UK Politics Thread

It's awful and I feel an element of guilt saying it, but I feel to the average working class UK citizen, The Israel/Palestine conflict is filed alongside Yemen, Ukraine, Myanmar and countless other wars over the years. They shock, generate sympathy for all caught up in it, remind us time after time the evil humanity is capable of... all the while not really helping to pay the next winter energy bill and ballooning mortgage payment.

To a "white person"...I think the lack of cultural and historical understanding to a seemingly never ending conflict, on even a basic level is the main reason as to why it doesn't resonate quite the same to people within the Jewish and muslim community.

I think that's an unfortunate part of human nature above all else. It comes from the same place on how news stories focus on UK deaths around any form of war or tragedy as if that carries more weight, or why the UK Muslim community didn't protest over the million displaced in Myanmar. It's not a lack of awareness or even empathy, it just feels a world away from peoples own lives.

I am curious after what feels like actual genicide with the Uyghurs in China and even the war in Yemen, how it's the Palestine/Israel conflict that stirs up such strong emotion, obviously within the Muslim community, but also the worldwide community as a whole.

There’s a chance it coincided with her just wanting an out and here was a peg to hang the coat on. Some people enjoy being in opposition.

Thought the same. But that's what happens when the other aide control the bulk of the media.

Myriad reasons for this, some innocent and reasonable, others less so.

There is a danger of ‘whataboutery’ when it comes to this point, but it’s certainly interesting how little interest there is when Assad kills thousands of Palestinians or Egypt blockages theirs border with Gaza just like Israel do. It’s clearly not simply the “Palestinian cause” that drives so much interest in Israel’s behaviour.

There's a certain type of person that seems to think this is important and the way to do things.

Like when the University College Union or the Welsh Senedd voted on motions about the Israel/Gaza situation. Like seriously dude, what's that going to achieve? Performative nonsense indeed.

Bet you countless Student Unions have done something similar.

I mean *even in government* you wouldn't decide foreign policy to that level of granular detail of calling for a ceasefire in a foreign conflict by voting in HoC would you? That's not normal how this sort of thing happens is it? You'd leave it to the FO and diplomatic service to generally act in the nation's interest. Not be some backseat driver yelling from SW1 what they should be doing

I could see a grandstanding backbencher trying it on but no, it doesn’t seem a sensible or constructive thing to do. I vaguely recall some doing something like it where it was us being actively involved in a conflict but that’s a bit different.

It's telling how much of democracy is "free" when you can't vote on a motion without asking permission from the head teacher. Fucking ludicrous and shows up the moronic state of play in Westminster. What is the issue here anyway? Just because UK calls for a ceasefire, are Israelis going to give a shit about that?

I don't think it is particularly unreasonable for Labour to say their frontbenchers have to vote in a particular way on this, especially when it comes to something that the party has been very clear on its policy. If they were in government, they couldn't have members of their cabinet going off and calling for things that aren't government policy.

Again I really struggle to believe this was an issue that Jess Phillips saw herself being so principled over as to quit. I really suspect she simply felt she had no choice or perhaps wants out anyway.

It’s interesting that someone like Zarah Sultana who is extremely vocal and active on this issue is still there.

More focus on what labour are doing with the situation than the tories. Government in waiting

It has to be the Corbyn/anti-semitism hangover. Otherwise, Starmer would surely just say "this is a nonsense student-politics level motion from the SNP. Of course we'll have it as a free vote, it's a load of performative bollocks" and just move on. I'd guess it's the threat of being fired for going against the whip is a bigger factor in any resignations.

It is just performative bullshit and sensible people will see that, however the looneys seem to be the swing voters these days so everyone has to pander to them.

Sigh.

It just seems so avoidable.

During a seven-day period in which Braverman went off the deep end in a national broadsheet, incited riots on Armistice Day, got herself fired, and was ruled against re the Rwanda debacle, all Labour had to do to come out smelling like roses was not shit the bed... and even that was too much to ask.