Sunday, July 26, 2020
Will Corbyn's mistakes continue to haunt Labour?
The problem with drawing a line under the past is that the past often insists on crossing it, and that certainly seems to be the case with Labour and their problems over anti-Semitism.
The Observer reports that Labour will this week be formally notified of a batch of potentially costly new legal actions over antisemitism – days after a warning was issued to the shadow cabinet about the devastating toll the crisis is taking on the party’s finances.
The paper says that lawyers from the Manchester-based firm 3D Solicitors, representing nine current and former Labour members, will notify the party’s high command early this week of the detailed basis of claims they are making for breaches of data protection and privacy rules.
The nine individuals are all understood to have lodged confidential complaints to the party while Jeremy Corbyn was leader about what they saw as cases of antisemitism. But their WhatsApp messages were contained in a report by party officials loyal to Corbyn that was leaked and reported in the media in April:
A source close to the latest cases said: “This is about privacy and data protection. These were people who are or were normal party members and councillors who raised issues about antisemitism in good faith and confidentially with the party. They then found that they had been named in a report leaked deliberately, leading them to be abused on social media. No attempts, it seems, were made to protect their privacy.”
Another informed source said: “If the party agrees to settle this, which it will if it has any sense, it will cost Labour a few hundred thousand pounds. If it reaches court and Labour loses, it will cost the party many millions.” The leaked report, which ran to 800 pages and was written when Corbyn was still leader, denied that under his leadership the party had failed to tackle antisemitism. On the contrary, it suggested that people who had not wanted him to be leader had deliberately stirred up the controversy in order to undermine him. It said: “At its extreme, some employees seem to have taken a view that the worse things got for Labour, the happier they would be, since this might expedite Jeremy Corbyn’s departure from office.”
The problem for Labour is the cost of all these actions and the impact it will have on their campaigning ability. The decision to apologise and pay “substantial damages” to seven former party workers who turned whistleblowers over antisemitism in a Panorama documentary will cost the party more than £500,000.
With elections to the Scottish parliament, the Welsh assembly, police commissioner elections, the London mayoral elections and council elections in 2021, the danger is that Labour will be constrained in their campaigning expenditure by mounting legal costs.
The Observer reports that Labour will this week be formally notified of a batch of potentially costly new legal actions over antisemitism – days after a warning was issued to the shadow cabinet about the devastating toll the crisis is taking on the party’s finances.
The paper says that lawyers from the Manchester-based firm 3D Solicitors, representing nine current and former Labour members, will notify the party’s high command early this week of the detailed basis of claims they are making for breaches of data protection and privacy rules.
The nine individuals are all understood to have lodged confidential complaints to the party while Jeremy Corbyn was leader about what they saw as cases of antisemitism. But their WhatsApp messages were contained in a report by party officials loyal to Corbyn that was leaked and reported in the media in April:
A source close to the latest cases said: “This is about privacy and data protection. These were people who are or were normal party members and councillors who raised issues about antisemitism in good faith and confidentially with the party. They then found that they had been named in a report leaked deliberately, leading them to be abused on social media. No attempts, it seems, were made to protect their privacy.”
Another informed source said: “If the party agrees to settle this, which it will if it has any sense, it will cost Labour a few hundred thousand pounds. If it reaches court and Labour loses, it will cost the party many millions.” The leaked report, which ran to 800 pages and was written when Corbyn was still leader, denied that under his leadership the party had failed to tackle antisemitism. On the contrary, it suggested that people who had not wanted him to be leader had deliberately stirred up the controversy in order to undermine him. It said: “At its extreme, some employees seem to have taken a view that the worse things got for Labour, the happier they would be, since this might expedite Jeremy Corbyn’s departure from office.”
The problem for Labour is the cost of all these actions and the impact it will have on their campaigning ability. The decision to apologise and pay “substantial damages” to seven former party workers who turned whistleblowers over antisemitism in a Panorama documentary will cost the party more than £500,000.
With elections to the Scottish parliament, the Welsh assembly, police commissioner elections, the London mayoral elections and council elections in 2021, the danger is that Labour will be constrained in their campaigning expenditure by mounting legal costs.
Comments:
<< Home
They should bury the hatchet with the whistleblowers. As you say if not it will hamper their chances. However WE as a party should continue campaigning at 100 mph plus to gain traction with the electorate
Before indulging in Schadenfreud, it would be sensible to ask, "Will Clegg's mistakes continue to haunt the Lib Dems ?"
Post a Comment
<< Home
