HATE HURTS
HATEFUL anti-Semitic abuse in the Labour party did cost the party crucial votes in Jewish areas, John McDonnell admitted today.
The Shadow Chancellor said there was "no doubt" that the scandal that has rocked the party meant they lost out at last week's local elections.
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And the party leadership will meet with councillors and other Labour figures in Barnet this week for crunch meetings about how the council - which was tipped to go red on Thursday - ended up in the hands of the Tories.
Mr McDonnell said that he was pleased Labour managed to increase their vote share last week, but admitted: "Anti-Semitism certainly had its effect, there's no doubt about that in Barnet itself."
He went on to say that he hoped new measures the party would put in place would get a grip on the scandal.
"Anti-Semitism and racism has affected our community - we cannot tolerate it," he said.
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Last week Labour lost key London councils they were tipped to win because voters thought they were racist after the anti-Semitism row, a defeated Jewish candidate warned.
Jeremy Corbyn's party played up the possibility of historic wins in Wandsworth, Westminster and Barnet in recent weeks, but they haven't gained any of them.
One councillor who failed to win back his seat in Hendon, also in North London, said: "We must NEVER have another election like this."
Adam Langleben told the BBC that people "could not vote for a Labour party that they see as hostile or dangerous to the Jewish Community.
"The Labour party is seen by far too many people as being racist right now."
He told the Guardian: "Every Jewish Labour household we visited, people said, ‘not this time.’ Activists were being told, this is an anti-Semitic party, doors were slammed."
Labour made some small gains in the capital, but haven't done nearly as well as they'd hoped or as key figures predicted.
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John McDonnell hails Marxism as one of the biggest influences on Jeremy Corbyn's Labour Party
MARXISM is one of the biggest influences on Jeremy Corbyn's Labour party, John McDonnell claimed yesterday.
The Shadow Chancellor said the ideology which paved the way to millions of deaths around the world was still a "force for change today".
Speaking at an event to mark Karl Marx's birth 200 years ago, he hailed the controversial thinker, and said there was a "signifiant revival" of his work.
He admitted that Marxism had a "problem with brandng" as he gave a strident defence of the ideology.
"In an open and democratic society there should be no fear of discussing the ideas of Marx," he said, paying tribute to irs traditions and ideas.
Marx - whose ideas were taken up by dictators including Stalin, Pol Pot and Mao - inspired some of the most gruelling regiemes the world has ever seen.
But Mr Corbyn and many people in his Labour parety respect it.
Mr McDonnell said Marx's Das Kapital was his favourite book, and believes it's still relevant to the left in the 21st century.
Yesterday EU boss Jean Claude Juncker also caused fury by unveiling a statue and exhibition of the philosopher.
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Barry Rawlings, Labour group leader in the Barnet said the ongoing anti-Semitism row had definitely had an effect on their vote.
He said on Friday morning: "I must say that in some wards where there is a large Jewish community, it (the anti-Semitism issue) has made a difference, I'm not sure yet how much."
"Voters with a higher proportion of Jewish voters were moving away from us. We can't get away from the fact that if the anti-semitism had been dealt with a few years ago when it should have been, the people of Barnet would be waking up to a Labour council today."
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