Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Israeli media: A senior European Union official hinted that 'Israel' would be held accountable for violating international law in Gaza
Al-Qassam Brigades spokesperson Abu Obeida: The losses incurred by the occupation today in Khan Younis and Jabalia are an extension of a series of top-tier operations
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in South Lebanon: The invading Israeli force is digging a trench and erecting earthen berms, amid detected activity suggesting preparations to install espionage equipment
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in South Lebanon: An Israeli force breaches the "technical fence" in the Wazzani area
Israeli media: 4 Israeli soldiers killed in the Gaza Strip
Gaza Government Media Office: Starved citizens are tempted to head to American-Israeli centers and then are deliberately shot
Gaza Government Media Office: The toll at US-Israeli aid distribution centers is as follows: 110 martyred, 583 wounded, and 9 missing
Gaza Government Media Office: 8 starved civilians were killed and 61 others were injured by the gunfire of Israeli occupation forces and an American security company in Rafah
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: Three martyrs, injured in Israeli drone strike on phone charging station west of Khan Younis, southern Gaza.
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: Four martyrs, dozens of injured as IOF open fire on civilians near GHF facility west of Rafah, southern Gaza.

The Wind That Shakes the Labour Party

  • By Ali Hamouch
  • Source: Al Mayadeen Net
  • 26 Aug 2021 01:38
  • 5 Shares
8 Min Read

A new day, a new witch-hunt targeting veteran members of the Labour Party is underway.

  • x
  • Winds That Shake the Labour Party
    The political witch-hunt targeted veteran members such as Ken Loach and Jeremy Corbyn

German philosopher and renowned nihilist Friedrich Nietzsche once said: “We have art in order not to die of the truth.” 

Yet sometimes, Life imitates art.

And sometimes, artists embrace their art to create an extension of realities mostly unheard, unseen.

The latter would perfectly describe British filmmaker Ken Loach, whose cinematic sensibilities and craftsmanship was dedicated to relaying the stories of the oppressed, the have-not, and the freedom fighters; stories which have generally been left behind in both mainstream and art-house cinema that has been brought to full grandiose scale by this master filmmaker whose film Kes (1969) was deemed the 7th greatest British filmmaker of the 20th century.

A dedicated leftist and a core member of the Labour party for nearly 50 years, Ken Loach’s voice as well as his film have always fought for justice for workers and unions, so how does he get recompensed by standing by the party’s supposed values?

Labour ousts him.

Laborious Party

Loach is a two-time Palme d’Or-winning filmmaker for his films The Wind That Shakes the Barley (2007) and I, Daniel Blake (2016), a shining example of the beauty created through the intertwining of social virtues and filmmaking. In an ideal situation, he would be the Labour's perfect poster boy, yet he has been elided by the party he so vehemently aspired to promote.

Why though?

As the filmmaker himself would put it:

“Labour HQ finally decided I'm not fit to be a member of their party, as I will not disown those already expelled," labeling the whole process as a "witch-hunt."

'Labour HQ finally decided I'm not fit to be a member of their party, as I will not disown those already expelled. Well...' KL

— Ken Loach & Sixteen Films (@KenLoachSixteen) August 14, 2021

  • Loach holding his Palme d'Or at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival, winning for I, Daniel Blade
    Loach holding his Palme d'Or at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival, winning for I, Daniel Blade

The ousting of Loach comes at a time in which the party is being led by Keir Starmer, who has come under attack for attempting to “cleanse” his group from socialist and left-leaning factions in an effort to strictly preserve the centrist policies...Although something far more dangerous seems to lurk behind Starmer’s decision.

Originally, Labour was formed in 1900 by a group of socialist parties and trade unions to fight for the rights of the urban working class, yet it seems individuals such as Starmer do not subscribe to these ideals as did one crucial figure in the Labour’s history: Tony Blair.

The Tony Blair Witch Project

In the 1990s, Ken Loach departed from the Labour Party due to Tony Blair’s election as leader and Prime Minister.

Blair attempted to eradicate all semblance of leftism within the party, pushing it into a more centrist middle-field, which went against all of the party’s core values. 

While many were excited about the future of the party after the landslide win of 1997 under Blair’s leadership, people like Loach were able to see the PM for who he truly is: Nothing more than a "fake left politician."

  • Ask the dead Iraqi children what their thoughts are on Tony Blair
    Ask the dead Iraqi children what their thoughts are on Tony Blair

In 2003, the filmmaker’s opinion of Blair was cemented by the latter’s decision to align himself with arguably one of humanity’s worst war criminals, George W. Bush. This alliance resulted in the Iraq invasion in which the US and UK troops took center stage.

Related News

Labour MPs push for UK recognition of Palestine at UN conference

Labour Minister breaks ranks, blasts government over Gaza

Key Labour members have departed from the party, such as George Galloway and Jeremy Corbyn, in the hope of disrupting Blair’s reign and point out the dangers of his continued control of the Labour’s fate but alas, it was all in vain. 

Half a million dead Iraqis later, Blair’s image in British media would have still been largely uncontested were it not for the rallying cries of many anti-war activists.

Though he is still a Labour member and works as an international advisor to an Emirati organization called the Mubadala Development Fund which aims at mining $1 trillion worth of resources in Afghanistan. He is paid around £1 million annually. 

The legacy of Blair has tarnished the Labour Party forever, until the arrival of Jeremy Corbyn, although even he couldn’t outrun the damage done and the Machiavellian members left to sabotage the core of the party.

No Pride, all Prejudice

The witch-hunt of which Ken Loach spoke could be clearly seen in the ousting of these key members:

Naz Shah:

A Labour MP of Afghan origins.

Ken Livingston:

Ex-Mayor of London for two terms.

Rebecca Long-Bailey:

An MP and a candidate for Labour Leadership.

Jeremy Corbyn:

An MP and the democratically-elected leader of the party. 

And of course, Loach.

  • The Labour's list of 'persona non grata'
    The Labour's list of 'persona non grata'

Corbyn himself has received the lion’s share of smearing and character assassination as even the BBC, supposedly a state-sponsored channel, took a strong side, visually depicting the national party leader as a Russian stooge!

This trial by media, this Pythonesque “crusade,” was a result of a string of stances taken by the aforementioned members in favor of Palestine, stances that awarded them the title of “anti-Semites”: Naz Shah has once shared a photo of the Israeli map imposed on the US’, suggesting the apartheid "state" be relocated to its closest ally’ land, Livingston made anti-Zionist statements, Bailey drew a comparison between George Floyd’s killing and the tactics adopted by the Israeli forces, while both Corbyn and Loach have long been associated with pro-Palestinian anti-Zionist discourse.

These baseless accusations suddenly took the British media by storm, creating an ambiance of fear and prejudice akin to that plaguing the infamous Salem witch hunt!

'I am proud to stand with the good friends and comrades victimised by the purge. There is indeed a witch hunt....' KL

— Ken Loach & Sixteen Films (@KenLoachSixteen) August 14, 2021

  • BBC: Where right-wing propaganda meets tasteless parody
    BBC: Where right-wing propaganda meets tasteless parody

The accusations thrown by media and political pundits towards Corbyn and Corbynites gave the impression of anti-Semitism in the Labour party being rampant, of gargantuan proportion, of infinite effect, and of endless bigotry. It felt as if the whole current Jewish generation hid under tables in the hope of avoiding the rise of a British Hitler.

But here’s the catch: Corbyn is a principled socialist who has no affinity whatsoever for discrimination, but simply for universal rights.

Unfortunately, certain rights should not be supported in this day and age yet Corbyn and his cronies performed the cardinal sin of voicing their support for Palestinians in the face of Israeli apartheid and aggression.

  • Jeremy Corbyn at a pro-Palestinian rally in London, 2014
    Jeremy Corbyn at a pro-Palestinian rally in London, 2014

Yes. This is the crux of the issue: Not anti-Semitism nor the fear of an Anglo-Saxon CCCP, but the fear of directing “Israel’s” wrath towards members of the Labour Party and taking out the lobby-sponsorship rug from beneath their feet.

Let’s be clear: Anti-Semitism, in its original European phenomenon, still exists in parts of the world, but Great Britain is far from being a harboring shore of such resented sentiments towards the Jewish community and is, statically speaking, one of the nations which are least prone to have a mass-expression of this vile outlook. This takes us back not to the phenomenon of anti-Semitism, but its modern political ramifications. 

Indeed, Abba Eban, a former Israeli foreign minister, once decreed that “there’s no business like 'Shoah' business,” outlining a dangerous misusage of the Jewish collective suffering in World War II to appease "Israel’s" need for ham-fisted sympathy and shield itself from all forms of criticisms. 

Criticize the siege on Gaza? Anti-Semitism. Condemn the massacring of children in Lebanon? Anti-Semitism. Speak of the apartheid nature of Israeli policies? Anti-Semitism.

  • Is it 'anti-Semitic' to defend the Palestinians' right of living a safe life? Image taken in Gaza, May 2021 (Reuters)
    Is it 'anti-Semitic' to defend the Palestinians' right to live safely? Photo was taken in Gaza, May 2021 (Reuters)

Corbyn’s stance with the Palestinian people, a unique event in Labour leadership and even more so in British politics, signaled a dangerous shift away from old England’s colonialist narrative and its much-maligned “Balfour Declaration,” which paved the way for the creation of “Israel” by way of stealing Palestinian lands and ignite terror in the hearts of its native population.

Corbyn, Loach & co. were a voice of change, a unison of workers, and a global radical belief in justice.

Each of these members did not seek to earn political prerogatives, but rather disseminate their progressive political ideals in a party that was once considered to be a nationwide platform for supporting workers with no racial, religious, or class distinction. The current leadership aims at collecting financial benefits.

As it stands now for the Labour’s leadership, it prefers to host a mass-murdering megalomaniac, allied with a right-wing nutcase speaking of “holy crusades" against Muslims, than to have amongst its ranks a principled member who is truly firm in heart, mind, and moral responsibility.

But as Ken Loach said: “Starmer and his clique will never lead a party of the people. We are many, they are few. Solidarity.”

  • Labour Party
  • Ken Loach
  • Britain
  • Jeremy Corbyn
  • UK
  • Tony Blair

Most Read

Lebanon's PM Nawaf Salam meets with US envoy Morgan Ortagus in Beirut on April 5, 2025 (Dalati Nohra via AP)AP)

Morgan Ortagus to exit US role in Lebanon amid policy shift

  • Politics
  • 1 Jun 2025
A Palestinian woman mourns as she embraces the body of her daughter Mayar Abu Odeh, 8, who was killed in an Israeli army strike on Gaza. at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, Wednesday, June 4, 2025. (AP)

French port workers block arms shipment to 'Israel' amid Gaza genocide

  • Politics
  • 4 Jun 2025
It may well be due to the longstanding relationship between MI6 and HTS, via Inter Mediate, that Britain was the first Western country to recognise their assumption of government in Syria. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Zeinab El-Hajj)

How MI6 helped HTS seize Syria

  • Opinion
  • 31 May 2025
Palestinians struggle to get donated food at a community kitchen in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Monday, June 2, 2025. (AP)

Boston Consulting Group withdraws from GHF

  • Palestine
  • 3 Jun 2025

Coverage

All
War on Gaza

Read Next

All
https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/pentagon-chief--nato-likely-to-back-trump-s-5--defence-spend
Politics

Europe spent $3 trillion on defense, but got little in return - FT

Power, parties, and scandal: Trump’s ties to Epstein: Telegraph
Europe

Power, parties, and scandal: Trump’s ties to Epstein - The Telegraph

Eilat port as seen from the sea, occupied Palestine, March 12 2009 (wikimedia commons)
Politics

YAF operations forced 80% plunge in Eilat port revenues in 2024

EU backs International Criminal Court after US sanctions judges
Europe

EU backs International Criminal Court after US sanctions judges

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS