While most of the attention in the mainstream media has been focused on the awful Conservative party leadership race, very little has been in the about the Forde inquiry, which looked at the failure of the Labour party’s attempts to tackle anti-semitism within its ranks, particularly during the period when Jeremy Corbyn was leader between 2015 and 2019.
The leaked report on its findings was finally published after significant delays, which can be read here. It exposed the very real problems of not just anti-semitism, but also of widespread racism and sexism. Despite this being a very important news story, most of the mainstream media have chosen to either ignore it or play it down completely… those same outlets who demonised Corbyn were joined by many in the parliamentary Labour party (PLP) who were personally opposed to his then leadership. The anti-semitism crisis was also weaponised as a stick to beat him with, which helped to entrench the destablisation of the party throughout that period. Many of those same commentators and MPs who effectively destroyed his chances of becoming prime minister in 2019 remain in their jobs and have never been held to account. The inquiry’s findings were thankfully widely reported on many independent news websites or political blogs.
There has been little comment from the current leader Keir Starmer, or most members of the shadow cabinet. Several backbench MPs did comment, but that was it. No doubt on reading the report, the different factions within the party, from the left to the centrists and right, from the parliamentary party (MPs) to what’s left of the party’s membership, and from the affliated trade unions to party workers, will no doubt attempt to interpret the findings in their own way, and to blame each other for the crisis. Yet the simple fact is that the entire Labour party should collectively be in the dock.
The party’s internal battles has intensified since deservedly losing power in 2010 under previous leaders, the widely-ridiculed Ed Miliband, and the very demonised Corbyn, has continued under current leader Starmer. The party is currently losing members and supporters, funding from the afiliated trade union has been either been stopped or cut drastically, donations have dried up, and they are facing legal battles in various court cases, which will affect the way they fight future general and local elections.
Collectively, the Labour party’s very actions have caused the mess they are currently in, and many of the electorate have begun to recognise that they are just as bad as the Conservatives…and that is bad for British democracy.