My encounter with Baroness Tonge
Re my post below, I don't think I've told this story before.
A few months after Baroness Tonge had been sacked as a front-bencher by Charles Kennedy for her remarks about Palestinian murderers, I was on a radio programme. The Baroness was one of the other particpants. I was looking forward to the programme, as I wanted to take her to task for her views.
Before the programme there was a dinner for the guests. I was unsure about breaking bread with her - I would no more wish to socialise with her than I would with anyone else who thinks I am part of a conspiracy to run the world and destroy non-Jews. But I figured it would be impolite to my hosts to refuse to come, so I went along.
Almost immediately the issue of her sacking arose. The host shared his sorrow at her removal, and said how badly 'everyone' thought she had been treated by her party leader, who was clearly too weak to stand up to the Israeli lobby. A very senior Labour politician (whom I had previously respected as a decent man) concurred. So did the producer.
I had a split second to think how to respond. Should I stick to my plan of being polite, and remain silent lest I cause a scene? Or should I make clear that not 'everyone' agreed with the consensus around the table?
I couldn't in all conscience do anything else. So I said, quietly but, I hope, firmly, that not everyone agreed, and that some of us - such as myself and many people I know, many of whom were not Jewish - thought that her remarks were contemptible, and that she had been let off lightly. Far from Charles Kennedy overreacting, a more appropriate response might have been to have the whip withdrawn. And she remained in the legislature, able to determine the laws under which I lived, which I found to be unsettling at best.
There was a very awkward silence, since it was not the done thing to behave like that over dinner. But the topic of comnversation was changed, I did the programme, and have done it since.
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Ann
July 3rd, 2008 5:50pm"it was not the done thing to behave like that over dinner"
Well, no. Expressing antisemitic views is OK, but objecting to them is not the done thing in polite British society any more than it was in 1936 Berlin (or indeed, 1936 London).
Those who don't learn from history ...
Hugh Rochcester
July 3rd, 2008 7:56pmAnne Peacock is a Tounge fan. What a bloody shame to hear that.
Ian C
July 4th, 2008 8:57amYou said the right thing and it sounds as if it was in the raight manner. I would like to think that I would have done the same, but I would not have willingly held back from an argument.
Rachel Miller
July 4th, 2008 10:35amWell done. You did absolutely the right thing. We need more people to stand up and create 'awkward silences' on this issue.
Ben
July 10th, 2008 11:10pmHow depressing that nobody agreed with you. That tells us more than anything how deeply rooted anti-Israeli and anti-Jewish sentiment is in British media circles today.
phil
July 11th, 2008 1:10amben we-did and it didnt get printed here it is again
Stephen you are a star-when I used to see her greasing up and down my tv screen like a lump of lard I wanted to jump through it .Of all people I have seen on tv she along with bob marshall andrews have left me with the most disgust. We are well rid of them .The old harriden from Yorkshire ann somethin or other thakfully has gone with them .