Miles' Vile Bile


By Jonathan Hoffman
November 25, 2009
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Richard Ingrams is a vile man who has a problem with Jews. He tends to disregard letters in support of Israel in the newspapers if the writer “has a Jewish name”. And more recently he suggested that two of the historians on the Iraq War Enquiry Panel could not be trusted to be objective because they were Jewish.

Showing a striking lack of originality, former UK Ambassador Oliver Miles – in Sunday’s Independent – said much the same thing about the two eminent historians (Sir Martin Gilbert and Sir Lawrence Freedman). Miles wrote “Membership should not only be balanced; it should be seen to be balanced.”
How dare you, Oliver Miles! What next: Jews should be barred from teaching 20th Century history or international relations in schools or universities?
Miles’ verminous comment comes from the same cesspit as Peter Oborne’s disingenuous protestation that supporters of Israel need to be more transparent, because otherwise people might accuse them of a conspiracy!
And the Oborne connection goes further. Remember another former Ambassador, Sir Richard Dalton, who appeared in Oborne’s Channel 4 documentary last week encouraging the view of a somehow sinister ‘Israel lobby’.

Both Miles and Dalton are senior members of the Libyan-British Business Council, co-bankrolled by the UK and Libyan governments. Miles is the Chairman of the lobbying group MEC International, which has organised the most recent project of the LBBC, including producing a report for the EU offering very rosy prospects for EU trade with Libya.

Miles’ MEC International offers for sale the services of a range of ex-Ambassadors for all who seek influence and contracts in the Middle East. His most famous demonstration of what he can organise was the famous letter from 52 ex-Ambassadors which he organised from a Tripoli internet cafe, urging the then PM Tony Blair to change UK government policies on Iraq and on Israel.

None of Miles’ interests were declared in the Sunday Independent article yesterday. Unsuspecting readers were given the impression that his is the disinterested opinion of a man who has devoted his life only to the service of Her Majesty’s Government.

It comes from precisely the same cesspit as Peter Oborne’s disingenuous protestation that supporters of Israel need to be more transparent because otherwise people will accuse them of a conspiracy.

And look who has a senior position at Chatham House…..

No wonder Robin Shepherd’s days at Chatham House were numbered after he wrote a good op-ed about Israel in the Times in January 2008.

COMMENTS

Jonathan Hoffman

25 November, 2009 - 12:07

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First published on Harrys Place:

http://www.hurryupharry.org/2009/11/24/miles-vile-bile/

(links are there)

See also

http://tinyurl.com/ygg2qq5

With thanks to Judy of Adloyada

mattpryor

25 November, 2009 - 13:10

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Hi Jonathan,

I hope you don't mind a non-Jewish perspective on this.

I wholeheartedly agree with you that such forms of discrimination are utterly unacceptable. Can you imagine if the same situation were applied to people with "Muslim sounding names"?

Miles is an odious character. What exactly being Jewish has to do with being objective or knowledgeable about world history or current affairs is unclear. It just panders to stereotypes and conspiracy theorists who claim that Israel and Jews were behind every 21st century problem - 9/11, Iraq, Afghanistan, the list goes on.

"Seen to be objective" by whom? The Muslim Council of Britain? The left wing intelligentsia? Or just Jew haters in general?

Jonathan Hoffman

25 November, 2009 - 13:21

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email I sent:

Dear Oliver Miles

Your comments in Sunday's Independent about the religion of Martin Gilbert and Lawrence Freedman stink.

In one article you proved all the suspicions about the bias of the FCO.

Shame on you.

Sincerely
Jonathan Hoffman

Jonathan Hoffman

25 November, 2009 - 13:25

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@mattpryor

Thanks

It's not a case of a Jewish perspective and a non-Jewish perspective - it's a case of the perspective of right-thinking people ....

Yvetta

25 November, 2009 - 20:26

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Great piece, Jonathan. Very interesting about Miles's interests; certainly deserves more publicity.

AKUS

25 November, 2009 - 23:24

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Fascinating, Johnathan. "As-an-American" who has been appalled by Britain knuckling under to attempts to use "lawfare" against Israelis I confess to a certain degree of shadenfreude to see the same tactic coming back to haunt citizens of the UK in this investigation, which indeed will not be deemed successful by some until the inquiry into the Iraq war produces the desired results.

That being said, perhaps some of the people you mention are really just a bit upset or envious that when trying to find sufficiently knowledgeable people for that inquiry, they have to turn to Jewish scholars for lack of suitable candidates among the larger non-Jewish community and are venting their frustrations.

After all, it appears to be an increasingly common issue in Europe overall - if Europeans cannot compete and win against Jewish academics or Jewish sportsmen and sports women, or even artists appearing in the Eurovision, the next nest step is to ban them from conferences, or academic positions, or competing in sports or artistic events

What's next, indeed?!

Jonathan Hoffman

28 November, 2009 - 13:04

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Right on cue comes the vile Ingrams in the soon-to-go-bust Independent, complete with comments indistinguishable from Stormfront:

http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/richard-ingrams/richard-...

A comment under the article: "There is much dispute concerning Murdoch's antecedents, particularly his mother Elizabeth Green. One thing is for certain though and that is Murdoch is an out and out Zionist and he makes sure that the Times, for example, constantly beats the war drum over Iran.
Only this week a Times reporter, Hannah Strange, asserted as a fact that Hezbullah had bombed a Jewish centre in Buenos Aires in 1984. This is no more than a Zionist allegation.

And talking of antecedents, Blair's entry on wikipedia includes the interesting cliam that his maternal grandmother was an Ashkenazim Jew. If true, this would of course make Blair Jewish under Judaic religious law which would explain a lot.

Finally, I salute Richard Ingrams, one of the very few journalists with the guts to tell the truth about the scandalous stitch in appointing two Zionist Jews to the Iraq war enquiry panel."

Jonathan Hoffman

28 November, 2009 - 13:15

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Jonathan Freedland gave Ingrams his answer in the JC yesterday:

“But, as Lawrence Wilkerson, former chief of staff to Colin Powell, has testified, Israel consistently warned the Bush administration that it was Iran, not Iraq, that posed the real threat: “The Israelis tried their best to persuade us that we were focused on the wrong enemy,” Wilkerson has said.

What we have here is a clutch of nasty old clichés, still clung to by those who carry great titles and honours – and a few very stubborn prejudices.”

Clap Hammer

28 November, 2009 - 14:16

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'Both Miles and Dalton are senior members of the Libyan-British Business Council, co-bankrolled by the UK and Libyan governments. Miles is the Chairman of the lobbying group MEC International, which has organised the most recent project of the LBBC, including producing a report for the EU offering very rosy prospects for EU trade with Libya.'

It is disgraceful that the Independent did not appraise it's readers of the financial connections to 'democratic and free' Libyia.

Jonathan Hoffman

28 November, 2009 - 15:08

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Time to stop buying the Guardian and the Independent.

Jonathan Hoffman

28 November, 2009 - 15:09

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And for their advertisers to pull out.

moshetzarfati2

28 November, 2009 - 16:48

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Mr Hoffman, are you suggesting a boycott, just like those who want to boycott Israel and Israelis? If so, you are no different than they.

Jonathan Hoffman

28 November, 2009 - 18:28

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If you can't tell the difference between refusing to buy newspapers which brazenly publish antisemitism and boycotting a country which has the right to defend itself - and indeed which displayed unbelievable patience for 8 years while 12,000 rockets were fired into Southern Israel - then I pity you.

moshetzarfati2

28 November, 2009 - 19:36

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Mr Hoffman, I believe you are confusing anti-Israel and antisemitism. Yes, the Guardian and the Indy have columnists who are anti-Israel (Seamus Heany, Yasmin Alibhi-Brown), but they also have pro-Israel ones (Jonathan Freedland and Dominic Lawson). But there is no antisemitism. So your call for a boycott is no different from those who call for a boycott of Israeli oranges, or academics or politicians or whatever. And, let's try and be accurate. according to Israeli figures, it was 8,000 rockets and that is bad enough. So why inflate the figure by 50 per cent? You do your cause and Israel's no good whatsoever. In fact, you do it much harm with your inaccuracies and hysterical calls for a boycott.

Jonathan Hoffman

29 November, 2009 - 01:34

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"There is no antisemitism"

Sure - and the Pope's Jewish....

Do me a favour, read cifwatch.com

and read my paper

http://www.zionismontheweb.org/CommentIsFree_ParliamentASCttee_July08.pd...

before you come back here again and tell me there's no antisemitism in The Guardian....

Jonathan Hoffman

29 November, 2009 - 01:41

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http://www.onejerusalem.org/2009/11/dore-gold-debates-goldstone-at.php

http://www.mfa.gov.il/GazaFacts/About/Operation-Cast-Lead-against-Hamas....

Sources for "12000 in 8 years"...12000 rockets and mortar bombs.

gordon bennett

29 November, 2009 - 09:05

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But Jonathan with your own websites and blogs you prove nothing that you claim. I've looked at cifwatch and all it is a a bunch of like-minded people spouting off about what they don't like. It's a bit like some of the far right nationalist and Islamist websites. All good fun for the non-believers but nothing much of substance.
I also tend to agree with Moshe that your call for a boycott is no different from the hysterical academics or PSC people who want to boycott Israel and it does your cause or Israel's no good whatsoever.
As for the 12,000 in 8 years, that's open to interpretation as the Israelis themselves maintained it was 8,000 in 8 years.

Jonathan Hoffman

29 November, 2009 - 09:30

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There's none so blind as those who do not wish to see

moshetzarfati2

29 November, 2009 - 14:58

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There's none so blind as those who don't wish to see anything outside of their cause, making them oblivious to everything else. Still, it is most entertaining to the rest of us.

Jonathan Hoffman

29 November, 2009 - 17:33

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Some people get their kicks in the weirdest ways. Like trolling.

Ever considerd getting out more?

moshetzarfati2

29 November, 2009 - 19:11

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Funnily enough, that's what most people think about those who blow a gasket on "watch" sites

Jonathan Hoffman

29 November, 2009 - 19:24

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CiFWatch is a great site and has been widely acclaimed.

That clearly rankles with trolls like you.

moshetzarfati2

29 November, 2009 - 19:37

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Ad hominem attacks don't help your cause either, Jonathan. Cif watch has been widely acclaimed by whom? Like-minded people who don't realise they are doing Israel more harm than good.

Jonathan Hoffman

29 November, 2009 - 19:42

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Look at the antisemitism below Ingrams' post in the Independent. Indistinguishable from Stormfront. The booklist is straight from a neo-Nazi list.

Fortunately The Independent is going bust anyway. These are its death throes. But please hasten that blessed day by refusing to buy this antisemitic trash.

http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/richard-ingrams/richard-...

slaveweknow wrote:
Saturday, 28 November 2009 at 08:29 pm (UTC)
God & All prophets dammed them.
their end is coming soon.
I agree with you.
According to Halacha as interpreted by traditional Jews over many centuries: the ofspring of a Jewish mother and a non-Jewish father is recognized as a Jew, while the ofspring of a non-Jewish mother and a Jewish father is considered a non-Jew. To become a Jew, the child of a non-Jewish mother and a Jewish father must undergo conversion.

Some of the recommended books and other material to understand the true background of Zionism, are:

1. Zionism in the Age of Dictators, by Lenni Brenner, a Jewish historian.

2. A Jewish Defector Warns America, by Benjamin Freedman.

3. The Hidden History of Zionism, by Ralph Shoenman, a Jewish historian.

4. A Self-hating Jew, website of Norman Finkelstein PhD.

5. When and How Was Jewish People Invented, Professor Shlomo Sand, Tel Aviv University

6. Hitler: Founder of Israel

Jonathan Hoffman

29 November, 2009 - 19:46

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"moshetzarfati2"

I don't debate with trolls who hide behind false names.

moshetzarfati2

29 November, 2009 - 19:50

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My name is Moshe Tzarfati, ad hominem attacks reveal what the attacker is like and it is quite typical of playground bullies to turn and run once they are found out.

Jonathan Hoffman

29 November, 2009 - 20:20

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Don't feed the trolls

moshetzarfati2

29 November, 2009 - 20:26

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As Margaret Thatcher said: "Afraid? Frightened? Frit? Could not take it? Cannot stand it?" Bullies always run in the end. Those who engage in ad hominem attacks when they have no facts are bullies.

gordon bennett

29 November, 2009 - 20:52

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You are spot on, Moshe. They are running scared.

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