More skeletons come back to haunt Labour leader
By Charles Gardner
As Britain’s Labour leader came under renewed fire over anti-Semitism claims, I was reminded of the words of Jesus that what is said in the dark will be exposed to the light.
The light of truth has exposed the dark under-belly of Labour leadership, and it is surely time for serious questions about whether Jeremy Corbyn is fit for office.
The latest row at the time of writing in early 2018 had the Opposition Leader admitting to having defended – in 2012 – an artist who painted a mural showing ‘hook-nosed’ bankers and businessmen sitting around a Monopoly board counting money.1
As the Tower Hamlets2 mayor rightly said at the time, the images “perpetuate anti-Semitic propaganda about conspiratorial Jewish domination of financial and political institutions”.
Having made what he termed “a general comment” about the removal of public art on grounds of freedom of speech, Mr Corbyn now regrets that he did not look more closely at the image on which he was commenting, “the contents of which are deeply disturbing and anti-Semitic,” he said.
The fact that the string of allegations which have now come to light are historic just goes to prove how the past can come back to haunt us, as it often will for those with skeletons in their cupboard. But there is a way of escape, and that is to make a clean breast of it all, to repent of past wrongs and put them right. After all, Jesus died for our sins!
In this respect, Mr Corbyn’s stated intention of meeting up with Jewish leaders to discuss the issue is to be commended.
With his reputation reeling, he was forced to issue four statements in as many days and had MPs from his own party lining up against him. In addition, members of the Jewish community took to the streets in force, claiming “enough is enough”.
Calling on his party to get their act together, Labour MP John Mann asked: “What kind of Labour Party is this?”3
Indeed, Mr Corbyn and some of his colleagues are bringing a curse on the party from which it is unlikely to recover unless drastic repentance is forthcoming.
For the Bible is absolutely clear in promising blessing to those who bless Israel, and cursing to those who don’t. (Genesis 12.3, Numbers 24.9)
The latest furore comes just weeks after revelations that Mr Corbyn was part of a secret Facebook group trafficking Jewish conspiracy theories, Holocaust denial and the like. They allegedly showed Mr Corbyn participating “right up until his first weeks as leader of the Labour Party,” according to the UK’s Campaign Against Anti-Semitism.
As I’ve said before, these shameful reports serve to emphasise all the more strongly how the squabbling Tories urgently need to get their own act together and line up squarely behind Prime Minister Theresa May. Or else, never mind Brexit – hard, soft, or none at all – Britain could find themselves undoing all the sacrifices made in two world wars by allowing something too close to Nazism for comfort to flourish on our own shores.
Labour’s hard-left leader has already come dangerously close to power despite negative press coverage linked with anti-Semitism such as his reference to terror groups Hamas and Hezbollah as ‘friends’.
In light of the dark shadow of a possible looming war in the Middle East, there is surely an urgent need to hone and clarify our relationship with the Jewish state. We need to get used to the idea that Europe is not our future. But a strong relationship with Israel and the United States would most definitely be in our interest – certainly promising hope and blessing.
Speaking of Israel, the prophet Isaiah warns: “For the nation or kingdom that will not serve you will perish; it will be utterly ruined.” (Isa 60.12)
Battered and bruised by social disintegration as values based on our Judaeo-Christian legacy are recklessly jettisoned, Britain could sure do with some blessing rather than the curse that would inevitably follow lack of comfort for the people who gave us the Bible, Jesus and indeed Western civilization itself.
It’s time for our politicians to guard their words, say what they mean and mean what they say. Jesus was specifically warning against hypocrisy when he said: “There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the housetops.” (Luke 12.2f)