Michelle O'Neill accused of ‘pathetic attempt to rewrite history' over ‘killing of local lads by British state' comments
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New Statesman
10 minutes ago
- New Statesman
Kemi Badenoch's position on Israel is discrediting the Conservative Party
Photo byandWhen Kemi Badenoch became leader of the Conservative Party, she very sensibly aimed not to rush into early statements of detailed policy. Unfortunately, her appointment of Priti Patel as shadow foreign secretary was its own statement. Following her unauthorised 2017 trip to Israel while secretary for international development, Patel has been a disgraced figure. While there, accompanied by the peer Stuart Polak of the Conservative Friends of Israel, she met the Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu without UK government officials or the British ambassador. Afterwards, she advocated a change in UK policy which, in breach of long-established humanitarian practice, would have included the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) in its aid delivery. This episode could not have been a starker example of impropriety. It merited her dismissal but Theresa May was too weak to wield the axe. Instead, Patel was allowed to resign. And yet, Badenoch saw fit to appoint her to the shadow cabinet. Patel is now in a position to perpetuate her views at a critical moment in world events. Badenoch has shown no indication of knowing anything about Israel and Palestine, and has not made any profound statements on this, the one foreign issue, other than Ukraine, that has dominated global news since she was elected. All she utters is uncritical support for Israel. The Conservative Party used to have a world-view. It supported enlightened international cooperation, and institutions such as the UN along with its accompanying treaties, rules and conventions. More broadly, it was the UK that pledged to support a homeland for the Jewish people, and a future for the Palestinians next door. To their shame, while successive governments have forever delayed implementing that commitment, the Israelis each and every day have violently stolen ever more Palestinian land. Palestine is the only populous legally undisputed land in the world not allowed to call itself a state. It does not belong to Israel, and Israel's determination to annex it does not mean it is disputed. The illegality of Israeli encroachment is cast-iron in international law, a belief that has been the policy of Conservative and Labour governments for decades. Badenoch, however, seems to share the view of those like Patel who do not believe in their own policy. They can never bring themselves to say explicitly that settlements are illegal. The charge sheet against Israel is growing every day: disproportionate force, indiscriminate bombing, mass displacement, food deprivation, the replacement of the Palestinian relief agency UNRWA with mercenaries, the killing of tens of Palestinians each day as they desperately scramble for food, state-backed support for settler terrorists, and the banning of journalists from Gaza. Badenoch and her front bench have done nothing to condemn any of it. Subscribe to The New Statesman today from only £8.99 per month Subscribe [See also: Jonathan Sumption on Israel and Gaza: A question of intent] Amid all this, Priti Patel has refused in the Commons to condemn settler violence – all she would say was that settlers are a barrier to a two-state solution. And when extremist Israeli ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir were sanctioned in June, she declined in her response even to mention their names. The likes of Suella Braverman, meanwhile, have branded pro-Palestine demonstrations 'hate marches'. Contemptibly, any pro-Palestinian voice within the Conservative Party is almost systematically accused of anti-Semitism and put into its complaints procedure, which silences and bullies. And as Michael Gove increases his hold on appointments to the leader's office, what could be more warped than his recent recommendation that the IDF be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize? It has now reached the point where Conservative comment has become so extreme it has discredited their entire foreign policy and is making them despised more widely. The party is increasingly becoming defined by its lack of humanity. The world is watching the extermination of an entire country. Palestine is being annihilated. Meanwhile the Conservative Party is covering itself in shame, and will stand no chance of re-election unless it states a clear policy based on international law, and promotes the UK's historic understanding of the region. This issue is and always has been about land. Israel's extremist government has only one objective, and that is to make all of Palestine theirs. All other talk, horrendous though the facts may be, is second to that. As leader, Kemi Badenoch could redeem herself speedily by stating loudly what all should be saying to Israel: 'Get out of Palestine, it isn't your country.' [See also: Keir Starmer alienates left and right on Gaza] Related
The National
2 hours ago
- The National
Politicians fleeing the stage as old certainties collapse
The Deputy First Minister, however you view her politics, has been held in high regard by many as a hard-working minister and committed MSP. In more stable times, a career in politics would have offered a variety of long-term attractions. Today, though, the appeal of a quieter life beckons, as the retreat into private life provides respite from the manifold crises which present themselves in politics, economics, international affairs and society writ large. READ MORE: What Kate Forbes's exit means for future SNP leadership hopefuls Of course, there have always been wicked issues to consider. But in this era, it is the confluence of many fissures and dilemmas at once which generates the kind of environment in which things unravel rather more sharply. Simply put, there isn't a roadmap for how to get out of the mess, or to escape the dogmas which got us here in the first place. As a result, the rate of attrition increases. Jackie Baillie says that it is notable that the SNP's 'former rising stars are abandoning the stage'. This is true. And it is also not exactly controversial to suggest this indicates that independence is not on the horizon, or that there exists a compelling and inspiring strategy around the issue that might entice lifelong nationalists to stay the course a little longer. But this is to miss the wider point: it is a tale that can be told of the UK establishment too. Between Margaret Thatcher coming to power in 1979 and Tony Blair leaving office in 2007, only John Major came in between. That is close to three decades of relative stability as far as the leadership of the British state is concerned. Over those years, we saw the miners' strike; great showdowns between strikers and police; riots over the poll tax; mass protests against war in Iraq; Black Monday and much else. At the same time, those upheavals also entailed a level of state coherence and political infrastructure which doesn't exist in the same way now. The Conservative Party, the essential instrument of ruling class power, pursued a strategy and vision for British capitalism as a whole, coinciding with the Reagan administration in the United States. This set about dismantling the trade union movement and embarking on a process of privatisation, deregulation and financialisation known as neoliberalism. READ MORE: From rising star to Deputy First Minister – Kate Forbes' career as she stands down Yes, there were challenges. But at the same time there was a plan for how to resolve the immediate questions posed around how to secure new economic growth and to discipline the working class into the bargain. But this arrangement could only ever overcome the accumulation of problems bound up with the system for a relatively short period. As Martin Wolf of the Financial Times writes: 'Indubitably, a serious government would be devoting vast intellectual resources to the question of how to raise the growth rate. None has, including this one. A starting point, in my view, must be recognition that the Thatcher experiment failed: it did not transform the underlying performance of the economy for the better. This must now be admitted. 'Too much of the post-Thatcher performance was unsustainable. This was, in good part, because it was the fruit of a global credit bubble, in which the UK was a leading actor.' Thus, after the 2008 financial crisis, the condition of politics changes. As it bled into society through austerity and bailouts for bankers, the rotation in leadership advances at pace. By the time David Cameron leaves office in 2016 after the Brexit referendum – itself an outgrowth of the divisions over the future among a once united status quo – the rot has set in. We then have Theresa May, Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, and Rishi Sunak in quick succession. (Image: Lucy North/PA Wire) That's four Tory prime ministers in a span of eight years. One of these, Truss, lasts only 49 days. This is abnormal and a reflection of the deep-seated problems built up in a period where living standards went into decline, as the wealth of the super-rich grew to unfathomable levels. Gone too are old certainties, like the permanence of the European Union, or indeed the Conservative Party itself. Keir Starmer has been in the job for a year and is already widely reviled. Doubtless the chatter around his replacement will increase, as a hapless Kemi Badenoch attempts to revive the fortunes of a once semi-invincible organ of the British establishment in the face of new challenges in the shape of Reform. Labour also face a test from their left too, in the form of the nascent new lefty party. The political system is cracking up under the pressures of a failed economic model and the projects of blame displacement and scapegoating attendant to it. This further shreds the social fabric, creating a polarised and angry populace, increasingly alienated from official politics. Authoritarianism, then, is an inevitable but futile resource from which those in power will increasingly draw upon. READ MORE: 'Totally gutted': SNP politicians and members react as Kate Forbes to stand down All of this is set against a global backdrop in which the norms, rules and conviviality once handed down as tablets of stone have been shattered. The post-war order is over, and finished for good, alongside many of its institutions. This is a new, multipolar age for which the vast majority of politicians are simply not trained for and do not understand. These epochal shifts combine with the fact that there is no obvious route to meaningful economic growth or an end to domestic volatility. It is little wonder, then, that many are asking themselves why on earth they should take up such a poisoned chalice at all.
North Wales Chronicle
2 hours ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Cross-Channel migrants to be detained as France treaty comes into force
The deal, which has now been approved by the European Commission, means the UK will be able to send people crossing the Channel in small boats back to France in exchange for asylum seekers with ties to Britain. It also means that anyone arriving in a small boat can be detained immediately, and space has been set aside at immigration removal centres in the expectation that detentions will begin within days. The Prime Minister said the ratification of the treaty will 'send a clear message – if you come here illegally on a small boat you will face being sent back to France'. But opposition parties have criticised the deal amid reports that the pilot scheme will see only 50 people a week returned to France while this year has seen a weekly average of more than 800 people make the crossing. The deal has also been criticised by refugee charities, which have urged the Government to provide more safe, legal routes for asylum seekers instead. Ministers have so far declined to say how many people could be returned under the deal, and insist that if the pilot is successful the figure will increase. Under the terms of the agreement, announced during French President Emmanuel Macron's state visit last month, adults arriving on small boats will face being returned to France if their asylum claim is inadmissible. In exchange, the same number of people will be able to come to the UK on a new legal route, provided they have not attempted a crossing before and subject to documentation and security checks. The Home Office said it had also learned from the 'lengthy legal challenges' over the previous government's Rwanda scheme and would 'robustly defend' any attempts to block removal through the courts. It is the first such deal with France, with the pilot scheme set to run until June 2026, pending a longer-term agreement. Sir Keir said the deal was 'The product of months of grown-up diplomacy delivering real results for British people'. He added: 'The days of gimmicks and broken promises are over – we will restore order to our borders with the seriousness and competence the British people deserve.' Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said it was 'an important step towards undermining the business model of the organised crime gangs that are behind these crossings – undermining their claims that those who travel to the UK illegally can't be returned to France'. Ratification of the deal comes as both Britain and France battle to bring the small boats problem under control, with 2025 on course to be a record year for crossings. Some 25,436 people have already made the journey this year, according to PA news agency analysis of Home Office figures – 49% higher than at the same point in 2024. The issue has also sparked concern that a series of protests outside hotels housing asylum seekers could lead to public disorder similar to last year's riots. On Monday, the Home Office announced it was providing another £100 million to tackle people smuggling and would introduce new powers to seize devices from people suspected of facilitating crossings. Ministers have also launched a crackdown on illegal working in an effort to reduce the 'pull factors' said to be encouraging people to make the journey, while French authorities have changed their guidance to allow police officers to intercept boats while they are in shallow waters. Shadow home secretary Chris Philp attacked the plans, saying they would return 'just 6% of illegal arrivals' and 'make no difference whatsoever'. He added: 'The Rwanda removals deterrent, under which 100% of illegal arrivals would be removed, was ready to go last summer but Labour cancelled it just days before it was due to start with no proper replacement plan. As a result, this year so far has been the worst ever for illegal immigrants crossing the Channel. 'Only removing all illegal immigrants upon arrival will provide the necessary deterrent to stop the crossings. This is the Conservative plan, but Labour is too weak to implement it and as a result they have lost control of our borders.' While the Conservatives' Rwanda plan was in theory uncapped, it was expected to take only around 1,000 asylum seekers in its first five years of operation thanks to limited capacity in the East African nation. The plan, which Sir Keir had previously dismissed as a 'gimmick', was scrapped as one of the first acts of the incoming Labour Government last year.
