Forum Topic

So where you going to go to? Not Tory, not Labour, not LibDem, not Green, and now not Reform

"Reform UK has confirmed that that it has suspended Chris Parry as its Hampshire mayoral candidate after he described members of a Jewish neighbourhood watch group as “cosplayers” and likened them to “Islamists on horseback”.A Reform UK spokesperson said: “Chris Parry has been suspended by Reform UK pending investigation.” His candidacy has also been suspended by the party.When contacted by the Guardian earlier after Hampshire Live quoted a Reform UK spokesman as saying he was no longer the party’s candidate, Parry said that he was “mid-Atlantic.”"Nigel Farage had already expended political capital on Parry, a former rear admiral, after he had initially refused to apologise last year for saying London-born David Lammy should “go home” to the Carribbean.However, the party has now been tipped over the edge after Parry made comments on x about Shomrim, a respected group which helps to protect the orthodox Jewish community and others, in the wake of an arson attack on a Jewish ambulance charity in London".-----------------"Parry, a retired rear admiral, also retweeted a post on X by Catherine Blaiklock, a co-founder of the Brexit party, hours after news of the attack on a Jewish charity ambulance service in north London emerged, in which she asked: “Can Christian’s [sic] in Britain set up their own police and patrol certain neighbourhoods?”Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesperson Max Wilkinson said the comments, some of which were later deleted, were ‘deeply insensitive’ about Jewish community. He went on:Nigel Farage should act now to drop Chris Parry as Reform’s Hampshire mayoral candidate. These remarks were deeply insensitive, insulting and not befitting of someone who wants to hold public office.At a time when we are all thinking of the Jewish community after such a disturbing attack, these comments will compound the pain so many people are already feeling."----------------"The Liberal Democrats home affairs spokesperson Max Wilkinson had called on Farage earlier in the day to drop Parry. He later said : “This is a good start, but Farage has some way to go. There are serious questions to answer as to how this candidate got approved in the first place.”Calvin Bailey, a Labour MP who wrote to Nigel Farage about previous comments attributed to Parry, including calling female MPs “harpies”, said: “It should not take repeated incidents for basic standards of decency to be upheld.” (Gdn today, in reversed order of publication)I suppose that there remains the Brexit Party for the Reformists and rump Tories

David Ainsworth ● 22h9 Comments

You gotta remember that there was nothing happening before October 7th so it was a complete surprise attack. Inexcusable and of course a pogrom.Well nothing much but the IDF just "mowing the grass" whenever it became necessary. But nothing significant.

David Ainsworth ● 4h

It’s strange that you seem so readily offended by art that tries to deal with a genocide that has been live-streamed for all to see, and so unaffected by the actual savagery itself. Anyway, you do you, Steve.

Gerry Boyce ● 4h

Your contributions on this general topic appear to be motivated by a) an irrational hatred of Israel and b) a childish desire to prove you are right whatever the evidence. The first leads you to defend any enemy of Israel no matter how vicious (e.g. Hamas, Iran) and the second to engage in endless absurd casuistry (e.g. an artist  who draws antisemitic pictures and describes his art as antisemitic is not necessarily an antisemite because he has not said he is an antisemite). I think you should take Robert’s advice to step away from the keyboard for a while and engage in silent reflection.

Steven Rose ● 6h

"just as Matthew Collings is evidently proud of his antisemitism."Is he? He may be proud of his exhibition. Has he said that he himself is an antisemite? You quote “Antisemitic art exhibition this way”. He is calling the art antisemitic.Still, there is an article on the subject in the Jerusalem Post, which is worth a look at:-"Antisemitic art may upset British Jews, but is it illegal? - analysisIn the United Kingdom, freedom of expression and protection from hate speech are both protected by law, and these protections sometimes clash."https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/article-890967I think that the exhibition is an error and will do more harm than good, but I have never been much of a judge of art. The only political art that I can think of currently is the German John Heartfield's anti-Nazi photomontages, from the 1930's. He got to Number 5 on the Gestapo's most-wanted list. He managed to avoid the headsman.

David Ainsworth ● 15h

For the same reason that I would have accepted a declaration from Hitler that he was a Nazi or from Mussolini that he was a Fascist. Both were proud of their political beliefs, just as Matthew Collings is evidently proud of his antisemitism.

Steven Rose ● 15h

But why would you accept the words of an antisemite?

David Ainsworth ● 16h

Why not accept the opinion of Matthew Collings who described his own exhibition as 'antisemitic'?

Steven Rose ● 17h

So Binary Bloke-0 has firmly made up his mind about Matthew Collings and his exhibition called, ‘Drawings against genocide’.  He thinks it should be cancelled and we should be denied access to it!Rather then take his, in my opinion, I’ll-informed, adamant, trenchant and extremist opinion as anything other than some bloke’s view, have a look at it for yourself, ideally, it is in Margate. Or, check out Matthew Collings Instagram account when you can have a look and make up your own mind, if you are so inclined.

Gerry Boyce ● 18h

A rather more gross example of anti-Semitism is to be found in the ‘Drawings Against Genocide’ exhibition at an independent gallery in Margate. This features hundreds of crudely drawn pictures containing anti-Semitic tropes. One of the drawings on display depicts two auctioneers at Sotheby’s, which is owned by a French Israeli businessman, eating babies with blood dripping from their sharpened teeth. A sign directing visitors to the drawings says, ‘Antisemitic art exhibition this way.’ The drawings are the work of Matthew Collings who said his art was about ‘raising consciousness about hell’ of which ‘Israel is the pure encapsulation’.Labour controlled Thanet council has apologised for promoting the exhibition on its tourism website and expressed regret for any offence caused.Kent police, however, has ruled that the exhibition is not ‘directly abusive or insulting ‘ to Jews, arguing that it does not meet the legal threshold for a hate crime because ‘ the content is political in nature and focuses on a nation state rather than a protected group’.Alex Hearn, from Labour Against Antisemitism, asked, ‘How did the police miss the clue in the piece where the artist says, “Antisemitic art exhibition this way”?’ How indeed!

Steven Rose ● 20h