I can’t quite work out is… why. Has the climate changed or have I? What would the 18-year-old me make of Corbyn? What would the 18-year-old me make of the Today Programme?
I used to argue that the IRA were right. In 1981, during one of the last great battles for the soul of the Labour Party, I was devastated (well, maybe not devastated, maybe more pissed off) that Denis Healey beat Tony Benn to the deputy leader post. Odds on, the 18-year-old me would be a Corbyn supporter - though he’d be far too cool to ever sing “Oh, Jeremy Corbyn…”
Now I think the 18-year-old me was a twat. In fairness though, for the 18-year-old me, supporting Corbyn wouldn’t have been in the “Top Ten Twattish Things” I was doing back then.
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