Become a Member

By

Jessica Elgot,

Jessica Elgot

Opinion

Ken means I can't back Labour

March 28, 2012 17:35
2 min read

I'm thinking of starting a support group. Our community is full of charities and counselling services covering every cough, spit and ailment in the medical dictionary. But I think we need another.

I'd call it "I used to vote Labour, but now I don't know what to do." To those six Labour supporters who wrote a letter to Ed Miliband last week, expressing their concerns about Ken Livingstone's obsession with Israel, to the brave Jonathan Freedland, I say: "Comrades! You are not alone!" Together, I daresay we could add hundreds of signatures to that letter. Figures seem to suggest one in three Labour voters won't back Ken.

I imagine we'd sit in a semi-circle, heads in our hands, recalling how Ken campaigned for Lutfur Rahman - an independent with alleged links to the Islamic Forum of Europe - to be mayor of Tower Hamlets, rather than the Labour candidate. We'd grimace at the memory of his chumminess with controversial Islamic cleric Yusuf al-Qaradawi.

In our chilly community centre hall, sat on plastic folding chairs, we'd wear badges identifying our constituencies. Mine would probably draw some extra sympathy. I live in Islington North, the constituency of Jeremy Corbyn, the Press TV commentator who would have chaired the meeting with Palestinian leader Raed Salah at the House of Commons - had the Home Secretary not attempted to have Saleh banned from the UK.

To get more from opinion, click here to sign up for our free Editor's Picks newsletter.