Did Labour have an antisemitism crisis? Book review by Tony Greenstein

 

Book Review by Tony Greenstein

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and are not necessarily shared by the Editors of Northern Voices.

It is an iron rule which allows few exceptions, that those who leave the SWP drift to the right. Dave Renton is no exception.

Renton joined the SWP in 1991, leaving in 2003 only to rejoin in 2008. In 2013 he left the SWP because of the rape scandal.[i]

The details of this scandal are well known. A woman who alleged that she had been raped appeared before the SWP’s Disputes Committee, which consisted of friends of the alleged rapist, National Secretary Martin Smith. Smith was cleared of all the allegations. Instead, it was the victim who was pilloried and questioned about her sexual history and drinking habits. A second woman who supported her was harassed and suspended. The victim herself wasn’t even allowed to attend the conference called to discuss the matter.

Dave Renton has written movingly of his experiences in the SWP and about what happened in 2012/13.[ii] Together with others, he formed RS21.

Renton’s book makes it clear, though, that he has abandoned any form of Marxist or class politics in favour of a subjective identity politics which divorces the politics of race from class.

Renton, as his Wiki[iii] biography makes clear, was a prolific author of books on anti-fascism, racism and Marxism. He wasn’t a run of the mill member of the SWP whose political consciousness is low and confined to sloganeering activism. Possibly his weak point was an understanding of imperialism but the question I ask myself is how can he have been so comprehensively fooled by the false and confected ‘anti-Semitism’ campaign into believing that anti-Semitism was a genuine problem in the Labour Party?

How can Renton have got into bed with Stephen Pollard, the foul neo-liberal editor of the Jewish Chronicle who was a founder member of the Henry Jackson Society? This society’s membership includes Douglas Murray and others who support White Replacement Theory. It is genuinely and overtly racist, representing the far Right of the British Establishment – people like Islamaphobe Baroness Cox.

Does Renton really believe that someone like Pollard is genuinely interested in fighting anti-Semitism as opposed to tarring anti-racists with that brush? Renton’s Damascene conversion to the Right (because that is what it is) is a mystery. In the absence of a cogent explanation I can only explain it as being a return to his class origins.

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Doctors advised to defy Governments stance on face-to-face appointments.

 

Medical practices that serve millions of patients across southern England have been advised to defy the Health Secretary's orders for them to see more patients face-to-face. 

Recently, the Health Secretary, Sajid Javid, announced plans for patients to have the right to demand face-to-face appointments with their family doctor. But GP practices in Surrey, Sussex and south west London, have been told in a letter from Dr. Julius Parker, the head of the Local Medical Committee (LMC), that represents 3,300 GPs, "not to participate" in plans to improve access to GPs in the area. The letter from Dr. Parker, "advises all practices not to participate in any aspect of these proposals" and claims that the Government's £250m support package aimed at helping patients, is "politically motivated" and "panders to popular campaigns in the press."

Patient campaigners have condemned the advice as 'arrogant' and have called on the Government to step in and stop the  revolt spreading to other GP surgeries across the country. The British Medical Association (BMA), have said they are 'deeply unhappy' with the government's proposals and are deciding what steps to take.

Before the pandemic, 80% of consultations were in person, but this has now plummeted to just 57%. GPs have been told they can only deny in-person consultations if there are good clinical reasons and the Government have warned that surgeries that fail to improve access for patients, will be "named and shamed" and will face direct intervention. 

The letter from Dr. Parker advises GP practices not to engage with NHS England's 'disastrous plan' because it has no contractual standing and there is is no requirement to participate. Patient groups have warned that patients seeking a GP appointment are often referred to a pharmacist, physio, or nurse instead. NHS England figures show that nearly half of GP appointments are no longer with an actual doctor. 

Although Covid-19  restrictions have been lifted, it's still not possible for many people to get to see a GP. Throughout the lock-down, you could still see dentists, opticians and other specialists. Since May of this year, you have been able  to dine or drink inside and attend huge events, yet we still need someone to access our health over the phone. Many doctors and nurses who work in the hospitals, have questioned why it is okay for them to see patients but not GPs. Difficulty in seeing a GP has led to more referrals to A&E, the NHS Helpline 111, and increasing use of the emergency services. 

Many GP practices say they are maintaining Covid-19 protocols ostensibly to prevent the spread of the virus. The number of permanent GPs has been declining steadily over the last five years. There has been talk of GPs "hanging up their stethoscopes" or of GPs being 'burnt out' or "scarred for life". Despite the hyperbole, from GPs, the Department of Social Health and Social Care, say a record number of people are training to become GPs with up to 4,000 new starters this year. 

Some might see medicine as a calling and a vocation, but no doubt, many are attracted by the average GP salaries of £100,700 per annum, compared to UK average earnings of £31,431. According to NHS England, as many as 90% of GPs work part-time. The very high salaries paid to GPs in this country (roughly twice what a French GP earns) enable them to live very comfortably while working two or even three days a week. Some 40% of GPs now operate full or part-time as locums, where they can earn up to £200,000 a year.

Alison Mutch OBE, the senior coroner for Greater Manchester, has warned that remote GP appointments such as by telephone, are putting lives at risk because of the possibility that medical conditions do not get properly diagnosed. In the case of 16-year-old Hannah Royle, who died following complications arising from a twisted bowel, the West Sussex assistant coroner, said that Hannah's condition 'gastric volvulus' could not have been diagnosed over the phone by the NHS Helpline.

DC Comics announce that Superboy is now bisexual.

 

Superman's Son Turns Bi-Sexual

In this topsy turvy world in which we live, of gender fluidity and gender bender's, I'm often reminded of the lyrics from that popular song 'Lola' by the 1960s English pop group, the Kinks. The lyrics to part of this song are: "Girls will be boys and boys will be girls it's a mixed up, muddled up, shook up world, except for lola La-la-la-la- Lola." 

Given the obsession with identity politics and social engineering and the way in which some folk, pander to minority interests, I suppose it was inevitable that some of our popular heterosexual superhero comic strip characters, would one day, eventually turn queer. 

DC Comics have announced that Jonathan Kent, hitherto known as 'Superboy', the son of Clark Kent (Superman) and Lois Lane, is to enter a same-sex relationship as he combats the climate crisis and fights against the deportation of refugees. According to DC Comics, his object of affection is a news reporter called Jay Nakamura who cares for him after he "mentally and physically burns out trying to save everyone that he can." In an interview with the New York Times, Tom Taylor, the series writer, said that "the idea of replacing Clark Kent with another white savior felt like a missed opportunity."

Today, turning queer, has almost become de rigueur, but let's hope that it doesn't become compulsory. The announcement by DC Comics follows other "recent attempts to add queerness to the world of comics." In August, it was announced that the latest version of Robin would have a boyfriend and that Marvel Comics had made the decision to pass the mantle of Captain America, to a gay character.

Tameside school could be demolished after botched job by Carillion.

 

Russell Scott Primary School

It's just over six years now, since Russell Scott primary school in Denton, had a £2.7 million refurbishment. But the school could now be bulldozed and completely rebuilt because the refurbishment was completely botched by the construction company Carillion who went bust in January 2018. 

The Tameside primary school was forced to keep closing and the children were sent home on numerous occasions, because it was hit by flooding and other structural problems when the work was carried out by Carillion from 2013 to 2015. The school had been flooded by sewage and the playing field was left completely unusable after it was found to be filled with rubble, including glass, and ceramic material, which left it filled with craters. It failed fire safety checks and the school didn't comply with fire regulations. Despite never having issues with flooding, the school has been flooded on six occasions since the refurbishment. The new 'hyper-efficient' energy system also ended up costing the school an extra £30,000. 

Steve Marsland, headteacher of the school, said it had been a nightmare. He told a local newspaper that the school had been forced to temporarily move into a disused secondary school while the work took place and added: 

"The contractor was saying that everything was fine, while we were being flooded and even tested for explosive levels of sewer gas. We had sewage coming into the classrooms, we had to evacuate the building because we were paddling around in filth...We were continually monitoring the building. As soon as it rains the sandbags come out. In early summer we were flooded again - every time it rains heavily the school is under water. It costs tens of thousands of pounds to replace resources. 

Both the school and Tameside Council, have had the school examined by experts and it seems that it would now be cheaper to knock it down and start again. Mr Marsland believes that the past six years have been spent 'throwing good money after bad', but accepts another rebuild won't come cheap.

Although Carillion had been criticised for carrying out sub-standard work across a range of national contracts, they were Tameside council's preferred developer. They had the contract to build the new council offices through 'Vision Tameside' and provided school meals for thousands of Tameside Children. They built schools in the borough and maintained council owned buildings and schools in Tameside.

In August 2017, the journalist Nigel Pivaro, wrote an article entitled: 'Carillion's survival critical for Tameside'. In the article, which displayed a degree of prescience and foresight, singularly lacking within Tameside Council, Pivaro posed the question as to what would happen if Carillion ceased to operate? How would it effect the still to be delivered new council offices, and the provision of school meals in Tameside? He wrote: "We asked Tameside Council if in the event of such circumstances they had a contingency plan in place? Tameside  Council have declined to respond to our request."

In his article, Pivaro pointed out, that without a contingency plan the borough could be  beset by chaos and increased expense at filling the gaps left by Carillion's demise. He seemed to think that if Carillion went down, it could take the council with it. He asked whether it had been wise for the council to put all its eggs in one basket with one firm on whom it depends on too much and if it was time, for Tameside Council, to divest itself from its exclusive relationship with Carillion.

When the Labour council in Tameside transferred jobs and services in 'Estates' and 'Facilities Management' to Carillion in 2011, they said the transfer would "safeguard jobs and services and cut costs." But Carillion didn't provide value for money for Tameside in several areas of its operations. The cost of school meals came in at 26 pence per unit more than the central government gives to councils to provide them. This left schools in Tameside, having to to meet the difference from their own budgets at a cost of a million pounds over the financial  year. Moreover, the council officer who brokered the deal on school meals between the council and Carillion, went on to take up a management position with Carillion. It is also claimed by the governors of Russell Scott school that Carillion still owe the school £100,000 for energy costs incurred during the building of the new school. After Carillion went bust in January 2018, Tameside Council had to cough-up another £9 million from its useable reserves to get the 'Vision Tameside' development completed by another contractor.

While Tameside Council seem to have been taken by surprise by the demise of Carillion, the warnings signs were there to see long before its collapse. The smart money - the investors and hedge-funds, had been shorting Carillion stock as long ago as 2013. In April 2016, the trustees of the Carillion pension scheme, had highlighted how speculators were short-selling Carillion shares i.e. betting that Carillion's share price would fall. Six months before its collapse, one quarter of Carillion's shares were being used in 'short trades'. Carillion had debts of £850m and a pension fund shortfall for staff of £800m. 

Despite the company issuing a profit warning in July 2017 that led to the resignation of the company's CEO, Richard Hanson, the then Labour leader of Tameside Council, Kieran Quinn - who was almost a cheerleader for Carillion and "proudly pro-business" -  told 'Construction News' in September 2017, that he was in favour of a more direct and involved relationship between councils and contractors, because "If they come into partnership with us, it derisks it for them." Sadly, councillor Quinn, who was hailed as "a  visionary," did not witness the collapse of Carillion or the debacle that ensued following its collapse, because he died a month before the company went into liquidation on 15 January 2018, at the age of 57. 

John Bell, the Conservative leader on Tameside Council, at the time of Carillion's collapse, said that because there had been a total lack of scrutiny within Tameside Council, there had been no way to ensure if the council were getting value for money or whether Carillion was delivering efficiently. He said that both the political opposition and Labour council back benchers, had been kept in the dark.

Something Must Be Done!

 BY LES MAY

I don’t use Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, TikTok etc, but it’s difficult not to hear the complaints from parents about the ‘harm’ being done to their teenage offspring by ‘Social Media’. Raking over someone else’s misery following a tragedy is always a good story for the mainstream media which runs stories along the lines of ‘Something must be done’. Politicians set up their committees in Parliament and wag their finger at Twitter, Facebook etc, but nothing happens. And if these big companies have their way, nothing ever will.

My own attitude has always been, ‘If these platforms are so harmful to your darling children, why on earth do you buy them a smartphone or give them a computer to use in their bedroom?’ In other words I am not brimming with sympathy when something unpleasant happens.

But stupid parents and my lack of sympathy for them, does not mean there is no case for trying to protect children from harm. The key word here is ‘children’. There are already plenty of precedents for doing just that. We try to prevent children from having sex before the age of sixteen, we won’t allow them to go into a pub and drink alcohol until they are eighteen, the same age as it becomes legal to make or view an image of them naked. In each case the assumption is that before the specified age the action will be ‘harmful’. The evidence that all of these thing are actually harmful isn’t overwhelming, it’s just that ‘all right thinking people’ say they are.

The advantage of using this widely accepted precautionary approach to protecting children is that the big media companies cannot use the argument that there is no proof that whenever a tragedy occurs it was a direct consequence of the child using one or other of these platforms.

This is essentially the case presented by Ross Douthat in a long article headed ‘Instagram should just be for adults’ which appeared in Wednesday’s New York Times. ‘Don’t get involved in arguments with these companies about whether what they offer is doing harm to teenagers and younger children, just tell them it is illegal to allow a someone under the age of 16 or 18 to use them and put the onus on the companies to police it’.

Parents would like this because it would allow them to offload responsibility for their children’s well being onto someone else. The companies would whinge about the difficulty of doing it, but given that Facebook can have up to 4000 snippets of data on account holders, which enable the company to build a detailed profile of an individual user, it should not be too difficult to spot that someone is too young to have an account.