I suspect that the Labour Party would have lost the Rochdale by-election even if they hadn’t thrown their candidate under a bus, but it’s important that we look at what he said.

 Labour’s chosen candidate Azhar Ali was embroiled in a major scandal when recordings emerged in which he expressed and endorsed antisemitic conspiracy theories. Labour withdrew their support, but it was too late to replace Ali on the ballot paper

Prof. Rob Ford

Even people who defend Ali’s right to make such remarks nevertheless dismiss what he’s saying as a ‘conspiracy theory’, but who are the conspirators? I think it quite plausible that Israel did know about the October 7 attack and deliberately allowed it to happen.

I can understand why few journalists and politicians are willing to go out on a limb and totally exonerate Hamas from atrocities, they would lose what credibility they still retain with the Establishment. I’m not accusing them of dishonesty, they’ve abandoned the rat race to retain their integrity, but they still have be careful what they say if they want to retain their audience – they’re under enough attack as it.

I, on the other hand, have no such restrictions – the only person who can stop me saying what I want to say is “free speech absolutist” Elon Musk. So I’ll say what I have to say and endure the slings and arrows of outraged Tories.

It’s reported that Egyptian intelligence had informed the Israeli government that an attack was imminent and the sophisticated surveillance technology that Israeli possess makes it inconceivable that they were taken completely by surprise.

Israeli defences are claimed to be impenetrable, so why were Hamas able to penetrate them without IDF letting their guard down?

We have a statement by Hamas, more credible than IDF, that they weren’t targeting civilians but IDF – who weren’t where they were expected to be!

We don’t know, and perhaps will never know, how many Israeli civilians were killed by Hamas on October 7. Nor do we know how many were killed by IDF!

There’s a lot we don’t know, but there’s one thing we do know. We’re seeing genocide before our eyes and those who close their eyes and ears to what’s happening, and refuse to speak out against it, are as guilty as those perpetrating it 🙈🙉🙊

Citizenship

Another issue that’s giving me a lot to think about lately is denial of citizenship, which is illegal under international law if it would render someone stateless. Shamima Begum was groomed and trafficked to Syria when she was 15, but had her citizenship revoked because she was believed to have Bangladeshi citizenship.

In the same week that her appeal failed Boris Johnson was photographed with British citizens joining the Israeli Defence Force. The difference is that the IDF is not a designated terrorist organisation, although it ought to be! These volunteers are unquestionably Jewish, which means they can claim Israeli citizenship if they don’t already have it but, unlike Shamima Begum, they’re welcome back to the UK.

On a personal note I have dual nationality and technically could be deported to Australia if I did or said something our government considered undesirable, but I have nothing to fear. Brave men and women with everything to lose have gone before me. I have nothing to lose and won’t be silenced! ✊