ONE might have some sympathy for Jeremy Corbyn’s demonisation and monstering by the Tory media, if it were not for the demonisation and monstering of Nicola Sturgeon, the SNP and independence supporters and voters by the Unionist media. At least he and his party are allowed the right of reply. Yet Ukippers, with no electoral representation, are permitted to chat away against Scotland’s interests as a matter of form.

The SNP are Westminster’s third largest party, yet they have very little presence on TV, or consultation about the constant attacks on them in the press.

Of course Corbyn is no racist and it is not just he and his pro-nuclear party that is being maligned. Jewish intellectuals, anti-imperialists and anti-Zionists opposed to the colonisation of Palestine are pilloried too. Arabs, who have been bombed by Labour governments, are more Semitic than the Jews. In fact, anyone sympathetic to the Palestinians’ plight is accused of being a Holocaust denier when nothing could be farther from the truth. It would be difficult to compare anything in history with the mass historical persecution of the Jewish peoples.

In England’s initial holocaust, Jews were made to wear yellow patches before being rounded up and transported to the continent. English ship captains thought it a hoot to dump their human cargo on sandbanks for “exercise” and then leaving them to drown as the tides came in. 400 Jews seeking sanctuary in a York church were burnt to death.

Edward I borrowed ten times the national income from the Jewish community to conquer Wales then demonised and monstered them in return, so that he could “Welsh” on his debts. Jews were blamed for everything from the weather to kidnapping children, and subjected to brutal public punishments.

“Usury” was forbidden to Christians throughout Europe and as Jews were not allowed to own land they became expert financiers. They were not as immune to backlashes as are City of London financiers and present-day spivs, who are rewarded with large bonuses etc from being usurers to financial abusers.

I had a Jewish teacher friend from Newton Mearns, who was liberal on everything except Palestine. Because of his intellect he could hold his own with his empirical knowledge of his dream state, from Jewish migration leaving what is present-day Syria to conquer the land of milk and honey.

I first remembered him as a student teacher, ably taking a Modern Studies class in a Brigton secondary school, during the Pope’s visit tae Glesga. He was wearing a Jewish skull cap, which just happened to be green and white hooped. The weans were very silent and staring at a large boil on his nose. He ended by asking if there any questions. One wean asked him if he was a “Pape”. When asked why he thought that, the wean telt him he wiz wearing a Pope’s hat. He patiently explained it was called a Kippah and of course they telt him it was nothing like a fish hat.

Later, when we were out in the minibus with another class to visit the new Mosque just built in the Gorbals, the weans telt him that it was a “Jewish chapel”. He patiently explained the difference between a mosque and a synagogue and I swear one replied: “same thing intit, darkies and that?” I was mortified and ashamed at the blatant and unconscious, unspeakable racism. But, my friend was totally unfazed and understood perfectly that sectarianism was stronger than racism in the city.

The weans just loved him and he became an adviser in Jewish education. We have lost touch through the years, but I found his wit and humour typical of most Glasgow Jews and yes, Glesga Muslims too. Jeremy Corbyn, eat yer Butcher’s bunnet. You know nothing of Scotland and demonisation.

Donald Anderson
Glasgow

LABOUR has a problem with anti-Semitism. It is absolutely clear it needs to be stamped out. It is absolutely clear that if there had been real leadership that particular tumour may not have developed.

The fact is that many on the left are actually anti-Israeli, and then only anti-Israel in its brutal attitude to Palestine. If you don’t live your life on Twitter, it is not difficult to see how the line between the two things could blur for the unintelligent.

Miliband buckled when Tories accused Labour of being under the thumb of the unions. I waited with bated breath then for someone in the Labour party to hit back with a resounding verbal punch to the solar plexus of the Tory party and the wealthy media barons, and other business interests who fund them. Nothing.

And now we have the wonderful but miscast Eddie Izzard wading in. Long ago this issue should have been assigned to a serious member of the shadow cabinet (so not Diane Abbot, obviously) and they should have been locked in a room until they came up with a coherent strategy and a co-ordinated approach to this vile, unacceptable behaviour.

Throwing Izzard in front of this broken jalopy with no steering wheel or breaks or conductor for that matter is ruinous and stupid.

If I were a Tory, I’d be smugly happy at yet another huge distraction from the disaster of Brexit.

Amanda Baker
Edinburgh