with a sidetrack verging on a non sequitur, so no, I'm not kidding, and I resent the patronizing tone. Anybody who treats the neocon James Bloodworth as a credible source may be kidding, I don't know.
If you can point me to a way out of the endless impasse in Israel/Palestine relations that isn't ultimately going to involve talking rather than continuing land grabs, and bloodshed on either side, then I'm all ears. Heck, here in the UK, the idea of discussions with the IRA was once unthinkable, but a notable figure associated with it ended up in government.
If you want horrible rhetoric in that context, I'll point you towards Netanyahu, who hasn't just been talking about oppressing and killing others, he's actually been doing it.
Do you have any harsh words, perchance, about the Conservative Government, which has been happy to gladhand and support Viktor Orbán, who could much more legitimately be called a "raging antisemite".
I see from your journal that you're quite fond of our ex-Speaker of the House John Bercow, who's been around Corbyn at pretty close quarters for many years.
John Bercow: ‘I do not believe Jeremy Corbyn is anti-Semitic’
...
AC: One final thing. You are Jewish. What has your sense been of the Labour Party anti-Semitism debate?
JB: I think that racism is a challenge across society. After decades in which huge advances were made, I think there is a real danger of regression now. Now, I know you didn't ask more widely about racism, but that is my answer on racism. I don't want to intrude on the grief of a particular political party. All I would say is that, yes, it is an issue and it needs to be addressed, but I myself have never experienced anti-Semitism from a member of the Labour Party. Point two, though there is a big issue and it has to be addressed, I do not myself believe that Jeremy Corbyn is anti-Semitic. That is my honest view. You haven't asked me explicitly, but you've nevertheless drawn me and I want to make that point. I am not saying that he doesn't have a challenge in his party. It is an issue and it does need to be addressed and I respect those who are very concerned about it, but I don't believe Jeremy Corbyn is anti-Semitic. I've known him for the 22 years I've been in parliament. Even, actually, when I was a right-winger we got on pretty well. He was quite a personable individual.
AC: Well, you probably voted with him more often than he did with the Labour government!
JB: Well, he was certainly a persistent and prolific rebel. He's been very supportive of me and I've never detected so much as a whiff of anti-Semitism.
AC: Have you ever experienced anti-Semitism outside of parliament?
JB: Yes. Yes, I have. I remember somebody once saying, I'm not going to say who, somebody once said to me, "If I had my way, people like you – Ber-coff – wouldn't be in this place." I said, “When you say people like me, do you mean people like me in the sense that I'm lower class or Jewish?” To which he replied, "Both." I think people should be very careful about casting aspersions on other political parties. There are challenges of racism across society and that does affect political parties. Each party has to deal with it. Look, I said what I did about Jeremy Corbyn. I have never experienced racism from Boris Johnson or Theresa May or David Cameron and I am making no charge against any of them. Of those three, the one with whom I had the most difficult relations was David Cameron. I am no great fan of David Cameron and I think in addition to his many talents he has many flaws and he made many mistakes, but I certainly don't suggest for one moment that there was a racist bone in his body.
https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/politics/article/john-bercow-interview
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