IT was very disappointing to see The National headlining Jackson Carlaw’s criticism of the Labour Party as anti-Semitic, and uncritically quoting a poll from the Jewish Chronicle that claims nearly 40% of British Jews would “seriously consider emigrating” if Corbyn became Prime Minister (‘Leonard is a coward on anti-Semitism, September 6).
Yes supporters should be sufficiently aware of the use of propaganda by ruling elites and their mainstream media to recognise when this is happening to others.
The prospect of a more socialist Prime Minister has put the propaganda machine into overdrive. Elite interests coincide with those of Zionists, who are terrified by Corbyn’s support for Palestinian rights, and who try to delegitimise criticism of Israel by labelling it as anti-Semitic. This debate was never about protecting Jews from anti-Semitism. It is a blatant attempt to oust Corbyn and his supporters.
In the real world, anti-Semtism has always been more of a problem on the right than on the left, and Carlaw would do better to look at his own party, and at some of their far-right friends. Meanwhile, if some Jews really have been made to feel they would be unsafe under Corby, the fault lies not with Corbyn, but with the right-wing Jewish leaders and their project fear.
There has been cowardice, but this is manifested in the Labour left’s failure to stand up to these attacks from the Blairites within their party. However much they go on conceding ground to the right-wingers and Zionists, it will never be enough to silence them. Tuesday’s cowardly decision to adopt the IHRA examples in full throws Labour’s conscience to the wind, and Palestinians, socialists and Jews of conscience to the wolves. The IHRA examples will stifle discussion and stop freedom of speech because that is what they were written to do. But we will go on fighting for what is right. As we wrote in our Scottish Jews Against Zionism blog: “Let cowards flinch and traitors sneer, WE’LL keep the ‘red’ flag flying here”.
Sarah Glynn
Dundee
READ MORE: ‘Richard Leonard is a coward on anti-Semitism’ says Jackson Carlaw
I TOTALLY endorse Jim Taylor’s letter (September 5). There is a clause in the definition of anti-Semitism which is unacceptable and which would be shunned by any fair-minded person, especially one who has studied the history of Palestine from early times.
R Mill Irving
Gifford, East Lothian
READ MORE: Letters: Anti-Semitism claims are diverting our attention
INTERESTING, yesterday, to see on First Minister’s Questions Ian Gray scribbling and passing a bit of paper to Richard Leonard as he was about to address the First Minister. Does Richard Leonard know so little about Scottish affairs that he needs a prompt from an ex-leader to be able to take part in this session and know what to ask?
P Davidson
Falkirk
I FIND it extremely interesting reading your article ‘Good news for STV as revenues and profits rise’ (September 5) and then turning to your page of television listings for the day to read that out of 24 hours programmes for the day, only two hours are produced in Scotland, the remaining 22 produced in England.
I enjoy watching football on television, and as the only game shown last night was on BT from the fifth tier of English football between Havant & Waterlooville and Aldershot, I wondered why there are no games shown from the Scottish Championship regularly on STV.
To see Scotland’s women play their vital World Cup qualifier I had to watch the game on BBC Alba, with the commentary turned down as I cannot understand Gaelic. Why was this game not shown on one of the main channels, like Wales v England? The shinty cup finals are regularly shown on the BBC2, why cannot Scotland international football matches also be shown?
I have attended four Scottish Rugby Cup finals, each involving Ayr Rugby Club. Why were none of these games televised? They are national finals just like those for shinty. Neither have any of the Premiership finals been televised.
When are STV going to waken up and show that they are really a SCOTTISH Television company?
David Sutherland
Greenock
READ MORE: STV boss delighted as broadcaster's revenues and profits rise
SO heartened by the letter sent in by a very angry mother of four and grandmother of six (Letters, September 6). Every effective primary school across the country carries out baseline assessments for their P1 children.What is new is the government standardising these assessments. At the heart of the objections by some in the teaching profession may be the fact that standardisation enables much more transparent comparisons and accountability when it comes to measuring the effectiveness of teachers’/ schools’ contribution to the learning and development of their P1 children. I think it was one of Napoleon’s generals who said “that which is not measured is not done”. Stay resolute, Mr Swinney!
Kate Reid
Address supplied
READ: Letters, September 6
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