CROYDON LABOUR IN CRISIS: A former Labour member of the GLC and long-time activist in Croydon Central who did much to get Sarah Jones elected to parliament has been kicked out of the party because of pro-Palestinian tweets from eight years ago.
STEVEN DOWNES reports
The concerted efforts of self-harm being conducted by the Blairites and Progress members running the local Labour Party continued today when veteran activist David White confirmed that he had been expelled from the party of which he has been a member for 51 years.
White has been expelled without any hearing, and has been told that he has no right of appeal. “It grieves me that the party I joined so many years ago has moved so far away from basic notions of natural justice, fairness and freedom of speech,” White said today.
He has also roundly rejected the party’s charges of antisemitism used against him.
White, a retired solicitor, is a former elected member of the GLC – he was a contemporary of Ken Livingstone at County Hall. For many years White was the secretary of Croydon Central’s Constituency Labour Party, and did much campaign work to get Sarah Jones elected as an MP in 2017.
Despite his long service and hard work in support of socialist principles, there was not a single official of the Labour Party prepared to put their own name to the formal notification of White’s expulsion. The decision was conveyed, White says, in an unsigned email.
White had his membership suspended in September, on the eve of the 2021 Labour Party Conference in Brighton. The move meant that White was not allowed to attend the policy-setting event as a democratically elected delegate of Croydon Central CLP.
Left out: David White (right) with Jeremy Corbyn
White was among hundreds of delegates from the left of the party who were subject to an eve-of-conference purge, thought to have been engineered by David Evans, the party’s controversial General Secretary whose appointment to that powerful position was due to be subject to a confirmation ballot at Brighton.
White’s suspension for a three-month period also saw him barred from attending crucial meetings of the Local Campaign Forum, the powerful committee which oversees candidate selections for this May’s local elections. White was Croydon LCF’s vice-chair.
White now joins colleagues including Livingstone and MP Jeremy Corbyn, of whom he was an enthusiastic supporter, outside the Labour Party, at a time when the party nationally is financially struggling, after 200,000 members have left the party since 2020. Labour membership in some Croydon wards has halved since Keir Starmer became party leader and appointed Evans as General Secretary.
In an emotional message posted on social media this morning, White has written, “I’m sad to say that my 51 years of membership of the Labour Party have come to an abrupt end.
“Two days ago I received an email from an anonymous person in the disputes department of the party telling me I have been expelled.
“The grounds for expulsion are said to be antisemitism.
“This accusation is hurtful as I have spent my whole adult life campaigning against antisemitism and all other forms of racism.
“The party cites some tweets I have written, dating back to 2014. Some of these support Palestinian rights and are critical of certain actions of the Israeli government. Others express my view that the extent of antisemitism in the Labour Party has been exaggerated by some in order to smear the left of the party in general and Jeremy Corbyn in particular (though I have always made it clear that even one case of genuine antisemitism is too many).
“I stand by these views and wrote a detailed response to the party when I was suspended on the eve of Labour Party Conference in September last year.
“There has been no hearing of my case and I have no automatic right of appeal. It grieves me that the party I joined so many years ago has moved so far away from basic notions of natural justice, fairness and freedom of speech.
“If this matter concerned me alone it would not be of much consequence.
“However there are hundreds of Labour Party members all over the country who are being similarly investigated, suspended or expelled. There must be an end to this so that Labour can campaign in a united way against the current Tory government.”
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Looks like the local Labour Party are nothing more than a bullying organisation, determined to disgrace and eject whoever necessary in order to get their own way, and to continue their previously failed policies.
The disgraced former leader is clearly still leading, and the current leader is a front for the past leadership. The current crop need removing from office and new people appointing.
Until this is done, the corruption stigma of the passed won’t be removed, and will continue to haunt the local party going forwards.
To sack someone with over 50 years of commitment to an organisation, without appeal, without involvement, and no one dares stick their heads above the parapet (presumably for the fear of being shot at or being held accountable) is nothing short of disgraceful and appalling behaviour.
The Israeli government can be criticised, as can any other government on the planet, and we shouldn’t be afraid of doing so; but again, the Labour Party arrived at a bonkers decision in not accepting that persons are permitted opinions outside of their own narrow (and misguided) field of view is just too difficult for them.
Not all “Inside Croydon” readers may be aware of the depth and damage of what you are accurately referring to as a “purge” of Labour Party members by the Starmer regime.
I live in Tottenham, but visit this website as I enjoy its lively well written journalism. Recognising very similar problems in my own borough.
I don’t know David White. But like him I was a long standing Labour Party member. Since the mid-1970’s I campaigned for the Party and volunteered to help run local wards. For two years I was (unpaid) Tottenham Constituency Secretary. Then for sixteen years (until 2014) an elected local councillor.
Recently some anonymous person trawled through my social media posts and I was suspended. I’d favourited someone else’s jokey tweets. One included a photo pf a drawing of Karl Marx. (Anon accused me of an “antisemitic trope”.) Another tweet showed the cover of Professor Linsey McGoey’s book on ignorance. A drawing of the Japanese legend of the three wise monkeys was viewed by Labour as racist.
I didn’t appeal my suspension. What was the point? Attending a hearing after months of delay when I could meet a panel of three wise apparatchiks who could see, hear and read, only evil.
By the way, I was never in Momentum or a Corbynist. Whatever that means. I was proud to know personally and work within the Party for both Bernie Grant and David Lammy. Davjd will continue to have my support and my vote.
I imagine that David White may rightfully be angry and disappointed. But he will know and be proud of the work he did for local people. So will his friends and colleagues in the Party. Being booted out by the Starmer-chamber is and will increasingly be seen as a badge of honour.
There is a new definition of antisemitism. It is now taken to mean any words expressing disapproval of the apartheid policies of Israel, any support of the Palestinians or any other criticism whatever of the Israeli state.
So they’ll be coming for you, and me, in the morning then, Norm?
No doubt they will. I left before I was pushed and like many members of Jewish Voice for Labour, would no doubt be expelled for alleged anti-Semitism. We are through the looking glass when good people are purged and Tory MP’s with abysmal voting records are allowed to cross the floor. Labour is dead to me under Starmer
The fact that you can be referred to the Unprogressive Activities Committee twice for the same dated tweets even though you’ve been sanctioned once already is beyond satire. If they’re going to expel everyone who’s known Ken they’re going to have their work cut out…
On the day that Labour admit a Tory MP into their ranks comes news of the latest victim of the purge by Weed and Bodger of those whose faces don’t fit.
I would like to comment on some of the words in the post above by David White. (not to my knowledge a relative of mine but it is a common surname, so I might be wrong)
Firstly…….
“Two days ago I received an email from an anonymous person in the disputes department of the party telling me I have been expelled.
Words- “email from an anonymous person”.
Comment – Labour should be ashamed of such facelessness, and of sending an email. Someone in that department needs to have the guts to sign the email . Someone should send a letter, signed — not just with a squiggle, but their name and contact phone number. Cowardly, callousness like this, is the thing that needs to be thrown out, not a real live person who has been a true member for over 50 years.
Words – “There has been no hearing of my case and I have no automatic right of appeal. It grieves me that the party I joined so many years ago has moved so far away from basic notions of natural justice, fairness and freedom of speech”.
Comment- Sounds to me that David is the victim of a Kangaroo court- again, faceless, cowardly. Not at all what Labour should be about. Just reading about David’s treatment grieves me too.
Words- “If this matter concerned me alone it would not be of much consequence. However there are hundreds of Labour Party members all over the country who are being similarly investigated, suspended or expelled”
Comment- sorry David, with respect, I don’t think you are right on this point……… it matters a very great deal if just ONE person out of the membership of the Labour Party is subjected to this totally unjust, unfair, and unjustifiable way of dealing. If there are hundreds of members being subjected to the same abysmal disciplinary process, there is a lot rotten at the heart of Labour.
Words- “There must be an end to this so that Labour can campaign in a united way against the current Tory government.”
Comment– There must indeed be an end to this shoddy and unjust way of dealing with members, what ever their alleged “offence”. If Labour can’t bring in an open, fair and humane disciplinary process, its own internal organisational morality lacks the necessary foundation. That really doesn’t bode well for a party which claims to fight for fairness. Not good. Not at all good. Not at all the thing we expect from Labour.
Sadly, Labour’s “Disciplinary Process” is highly reminiscent of a medieval “trial by water or fire” .
in Croydon we now have two current members being subjected to the modern Labour equivalent. Both have put so many years of their lives into serving Labour and Croydon– Andrew Pelling and now David White.
Time to ditch the faceless witch-hunt of a process. A key thing that Keir Starmer needs to get sorted.
Absoutely shameful and disgusting treatment of a dedicated socialist.If anyone on here knows him tell him there is a new home for him for those who share his socialist values-the New Independent Labour Party. An authentic Democratic Socialist alternative to the regression to neoliberalism that Labour is heading under Starmer and his cohorts like Peter Mandleson.If you haven’t already then check out the Facebook page and the official webiste- join us and help build a true Socialist Labour Party,we will be more than happy to welcome a fellow good socialist comrade to the fold!…Solidarity to him!✊🚩
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the corruption, injustice and contempt in the so called labour party is appalling. at least people are aware what they have in tories.
the “labour together” “progress” etc all have such sweet names, eh, and yet they are enemies within who destroyed any chance of a fair andjust labour govt and won’t be happy until every socialist is taken down. solidarity David x