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tl;dr: The Labour Party is almost certainly not innocent of anti-semitism but given the deeply-entrenched anti-semitism in the British Establishment over many years and still lingering, it’s hypocritical of the Conservative Party to pillory the Labour Party for it. Even the current PM has form. Charges of antisemitism are often used to criticise those sympathetic to the Palestinian people.I’m not sure that anybody has suggested that the Labour Party per se has committed acts of antisemitism. It probably has over the hundred years of its history, but the Conservative party has done far more over the course of its much longer history.I think you will find that these boil down to support for the Palestinian people and criticism of the state of Israel by individual members of the Labour Party. Sometimes its a case of an individual having ‘liked’ a Facebook post or retweeted a Tweet, actions that are seldom carefully-considered, several years ago that could be construed as anti-semitic. Some of those posts and tweets were a bit iffy, for sure, but only in the way many posts and tweets fired off on a whim in the heat of the moment, intended to be forgotten in minutes and not intended to be taken literally. There have always insults in politics, by no means always connected to Jewish people. But social media is a gift to those who would dig for dirt. There are people who have nothing better to do than to trawl through years of social media records for anything, witting or unwitting, that can be used to discredit an opponent. Antisemitism is always a good label that sticks. Better than almost any other -ism, because, you know, Holocaust. Appeal to the Holocaust and you touch the collective guilt of a whole nation; a whole continent indeed. Britain has no cause to feel morally superior to Germany in such matters.Listen. I am not going to diminish the Holocaust. Not one jot. I’ve been to Auschwitz and I know very well the way the enormity of what happened there in living memory being so overwhelming you can’t grasp it in its entirety, only by being socked in the gut by one specific detail (for me it was the shoes, what was it for you?). Furthermore I also went to Birkenau (Auschwitz II), which two-thirds of visitors miss. Auschwitz I, the main museum site¹, the one with ARBEIT MACHT FREI over the gate, is a former Polish Army barracks used as a prison camp for all manner of undesirables including bright Polish schoolkids (can’t be doing with intelligent Slavs). Auschwitz II, the one with the terrible railway tracks through the gate, is the industrial extermination site, the one with the ovens, the pond that is eternally grey with the ashes, the Wehrmacht horse-barracks with stabling for sixteen horses or a thousand Untermensch. Whatever your beliefs and principles beforehand, life can never be the same after seeing Auschwitz². But let me tell you a couple of things. When I was 10, growing up on the Wirral, I’d heard of Jews because of RE lessons but I’d never knowingly met one and I had no idea there was supposed to be anything unsavoury or intrinsically funny about them. Yeah, I was naive³. I still am in so many ways. I was well into adulthood when somebody surprised me by saying that a friend I’d taken as rather odd- or foreign-looking with his round face, big nose and extreme short-sight, was “about as Jewish as they come”. I’m more aware of these things now but my friend was just a friend. Anyway, a year later I’d been transplanted to a new school in a Hertfordshire new town where many of my classmates were the offspring of East Londoners decanted to the country after the war. I heard new jokes which I simply didn’t get, like “how does a Jew commit suicide” (he jumps off his wallet, apparently. How droll!). I had to have them explained to me, after being thumped for not getting the joke, and it still left me baffled. There was a boy, child of Hungarian refugees, who asked me once when I was 13 if I knew about the taunts and offensive messages (I didn’t know why they were offensive, he had to explain). I knew he had a hard time but I’d assumed that was because he was Hungarian, not because he was Jewish. He was a big lad who could deal with stuff himself to some extent but of course it became very clear to me that there was a potent element of antisemitism still in that very traditionally English society, more than twenty years after the horrors of Auschwitz had been revealed.Because in the 1930s antisemitism was closely woven into the fabric of Englishness, and it still can’t be unravelled without unravelling that Englishness, and along with it the Conservative Party that embraces it. If a political party really has an institutional problem with antisemitism, it’s the Conservatives. Was Neville Chamberlain egregious in going for appeasement? No, he was reflecting the opinion of 70% of the country. A good many aristocratic Conservatives (the bulk of those on the Commons benches, were sympathetic to Hitler as a bulwark against the fashionable Communism that was threatening their existence. Even many of those who wanted to go to war wanted to do so to protect the Empire, not to save the Jews. Unless the MPs were Jewish themselves, and there were Jewish Conservative MPs, most were inclined to shrug off that aspect of Nazism in the light of their greater hostility to the threat of Communism. Winston Churchill, by the way, wasn’t free of anti-semitism either: he didn’t actually write this paragraph as part of a commission for an American magazine, he had it ghost-written, but after making alterations to the draft he allowed it to go out in his name:The Jew in England is a representative of his race. Every Jewish money-lender recalls Shylock and the idea of the Jews as usurers. And you cannot reasonably expect a struggling clerk or shopkeeper, paying forty or fifty per cent interest on borrowed money to a "Hebrew bloodsucker" to reflect that, throughout long centuries, almost every other way of life was closed to the Jews; or that there are native English moneylenders who insist, just as implacably, upon their "pound of flesh"At least Liberty magazine had the taste not to publish the piece.If a Jewish businessman applied to join the local golf club, the club steward could be relied upon to ensure that at least one black ball went in the ballot box to veto the application. Aristocratic sneers at those “in trade” were veiled anti-semitism in the same way that cries of “Soros”, “globalist”, “cultural marxism” (the members of the so-called “Frankfurt School” were almost all Jewish) and “North London liberal elite” are veiled antisemitic sneers today from those who would defend the established order. As a Quaker I totally get this – I’ve had “ever see a poor Quaker?” hurled at me, which is kind of ironic really. Historically English Quakers and English Jews have much in common⁴; both [re-]emerged during the Commonwealth, both were excluded for many years from the professions and the universities so they went into business, including banking (the Barclay and Lloyd families were Quakers) where they thrived outside, but useful to, the establishment. London’s oldest synagogue, Bevis Marks, was built by a Quaker, Joseph Avis, who waived his fee. It was ungentlemanly for an English gentleman to charge interest to a fellow gentleman on money lent, but very convenient to allow the uncouth Kleinworts and Barclays to do so. Jews (and Quakers) didn’t become successful in finance by being grasping and greedy, they did so because it was something they were allowed to do where they could thrive.Here’s something else: Margaret Thatcher was a lot of things and I’m still angry about some of them, but this is not the place to talk about her industrial policy. One thing she was emphatically not was a traditional Conservative; another was that she was not an antisemite (she didn’t mind what people were so long as they were onside with her philosophy). She had much more in common with the 19th-century Liberal Party of Gladstone, which was also the party of Jewish and Quaker business people. She was a Methodist. She was the daughter of a provincial grocer who stood for the interests of provincial grocers to the open contempt of old-school City stockbrokers (the traditional City never did warm to her). She was an outsider at thoroughly Establishment Oxford (her tutor was Dorothy Hodgkin, a Quaker). She was part of a Conservative Party faction of Free Trade (championed in the 19th century by Quaker Liberal MP John Bright) and Classical Liberal fiscal policy that gained a foothold in the Heath government (she never forgave Heath for deviating from the plan, nor the NUM for bringing that government down, and vowed a bloody revenge). That faction was notable for the number of Jewish members including its ringleader and guru Keith Joseph; all outsiders within the Conservative Party. In government she filled her cabinet with an unprecedented number of Jewish ministers: Keith Joseph, Leon Brittan, Nigel Lawson, Malcolm Rifkind, Edwina Currie. Traditionalist backbenchers barely concealed their hostility. When Leon Brittan was scapegoated over the Westland Affair by the 1922 committee and forced to resign one old buffer, John Stokes MP, was quoted as saying he hoped that his replacement would be “a proper red-faced, red-blooded Englishman”. That’s just one example.Just to bring us up to date, our current Conservative PM is not without antisemitic form. During his tenure as editor of The Spectator he employed, and was friendly with, Panagiotis Theodoracopoulos – known as Taki. Taki, a Greek socialite and well-established antisemite who has openly propagated the blood libel in the past, had written the High Life gossip column in the magazine for many years. In 2001 Johnson published a particularly egregious Taki piece that effectively accused Jews of controlling the US State Department and the Pentagon and drew outrage from the magazine’s then-owner Conrad Black (no angel himself). MY FRIEND TAKI HAS GONE TOO FAR » 3 Mar 2001 » The Spectator Archive. The Times of Israel is on the case: We need to talk about the Tories’ antisemitism problemIt would seem that while anything that could be construed as antisemitic from Jeremy Corbyn is a national scandal, Conservatives indulging in more blatant tropes get a free pass.The hypocrisy is mind-numbing.¹ Auschwitz I is in the middle of Oswięcim, a workaday Polish town about the size of Worksop where life goes on even with that monster in its midst.² Marysia my guide booked us into a Klezmer bar in the old Jewish quarter of Kazimierz in Kraków on the evening of our visit because, she said, with the Jews finally returning in numbers to Kazimierz it was the very best way to lift the spirits and restore faith in humanity after Auschwitz. Unfortunately a busload of Americans arrived, demanding that the band abandon their set and play excerpts from Fiddler on the Roof instead. I was really pissed off. I suspect somebody somewhere would deem me antisemitic for that.³ Yeah, I admit that when I first saw that mural my initial reaction didn’t include Jews, I saw caricatures of international financiers, so I cut Jeremy Corbyn a little slack for being similarly naive. I’m somewhat ashamed of that now but I plead in mitigation that, not being Jewish myself, I was not sensitised to the meaning.⁴ There are quite a lot of Jewish Quakers by the way, many of whom are, or are descended from, Jews who arrived in the 1930s or who survived the death camps.

Being away from my native “Bengal” for a long time might have loosened the pull I have towards my roots but once in a while I still love saying, “Aami Bangali”As a Bengali, staying miles away from Bengal,there are certain statements I often hear that are wrong..For instanceRasgulla is not our only identity.Patishapta, Nolen gur sandesh, Mihidana, Lengcha are some mouth watering sweets that are simply unbeatable.Bengali’s are not just about Rabindra Nritya or Rabindra Sangeet.Kavi Nazrul Islam and his form of music and dance or Bengali Folk commonly known as ‘Baoul’ is way more tough and intricate.Bengali’s are not Kanjoos or miser as you may think, they are just probably saving up for the ‘Must happen trip every year’.Bengali is synonymous with travel. No one travels and tours more than a Bengali in their entire lifetime. Our life is incomplete without at least one trip to Andaman and Nicobar Island(I have had 3!), Digha , Puri and Darjeeling.During Summer in India and Durga Puja in the month of Sept and Oct, the chances of seeing a Bengali family at Paris, Milan, London, Singapore is 80% more than that nation’s specialty.Our entire life is not just about Durga Puja.Check out streets of Kolkata on Eid or Christmas and you will know we believe in celebrating every occasion with equal grandeur.Fish is an integral part of our culture and tradition but that does not mean it is our sole identity.Our meal platter is extensive and can include Aaloo Posto(potato and poppy paste curry) to Mocha (banana flower), Muri gontor Moong Daal (fish head cooked in Lentil) , Kosha Maangsho (A type of Bengali Chicken Masala) and at least 10 more items.We do not speak poor English.It is just our accent that often is mistaken as bad language sense. Yes, we believes ‘A’ and ‘O’ or ‘V’ and ‘B’are same but that is what makes us special. So next time you hear ‘Obhishek’ it is Abhishek and ‘Bishakha’ is Vishakha.If you have a girlfriend or boyfriend who is a Bengali, please do not try to give her a pet name.. chances are she already has at least 3, courtesy of her family.The sleeveless blouse and large red bindi with Red bordered sari is not the identity of a typical Bengali. That is only reserved for special occasions.All Bengalis do not wear glasses.Bengali’s are not a bunch of studios geeks.85% of the children are apt in some or other form of extra curricular activities like drama, singing, dancing, tabla, recitation etc.Rest 15%????They are definitely gifted prodigies!! Numerous freedom fighters, national and International awards in various categories, Nobel laureates and an posthumous Oscar says it all. Can you try to remember the top 10 candidates of your school, UG or PG days?? A Baangali is definitely there in the list.We are not just about Football.We love any and every sports. Maybe that is why we have one of the oldest Polo Club, Golf Turf and Race track.Bengali's would be twice happier if you gift them a book instead of a gadget or an expensive token. Maybe that is why the National Library and Kolkata Book Fair are one of the largest in the world.We Bengali’s are not just about old traditions and Bengali literature, music and films.Chances are the older generations of a Bengali family will know more about Rock and European Classical Music or Classic Cult films more than us or our entire generation. Beetles, Led Zepplin Freddy Mercury, Allman Brothers, Roman Polanski were as common as Rabindranath Tagore and Satyajit Ray.We do not believe in gossip, we practice the art form called ‘ADDA’. That is what rejuvenates us after a tired and long day.The list can go on and on without stopping. From Chicken Biriyani with flavored Potato to Book hunting at College Square, we Baangaalis have an unique appeal which never goes unnoticed.“Amidst the neutral accented English and Charles Cross, Dashner fictions in my bag, I still miss reading ‘Anamika’ or ‘Bijoyini’ by Kavi Nazrul Islam once in a while.. I’m not a Bong as many may say.. but rather Aami Bangali..”**This answer is modified and improvised version of an old collapsed post.

SHERLOCK HOLMES______________________________________________221b Baker StreetSt. MaryleboneLondon, EnglandOBJECTIVE:World's first Consulting Detective. Working for the love of my artrather than for the acquirement of wealth. My professional charges areupon a fixed scale. I do not vary them, save when I remit them altogether.PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE:1878 Began professional career as a detective1882 Began professional partnership with Dr. Watson nolater than this date1878 - 1889 Investigated some 500 cases "of capitalimportance"1878 - 1891 Investigated 1000 cases in alllate 80s - Apr 91 Devoted to exposing & breaking up criminalorganization of Prof. Moriarty1894 Returned to active practice1894 - 1901 Handled hundreds of cases1895 Private audience with Queen Victoria, for servicesto EnglandJune 1902 Refused offer of knighthood1903 - 1904 Began retirement in solitude of Sussex coast,reviewing the records of cases and the destructionof those which might compromise more exaltedclients. "The approach of the German war causedhim, however, to lay his remarkable combination ofintellectual and practical ability at the disposal ofthe government" with the result of communicatingmuch false intelligence to the Germans, and arrestof Prussian spymaster Von BorkCHARACTER:¤ "Dual nature" of personality: "Nothing could exceed his energy when theworking fit was upon him; but now and again a reaction would seizehim, and for days on end he would lie upon the sofa in the sitting-room,hardly uttering a word or moving a muscle from morning to night."¤ During these moods, alternated "between cocaine and ambition, thedrowsiness of the drug and the fierce energy of his own keen nature",then an even blacker depression took him in reaction to the narcotics,from which he could only be rescued by a case¤ His own powers became irksome when not in use: "My mind rebels atstagnation", and he chafed and brooded over "the insufferable fatiguesof idleness"¤ "My mind is like a racing engine, tearing itself to pieces because it isnot connected up with the work for which it was built"¤ "Animal lust for the chase: "The man is nothing, the work everything"¤ "Work is the best antidote to sorrow"; "a change of work is the bestrest"APPEARANCE AND CONSTITUTION:¤ Tall, thin; narrow face, large forehead, black hair, brows dark & heavy¤ Nose thin, hawk-like; lips thin, firm; voice quick, high, strident¤ Eyes gray, sharp, piercing, taking on "far-away introspective look"¤ Seldom take exercise for its own sake, yet "always in training"¤ A good runner; possessed of strength which one would hardly credit¤ "I am exceptionally strong in the fingers"; "grasp of iron"¤ Few men were capable of greater muscular effort¤ "An abnormally acute set of senses"; "extraordinary delicacy of touch"¤ "Frugal"; habits "simple to the verge of austerity"; "Idleness exhaustsme completely" yet from time to time spend whole days in bed¤ Late riser as a rule "save upon those not infrequent occasions when hewas up all night" during which up early on a case, vigorous and untiring,going for days or even a week without rest¤ Diet, spare at the best of times, abandoned altogether when working¤ "I am a brain, Watson. The rest of me is a mere appendix."¤ State of health "not a matter in which he took the faintest interest."¤ Wiry, iron constitution; suffered breakdown from nervous prostration inSpring 1887; ordered to take complete rest in March 1897 due to"constant hard work of a most exacting kind, aggravated, perhaps, byoccasional indiscretions of his own"¤ In retirement, somewhat crippled by occasional bouts of rheumatism¤ Took up swimming, nonetheless; little or no knowledge of amateursports¤ Baritsu (Japanese self-defense); boxing expert; excellent swordsman;enjoy fishing in the Broads near Donnithorpe; knowledge of golf clubs;singlestick expertPUBLICATIONS:¤ Author of a number of monographs, all of them on technical subjects¤ Upon the Distinction Between the Ashes of the VariousTobaccos¤ Monograph on polyphonic motets of Lassus, printed for privatecirculation, said by some experts to be the last word on the subject¤ Two short articles on ears in the Anthropological Journal¤ A "trifling" monograph upon the subject of secret writings, 160separate ciphers analyzed¤ Monograph upon the dating of documents¤ A contribution to the literature of tattoos¤ Monograph upon the tracing of footsteps¤ Monograph upon the influence of the trade upon the form of the hand¤ The Book of Life, the "somewhat ambitious" title of an article writtenfor an English magazine, attempting to show how much an observant manmight learn by accurate and systematic examination of all that came inhis way¤ Practical Handbook of Bee Culture¤ Francois le Villard translated some of these works into FrenchPROFESSIONAL KNOWLEDGE:¤ Minute knowledge of the history of crime¤ Immense knowledge of "sensational literature"; "appears to know everydetail of every horror perpetrated in the century"¤ The higher criminal world of London; details of Continental crime¤ Disguises, wearing and recognizing: "It is the first quality of a criminalinvestigator that he should see through a disguise"¤ See publications on: tobacco ashes, shapes of ears, cryptography, datingof documents, tattoos, footsteps, influence of trades on form of hands¤ Dogs¤ Researches of a "medico-criminal aspect"¤ An exact knowledge of London¤ Newspaper types¤ Perfumes¤ The typewriter and its relation to crime¤ Bicycle tyres¤ Names and trademarks of the world's major gunmaking firmsDRESS:¤ "Catlike love of personal cleanliness"; quiet primness of dress¤ Normally dressed in conventional tweeds or frock-coat¤ Occasionally don an Ulster; dressing-gown in privacy of own rooms¤ In country, a "long gray travelling-cloak" with close-fitting, ear-flapped, cloth "travelling cap"HOBBIES:¤ Art -- spend some time in Bond Street picture-galleries; "art in theblood is likely to take the strangest forms"¤ Study of honey-bee, bee-farming upon the South Downs¤ Special study of the Buddhism of Ceylon (Hinayana)¤ Cornish Language, conceived the idea that it is akin to the Chaldean,and had been largely derived from the Phoenician traders in tin¤ Some weeks in a great University town pursuing laborious researchesin Early English charters which, it was said, led to some striking results¤ Study of polyphonic motets of Orlandus Lassus¤ Deep and continuing interest in the Middle Ages, making special studiesin Miracle Plays, a 15th Century Palimpsest, Early English charters,medieval pottery, music (especially Lassus)PERSONAL:¤ Born c. 1854; retired late '03 - early '04 after 23 years active practice.¤ Descendant of country squires; grandson of a sister of the French artistEmile Jean Horace Vernet.