Barnet election result: Ken Livingstone pilloried for answering a question on TV news programme

Some might say he should have known better than to give the interview at all.

But in fact, Ken Livingstone told Adam Boulton he has been turning down invitations to be interviewed on the subject of Jewish voters and the anti-Semitism claims that led to his suspension as a member of the Labour Party.

And he only spoke the following words on Sky News after Mr Boulton said, “Speaking to some of your former Labour colleagues in Barnet, they were specifically blaming you for the loss.” That’s a tacit reference to the row sparked by Mr Livingstone’s words in 2016.

But he acquitted himself very well:

Every word of the above exchange is accurate.

But it seems certain people did not like it at all.

Chloe Chaplain and Martin Coulter at the Evening Standard disliked it so much, they wrote an article about it and headlined it Ken Livingstone sparks outrage after repeatedly bringing up Hitler in yet another live TV interview.

Did they not realise that he had been asked?

The article featured tweets from people who had been similarly incensed, including Adam Langleben, who was ousted from his Barnet council seat but remains a member of the Jewish Labour Movement’s national executive. He wrote: “Why the hell is Ken Livingstone on @SkyNews trying to explain the Barnet result????
Chuck him out.”

I can answer that very easily: He was on Sky News because that programme’s editors asked him. As for the demand to “chuck him out” – why? What has he said that is inaccurate?

I notice that Mr Langleben said nothing about the content of the interview – or of Mr Livingstone’s previous comments. It would be interesting to know what historical inaccuracy he has uncovered that would justify Mr Livingstone’s expulsion from the Labour Party.

Or doesn’t Labour do accuracy these days, when considering allegations of anti-Semitism? After the verdict on Marc Wadsworth, I could easily believe that!

Tulip Siddiq was also quoted: “Please please get this irrelevant man off my TV screen.” Why is he irrelevant? No reason. Why does she want him silenced? No reason.

Former LabourList editor, now largely irrelevant himself, Mark Ferguson tweeted: “6 (six) years ago I campaigned in Barnet and saw Jews and non-Jews alike turn away from Ken Livingstone because of his behaviour (whilst voting for other Labour candidates).”

Visit his Twitter page and you’ll see someone has asked: “what behaviour of Ken’s was this, specifically?”

No answer.

And this is the problem with all the censure of Mr Livingstone, in a nutshell. That’s why, to Mr Livingstone’s critics, I say:

It’s no good saying his words are unacceptable if you can’t tell us why.


Vox Political needs your help!
If you want to support this site
(
but don’t want to give your money to advertisers)
you can make a one-off donation here:

Donate Button with Credit Cards

Here are four ways to be sure you’re among the first to know what’s going on.

1) Register with us by clicking on ‘Subscribe’ (in the left margin). You can then receive notifications of every new article that is posted here.

2) Follow VP on Twitter @VoxPolitical

3) Like the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/VoxPolitical/

Join the Vox Political Facebook page.

4) You could even make Vox Political your homepage at http://voxpoliticalonline.com

And do share with your family and friends – so they don’t miss out!

If you have appreciated this article, don’t forget to share it using the buttons at the bottom of this page. Politics is about everybody – so let’s try to get everybody involved!

Buy Vox Political books so we can continue
fighting for the facts.


The Livingstone Presumption is now available
in either print or eBook format here:

HWG PrintHWG eBook

Health Warning: Government! is now available
in either print or eBook format here:

HWG PrintHWG eBook

The first collection, Strong Words and Hard Times,
is still available in either print or eBook format here:

SWAHTprint SWAHTeBook

latest video

news via inbox

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

No Comments

  1. rotzeichen May 5, 2018 at 7:10 pm - Reply

    Everybody in the Labour Party should read this blog by Tony Greenstein who provides documentary evidence of the collusion between the Nazis and Zionists, it also gives the reasons why. In short the Zionists wanted to rescue as many Jews out of Germany as possible and the Nazis saw it as an opportunity to put them all in one place so that they could come for them later. Thank goodness they never had that opportunity. In essence this evidence exonerates Ken Livingstone and shows Labour right wingers as liars.

    https://azvsas.blogspot.co.uk/2018/05/why-head-of-sss-jewish-desk-baron-von.html

  2. Jed Bland May 5, 2018 at 7:19 pm - Reply

    And this is the problem. We cant win. Time and time I ask someone why they think someone or something is antisemitic and the answer is always “I’m not going to tell you” It’s all a big gaslighting operation

  3. lin wren May 5, 2018 at 7:35 pm - Reply

    Actually was never offended by Livingstone. What he said was the truth. In my opinion.

    • NMac May 6, 2018 at 12:25 pm - Reply

      I agree with you lin wren.

  4. 4foxandhare May 5, 2018 at 8:29 pm - Reply

    Pilloried for telling the truth.

  5. Annik Piriou May 5, 2018 at 10:15 pm - Reply

    I have felt like quitting the Labour Party over this. It’s a huge injustice. It’s there, in the hisrory books ffs. The Haavara Agreement. If someone can be thrown out for speaking the truth what the hell do we stand for. I admire Ken for standing up to the people who are what, expecting him to say he was wrong? He can’t, he wasn’t!

  6. Zippi May 5, 2018 at 11:02 pm - Reply

    I, too, have felt like quitting the £abour Party, because of the anti-Semitism nonsense. As before nobody who will be heard had added any context, that of an interview in which there are, essentially, two parts; questions and answers. Ken £ivinsgtone did not volunteer Hitler in Vanessa’s interview; SHE introduced him by twisting a quotation from Dr. Martin £uther King Junior’s letter from a Birmingham Jail. Mr £ivingstone did not say, in that interview, that Hitler was a Zionist, or that he supported Zionism, merely that, through the agreement, he was [effectively] supporting Zionism. Not the same thing at all. Sadly, the programme has been deleted from B.B.C. iPlayer but I made copious notes, whilst it was still available, because nowhere else was the interview available in full, or Mr. £ivinstone’s comments, in context.
    I say, again, the concept of anti-Semitism must be abandoned. To single one people out for special treatment, on the grounds of racial discrimination, is wrong on every level. we have laws against racial discrimination, why not just apply them? By treating Jews differently from all other racial groups is creating a longstanding problem; it put them at odds with all other racial groups, it says that they are more deserving than all other racial groups and it singles them out, effectively making them a magnet for discrimination, not to mention setting all marginalised racial groups against each other, to declare who is the worst affected by racism. Poppycock. It must stop. Why hsould Jews be afforded any more protection under the £aw than I? I tell you, anti-Semitism will serve only to make people who didn’t give a poop about Jews despise them and for what? If we are too busy fighting each other, what is happening in the meantime?
    People need to get their heads out of the sand, their eyes away from their screens and seek the truth and shout it from the rooftops! This nation of sleepwalkers needs to WAKE UP!

    • Mike Sivier May 16, 2018 at 4:01 pm - Reply

      I would like a copy of your transcript of the Feltz interview, please.

  7. aunty1960 May 5, 2018 at 11:24 pm - Reply

    Just watched the video

    WHAT THE FRIKKEN HELL IS WRONG WITH THAT?

    An informed relaxed open debate saying clearly what Ken said and what history clearly proves.

    TRUTH OFTEN OFFENDS

    reminds me of the Jesus wisdom of not bothering to throw your pearls of wisdom and worth among swine as they wont appreciate and will just turn and attack you.

    Very sad for our ignorance and state of politics.

  8. Damo May 6, 2018 at 7:45 am - Reply

    I’m half Jewish and I’m sick to death of this ken Livingston was just telling the truth and all these weasel mps and stirrers in the labour party should be kicked out… Let us move on…all this all this is way the tories will remain in power now stop it

Leave A Comment