British peer expelled from caucus, refused to apologize for criticizing Israel

Sat, 2012-03-10 15:16

Unionist

[url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2012/mar/01/lib-dem-lady-tonge-beware... the Guardian:[/url]

Quote:

Israel's ambassador to Britain has issued a defiant message after a Liberal Democrat peer said the country would not last for ever "in its present form".

Daniel Taub said Israel had "no intention of going anywhere" after Lady Tonge warned the country to "beware" because the United States would eventually end its support for its ally in the Middle East.

The ambassador spoke out after Tonge resigned the party whip after rejecting a call from the party leader, Nick Clegg, to apologise or leave the Lib Dem grouping in the Lords. Tonge told the leadership in a phone call that she could not accept the ultimatum from the deputy prime minister because she stood by her remarks.

Clegg acted after the Guido Fawkes website ran a video clip of Tonge at a Middlesex University meeting last week, where she said: "Beware Israel. Israel is not going to be there forever in its present form. One day, the United States of America will get sick of giving £70bn a year to Israel to support what I call America's aircraft carrier in the Middle East – that is Israel. One day, the American people are going to say to the Israel lobby in the USA: enough is enough. Israel will lose support and then they will reap what they have sown."

Sat, 2012-03-10 15:19

#3

Unionist

And, from Gideon Levy of Ha'aretz, a remarkably similar viewpoint to the the one that got Lady Tonge condemned by all the U.K. parties in Parliament:

[url=http://therealnews.com/t2/component/content/article/123-more-blog-posts-...'s just a matter of time before U.S. tires of Israel[/url]

Sat, 2012-03-10 15:21

#4

Unionist

And this was tweeted by Ed Miliband, the shameless leader of "New" Labour:

Quote:
"No place in politics for those who question existence of the state of Israel."

Sat, 2012-03-10 18:33

#5

milo204

not surprising, wasn't the iranian comment of zionism vanishing from the "pages of time" basically the same thing? And over that people are threatening war!

Sun, 2012-03-11 00:19

#6

Unionist

milo204 wrote:

not surprising, wasn't the iranian comment of zionism vanishing from the "pages of time" basically the same thing? And over that people are threatening war!

Actually, I was wondering whether anyone would draw a parallel beween the unapologetic Lady Tonge, who paid for her stand of principle, and what Libby Davies was forced to do. Here was her letter to the Ottawa Citizen of June 11, 2010, which was never published - so she published it on her web page:

Libby Davies, on June 11, 2010 wrote:

June 11, 2010
Dear Editor,

I am writing in response to your June 11 editorial which refers to a video of me recorded last Saturday, and posted online (Hater's, Ottawa Citizen, June 11, 2010).

My reference to the year 1948 as the beginning of the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory was a serious and completely inadvertent error; I apologize for this and regret any confusion it has caused.

I have always supported a two-state solution to the on-going Israeli-Palestinian conflict and have never questioned Israel's right to exist and the Palestinian’s right to a viable state.

New Democrats have long called for a peaceful, negotiated end to the conflict where Israelis and Palestinians can live side by side with secure borders. This is a policy I fully support.

I reject the allegation that I hate Israel, and I reject the assertion that I said that Israel is illegitimate or an abomination. Neither are true.

Libby Davies
MP Vancouver East

That's how Libby kept her place in caucus and as Deputy Leader, in the face of the vicious attack by Harper and Mulcair and others.

ETA: [url=http://libbydavies.ca/news/update/2010/6/11/libbys-response-inflamatory-...

Sun, 2012-03-11 00:30

#7

NDPP

and that is why I believe it is a tragic mistake, given the nature of the forces aligned against us, to place trust in a party that continues to demonstrate in so many ways, that it is not only not up to struggle, but that it will fail us in the worst possible ways, on the most historically critical issues, at the worst possible times.

Sun, 2012-03-11 05:54

#8

Jacob Two-Two

I advise you not to trust politicians in general. You don't need politicians you can trust, you need ones you can apply pressure to. Social movements can push governments into action, but only governments that desperately need the votes of those social movements to survive. The Conservatives are the other end of the equation. They exist to squash social movements. The idea behind electing the NDP is not to have these ideologically pure beings solve all our problems, but rather to create a space for social movements to create policy through this sliver of leverage.

Sun, 2012-03-11 07:25

#9

Slumberjack

It creates a space for social movements to reduce themselves to the status of beggars, in the hope that something might drop off the edge of the table that they sit around, with the corporations, the Conservatives, and the Liberals. Who are they that they need applying to? They're nobodies except for the attention invested in them.

Sun, 2012-03-11 12:42

#10

Jacob Two-Two

Um, "reduce themselves"? Am I to understand that you believe electing the NDP will cause social movements to fall from their lofty position of influence? Are we speaking from alternate dimensions only linked by a supernatural internet connection?