Backlash against ex-councillor who blamed loss of his seat on Labour’s anti-Semitism row
Adam Langleben.
Humiliation came knocking at the door of Adam Langleben, the former Barnet councillor who has been all over the mainstream media proclaiming that the Labour Party failed to win that council because of the anti-Semitism row stoked by organisations like the Jewish Labour Movement that he helps to run.
Mr Langleben has been giving interviews left, right and centre, all along the same lines as this one for Sky News: “Barnet was a catastrophic result for the Labour Party. It was the worst result in the country. It was Labour’s number one target and we lost it because people think we’re racist.”
But when he broadcast his dissatisfaction on Twitter – along with an attack on New Left website The Skwawkbox, he received short shrift. Read:
Dear @jeremycorbyn and @johnmcdonnellMP. I lost my seat on Barnet Council yesterday due to #LabourAntisemitism. Right now an alt-left website that spreads and propogates conspiracy theory is trolling me. These websites seem to be close to the Leadership. Please condemn them. pic.twitter.com/2Ksa8TppPY
— Adam Langleben 🇺🇦 (@adamlangleben) May 5, 2018
Skwawkbox hasn’t mentioned Mr Langleben once in a web article. Not once.
It seems Mr Langleben is the one spreading fake news.
And the general public appear to have realised this. Consider some of the responses to his rant:
Really. I know people who didn’t vote for you. And it was because you are useless. Think about that
— ohNo (@Carolebow) May 6, 2018
If you had spent as much time fulfilling your duties as a councillor and campaigning as you have in undermining the leadership, you would have retained your seat.
Don’t blame the leadership for your poor approach to politics
— Louie Richards (@LouieRichardss) May 6, 2018
you lost your seat simply because the constituents did not want to vote for you… nothing to do with AS the labour vote went up in your area not down, so you should look at your own failures and listening to RW labour who cost others their seats… stop crying over spilt milk.
— Isobel_Waby we NEED a COALITION (@Isobel_waby) May 6, 2018
https://twitter.com/OllieOwl17/status/993039849027461121
https://twitter.com/pplwhocantpark/status/993047725129322496
1) Labour has never held Barnet. 2) Didn't Labour vote share in Barnet go up 3%? so…….. why would you think, that exactly YOU were singled out?
— One Man's Opinion (@1MansOpinionz) May 6, 2018
How come Shadwell in Leeds with a huge Jewish population voted in a Labour councillor with a huge majority .. maybe you just aren’t much good at your job ..just sayin
— SUSAN SIMPSON #ItWasAScam #NeverTrustaTory (@smartysue) May 6, 2018
This one suggests the loss had more to do with the words of right-wing Labour MP Chuka Umunna, who suggested Labour was the party for anti-Semitism in a radio interview for LBC. Why was Mr Umunna attacking his own party in this manner?
https://twitter.com/Hilzibub/status/993056509364985856
https://twitter.com/DrTropical69/status/993097523865772032
This one refers to Mr Langleben’s claim that conspiracy-theory anti-Semitism is growing in the Labour Party, and refers to the Al Jazeera documentary The Lobby, in which now-former Israeli embassy official Shai Masot was filmed trying to form a conspiracy to “take down” Tory Foreign Office minister Sir Alan Duncan. Suggestion of conspiracy isn’t anti-Semitic if one actually exists, of course:
Show me antisemitism, define it, demonstrate people suffering because of their faith caused by the labour party( or anyone else).
I will show you an Al Jazeera documentary.— #FreeAssange . (@Banjomarla) May 6, 2018
https://twitter.com/iain_fenton/status/993043728653746176
Perhaps this should be the last word (it wasn’t):
https://twitter.com/reclaimpolitica/status/993243329918840841
Now, This Site doesn’t have to defend Skwawkbox – I know its author personally and he’s perfectly capable of looking after himself.
But false, malicious, exaggerated claims of anti-Semitism? Those are my province.
Mr Langleben has concocted a nonsense claim that the row over alleged anti-Semitism in the Labour Party cost candidates in principally-Jewish wards their seats, when in fact there is no evidence to support this.
Not only that, but he is part of an organisation (the JLM) that has been propogating this, and other nonsense claims.
I am glad this was brought to the attention of the Labour leadership because Mr Langleben, Chuka Umunna (mentioned above) and anyone else who is using such fake accusations to undermine the genuine good work of the Labour Party need to be brought to account.
Mr Langleben contacted Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell via Twitter to raise his false accusation and I hope they are making a list of all those who are acting as he has – a list of those to be pursued for bringing the Labour Party into disrepute.
His name can be at the top of it.
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well said.
As an officer in my local branch, regular attendee at Constituency GC, elected LA Councillor and ex TCC Councillor I do not recall witnessing a single incident of anti semitism nor racism in any Labour party meeting, business nor social nor have I heard a single individual complaint from anyone who has directly experienced such discrimination in my 45 years plus of membership. I therefore can neither confirm nor deny that such discrimination exists.
I have seen colleagues affected by the row in the media and the repeated claims by some that such discrimination is a problem in the Party. The internal battles in the Party are costing us seats and will cost us the next elections unless we can present a united front to the electorate.
No one is going to trust us if we are split in a fratricidal war rather than face the common enemy. As Jo Cox said ‘there’s more that unites us than divides us’.
Certainly if there is strong evidence that proves someone is breaking Party rules by being a bully,anti Semite, racist or discriminatory then they have no place in the party.
Equally if someone is manufacturing a controversy where none exists then they are acting against the party’s interests.
We must remember that not all sources of ‘news’ in this area have the party’s interests at heart. Guido Fawkes for instance is a pernicious right wing extremist who will manufacture fake news, repeat lies or innuendo, and spin any story to the detriment of Labour.
Well done – an honest, sensible, logical and practical summary of the situation.
I sincerely believe that most Labour members have the same viewpoint but unfortunately it’s people like you that are being forced out by the dissenters, it’s sheer suicide !
Thank you very much. Your comment echoes my own experience.
I have NEVER seen any anti-semitism in the Labour Party. I’ll go as far as to say that I don’t believe that Ken Livingstone’s comments were anti-semitic either.
I have a slightly different take. Adam Langelben was the victim of his own success. He has with the Jewish Labour Movement been running a campaign for 2 and a half yrs that Labour is antisemitic. His electors seem to have believed him and decided not to vote for an anti-semite!!
Labour may not have won Barnet but, as the saying goes, every cloud has a silver lining
Mr Langleben stood for election without success. Tough. Life in politics is not for the feeble.
I believe the nasty party is to blame for the racist remarks and ALL hatred and all through our country. Seriously disabled people labelled as scroungers
How ironic that Marc Wadsworth was expelled from the party for bring it into disrepute but chukka, smeeth and langleben remain. Anyone going to the right wing press to publicly attack the leader and their own party should be investigated for this.
Proper analysis needs to be done.Nobody is very thrilled with any of them at moment. I bet some tories stayed away as disappointed in Tories and some Labour stayed away because of whatever and others split vote by voting for green or libdem.
A lot of things can happen in a vote. cannot make swathing statements
He looks a Tatty Urchin anyway.
In local elections people usual vote for local depending on the people and close affiliation and knowing them. He lost it. Needs get over it.
Corbyn won his elections for over 30yrs so maybe he needs to learn from him
8th May Langleben got an email from Jennie Formby to say he had been invited in error to a meeting of the Labour NEC Working Group on Antisemitism the meeting were due to discus confidential information about cases in progress. He was welcome to come to a later meeting. Instead he turned up to this one and sat outside tweeting about being refused entry and being kept sat outside for an hour. By his own admission he was no longer invited to the meeting and had known since that morning. Has he nothing better to do than smear his own party with false allegations.