I had a really good trip to Manchester. The main reason I went to the MP's talk is I wanted to find out exactly what questions local people were raising.
However to my surprise, Simon Johnson was chairing and used chair's privilege to ask most of the questions for the first half hour! Here is what was said:
Simon: Did it surprise you it was Jeremy Corbyn who won the Labour leadership?
Ivan: In many ways it is like the Tory leadership during their time in opposition. The purpose was to get a leader who was not someone rather than because of who they are. Ken Clarke's ideology regarding the EU made him the wrong leadership choice.
Simon: Brexit question. Should there have been a referendum
Ivan: No. In a way it was a back clash against the establishment and how the EU question was flooded with things that have nothing to do with the question. In many ways people used the referendum as a proxy.
Simon: should it be decided by the courts or not?
Ivan: But the voice of the people has to be respected. Any delay in triggering article 50 is wrong
fair equitable re...
the deal is not in the interests (of Labour voters) but there are ideological factors
After 45 minutes of 2 men talking questions were picked from the audience. Only men asked questions for the remaining 45 minutes!
-Antisemitism: Do you feel comfortable in the Labour Party and the question of the Oxford accusations of antisemitism. Ivan got a round of applause for saying he is not comfortable and it has not been zero tolerance but you would get this in any party
-Power should it lead people or respond to people? i.e. bottom up or top down (at this point Ivan raised immigration as one example out of the air)
-Should the article 50 vote be following voters or your principles?
- Malcolm Jolis wanted to know if he should vote for Corbyn
- Trump and Israel - do you agree that the Americans want to bring a messianic age? (i.e. apocalypse)
- Are remainers thinking, with all the elections around Italy and Europe, that they can cause a reformation of the EU.
I managed to get in a question about why in Jewish and Muslim events no women tend to speak, and it's just men who spoke
Someone told me afterwards she was actually asked to be on the JLC panel... but someone like Trump can be seriously damaging to progress.
I am told Ivan used to be involved in the Jewish Socialist Group but fell out because he was very pro-Israel, after organising a very expensive trip to Manchester for a meeting.
