You don’t have to read too much of the tweets and other comments directed at Margaret Hodge and other Jewish Labour MPs to appreciate that Labour has a very big problem with anti-Semitism. But is the party’s refusal to adopt the full working definition of anti-Semitism produced by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance an example of its failings? Absolutely not.
Firstly, on a general point, it is never a good idea to allow pressure groups – however worthy their intentions – to lay down the rules on language. The same mistake has been committed with the official definition of ‘poverty’ which, thanks to left-wing campaigning groups, now includes people with Sky TV and anyone else whose household income is less than 60 per cent of the median in a wealthy country like Britain.
Specifically on the IHRA’s definition of anti-Semitism the problem is that it includes the example of “Denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination, e.g.,
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