After Labour party lawyers blocked the results of an investigation into how antisemitism was handled within the party from being sent on to the Equality and Human Rights Commission, someone leaked the report. Since then my Twitter timeline has been in uproar at documented misogynoir within the party. This includes the former executive director tipping off a journalist about Diane Abbott being upset in the toilet after the police failed to act on violent threats towards her and open hostility towards both Diane Abbott and Dawn Butler – not to mention constant attempts to sabotage Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership.
I wish I could be surprised, but I’m not. If I’m honest, I had quietly divested in British politics soon after Jeremy Corbyn was voted in as Labour leader and the whole of the front bench resigned in protest. ‘What self-serving bastards who apparently “serve” the British public would resign when they didn’t get the leadership they personally wanted?’ I thought. Well, we can now clearly see exactly what kind. But that doesn’t make these revelations any less enraging.
My first encounter with a politician was when I was in primary school. My local Conservative MP came to an assembly and we were all encouraged to ask questions. I raised my hand and asked a question about the local park. The answer I received was not what I expected. I don’t even think you can call it an answer. The MP waffled and double-spoke his way through a sentence or two and moved on to the next child. I raised my hand to tell him that he hadn’t actually answered my question, but a teacher hissed that I should let someone else have a go. Needless to say, I wasn’t impressed.