Like the rest of us, political parties, like the people, are facing options forever.
But, like the rest of us, sometimes those options are limited, if it is important to maintain stability.
This is the one that is at the center of the latest chapter in the long -running saga of Diani Abbott and Labor Party.
A saga whose central character is a pioneer and history is to make history: Dianne Abot was the first black woman to be selected for the House of Commons and is now the mother of the house, the longest female MP who was first selected in 1987.
The roots of this latest row have been returned to April 2023, when Abbott wrote 118 word papers to the Observer newspaper.
You can read that letter Here,
His accurate words then and his exact words are now worth noting, but what really matters has caused his suspension as a Labor MP, so there is a lot that has now happened – because, significantly, he has now said that she does not regret those initial comments.
So what did he say in 2023?
He wrote: “Irish, Jews and travelers undoubtedly experience bias. It is similar to racism. It is true that many types of white people with differences, such as Redheads, may experience this bias. But they are not subject to racism.”
In other words, she appeared to equalize antisamitism with bias experienced by ginger hair.
At that time she withdrew the comment and apologized and suspended – and so sat as an independent MP.
He was restored over time to stand as a labor candidate in last year’s general election.
Now, in a BBC interview for Radio 4 recorded in May, but aired this week, he was asked to reflect the entire line.
Asked if she regrets the whole thing, importantly she said “No, not at all.”
He said: “There should be a difference between racism clearly that is about color and other types of racism.”
This is because he said, someone’s skin color is immediately, visually noticeable, while Jews, for example, is not.
Her language has changed since that letter in 2023 – she now describes antismitism as racism rather than a bias.
And he again condemned antisementism.
But the lack of regret is that it is central here, because she is saying that she does not regret words that caused her first suspension.
And so if the labor party wanted to be consistent, she had very little option, but to do that she had done the last time, and suspended her again.
Here is also political references important here: Labor was cried by rows about antismitism during the leadership of Jeremy Corbin and the party was found to be responsible for three violations of the Equality and Equality Act by the Human Rights Commission.
When Sir Kir became a stormer labor leader, he “promised to tear this poison with his roots.”
Therefore, as a result of the recent history of the labor – an ineffective attitude to deal with anything considered as antisemitic has always been central for the leadership of Sir Kire.
In a statement reacting to his suspension, Abbott has stated “it is clear that this labor leadership wants me. My comments in the interview were factually correct, because no one would accept a person with a fair mind.”
Again she finds herself an independent MP, again the party has to do what to do, and again she will have to do what she can do next – as her old political friend Jeremy Corbin, himself works to establish a new party outside the Labor Party, outside the Labor Party.
