Late Stages of Labour

A view from the inside

Photomontage by author

I’m not a political analyst. In fact I’m not an expert of any kind. I’m not well read in political theory or science and I’ve not read Marx. At 16 I knew nothing about politics, nor was I interested. I voted for Margaret Thatcher in 1979 at a time when I was steeped in Evangelical Christian theology, oblivious to the political leanings of that teaching. Evangelical Trumpettes have made the connection clear and it’s not difficult for me to retrace the steps.

While the debate around anti-Semitism in the Labour Party is controversial, that it is central to the war raging within the party isn’t. And as a post-evangelical Christian I have a particular and relevant insight. I became a born again Christian in 1978 at a time when the Rapture was pretty much a given in the evangelical community and the role of Israel was central. Messianic Jews were treated as celebrities and loyalty to Israel was non-negotiable. The establishment of Israel in 1948 was considered the fulfilment of prophecy and 1988 (forty years after) became a key date.

Indoctrination

The books I read painted Israel’s establishment and its consolidation of power as miraculous. The Yom Kippur War of 1973 began with Arabs attacking Israel on its holiest day of the year, so to win that war could only be seen as a gift from G-d…