Livingstone
What an idiot. Here's a hint: Just because something isn't racist doesn't mean it's not offensive and deserving of an apology. If you make a Nazi comment, and the person replies "I'm Jewish, and I find that offensive", you DON'T continue!
The Mail and the Standard aren't very good papers, and the Mail has a nasty history. That doesn't make it right to be an ass, and a stiff-necked one as well.
It doesn't help that his relationship with the Jewish community was already poor. When Jews, Hindus, Sikhs, and gays complained about him welcoming al-Qaradawi (Muslim cleric with unsavory views, whom Livingstone defended as a moderate) he claimed it was a "Zionist conspiracy" and defended the invitation to the bitter end.
I'm sure politicians are making plenty of calculations. Labour is defending 2 heavily-Jewish seats in Barnet (Hendon and Finchley & Golders Green). The majorities are decent, but they're not natural Labour seats (Hendon was Tory from 1945-97 and Finchley is Margaret Thatcher's old seat.) Notice how Andrew Dismore (Hendon MP) was one of the first people to demand an apology. The other I noticed was Brian Coleman, Tory Assembly member for Barnet.
(oops, got al-Qaradawi's name wrong first time round...)
The Mail and the Standard aren't very good papers, and the Mail has a nasty history. That doesn't make it right to be an ass, and a stiff-necked one as well.
It doesn't help that his relationship with the Jewish community was already poor. When Jews, Hindus, Sikhs, and gays complained about him welcoming al-Qaradawi (Muslim cleric with unsavory views, whom Livingstone defended as a moderate) he claimed it was a "Zionist conspiracy" and defended the invitation to the bitter end.
I'm sure politicians are making plenty of calculations. Labour is defending 2 heavily-Jewish seats in Barnet (Hendon and Finchley & Golders Green). The majorities are decent, but they're not natural Labour seats (Hendon was Tory from 1945-97 and Finchley is Margaret Thatcher's old seat.) Notice how Andrew Dismore (Hendon MP) was one of the first people to demand an apology. The other I noticed was Brian Coleman, Tory Assembly member for Barnet.
(oops, got al-Qaradawi's name wrong first time round...)
