Corbyn's successor will have to do a lot to bring the party back to decency

A year ago, the former political career of British MP Joan Ryans ended when she quit the British Labor Party for the management of anti-Semitism by Jeremy Corbyns, accusing the leader of the party to "preside over a culture of anti-Semitism and hatred of Israel". Ryan recently spoke with Insider jewish during a visit to the United States to share his message with American Jews.

Organic: Ryan represented Enfield North for 18 years as a member of the Labor Party from 1997 to 2010 and from 2015 to 2019. She was also Cabinet Minister under Prime Ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. In 2015, Ryan became president of the Labor Friends of Israel, a role she held until her resignation in 2019.

Moment to remember: I can look at myself in the mirror every morning. I am proud of the action I have taken, Ryan told JI. I don't regret it for a minute, and I would do the same thing if necessary. It’s almost like a relief that when the pressure came, I had the moral courage to do the right thing.

Corbyn paid a price: Ryan said the campaign against Corbyn in the run-up to the December election for Prime Minister and highlighting his racist views was a very important factor that had contributed to the overwhelming defeat of the parties. Certainly their confused Brexit policy had its impact and there were a bunch of issues involved in their record defeat, she said, but you won't get a catastrophic defeat for just one reason. There is more. I think all of the polls since and everything we found on the doorstep of people who voted for the Labor Party in 2017, but who didn't vote for it in 2019, did they think the Labor Party had a problem with anti-Semitism, and if there had been a different leader, they might have considered Labor to vote.

To elect Boris was worth it: While the Corbyns' defeat led to the election of Boris Johnson and the creation of a Conservative government, Ryan said it was the right thing to do. I am not a conservative and I am not a fan of Boris Johnsons politics, and I think life could be very difficult for many people in the future, she said. But there are things that are not political issues, and I think there is a political price to be paid for being anti-Semitic, and it is not wrong that the Labor Party paid this price, and will continue to pay it if it does not reform in a visible and transparent manner.

Corbyns successor: Three candidates run for party: MP Keir Starmer, considered the favorite and supported by Gordon Brown; Rebecca Long-Bailey, former shadow cabinet minister Jeremy Corbyns and took into consideration be an ally of the defeated leader; and MP Lisa Nandy, who votes far behind Starmer and Long-Bailey.

Long way to go: Ryan has suggested that the next leader will have three to six months to take action to demonstrate that this is not just going to be overlooked, hidden somewhere; that it is going to be addressed. I think this leader is going to have to do a lot to demonstrate before we can say that Labor is on the way back to decency. Ryan said to JI: It will be a long way back, because the Corbynistas are still there. They've got their hands on all the levers of power within the party, and it's going to be a really tough job to take their fingers off and loosen that grip to start moving the party forward.

Ryans' political future: The former MP said the hangar would be open to join the party she left a little later if she determined that he had changed course. My policy has not changed, said Ryan. I never left the Labor Party, they left me. And so, if it comes back to these traditional values, to the values ​​of anti-racism, equality and decency and respect for others, then yes I will come back. I am a bit lacking in political focus.

Message to the United States: Ryan told JI that there was no direct parallel to the American bipartisan political system, as the overwhelming majority of elected members of the Democratic Party oppose and support anti-Semitism Israel. I think there are very clear lessons for the left. The first is that you resist anti-Semitism as soon as it appears. You don't think these are some bad apples, you understand what's going on. You don't hide it, you take care of it. And the second lesson, she said, is to fight it with a moral and intellectual argument, not just to use the eligibility card.

Not a Trump fan: I am not a supporter of Donald Trump, Ryan noted, warning that the presidents' claims that the Democratic Party is anti-Israel are flawed and dangerous, and that makes it a problem in the corner of Israel. I don't think it benefits anyone.

Impact of Brexits on Israel: Ryan also argued that Trumps' support for Brexit had an impact on Israel's position in the world. I mean it really has consequences for Israel because the UK was probably Israel's strongest friend in the European Union and that voice has now been lost, a- she explained. I think it has a real impact on the UK's ability to be a strong voice as a friend of Israel. You know, Israel lives in a very dangerous neighborhood and it will always need its friends.