#60 In Conversation the Makers of Al Jazeera's The Labour Files | Richard Sanders & Peter Oborne

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Leaks, Lies & Spies: The Scandal the UK Media REFUSED to Touch. An Exclusive Conversation with the Makers of Al Jazeera's the Labour Files
Since the mainstream media won’t do its job, we'll do it for them! Mark Seddon is conversation with makers of Al Jazeera's The Labour Files exclusively for Palestine Deep Dive.
Richard Sanders is an award winning film director with over 25 years experience. He was Senior Producer on the Labour Files and made the second film, on antisemitism.
Peter Oborne is an award winning journalist and author who features in the series. He is a former political commentator of the Spectator, the Daily Telegraph and Daily Mail. He now writes about politics for Open Democracy and Middle East Eye. He is the author of The Triumph of the Political Class, The Rise of Political Lying and The Assault on Truth: Boris Johnson, Donald Trump and the Emergence of a New Moral Barbarism.
0:00 - Start
04:40 - Labour Party Conference 2022: Labour MPs claim not to have seen the Labour Files
06:20 - Richard Sanders on the mainstream media silence over the Labour Files series
10:00 - Al Jazeera clip: Panorama documentary (Seamus Milne email)
17:10 - What do the revelations in this documentary do to the image of the British press?
21:22 - Will the Labour Party respond to this documentary?
22:30 - Leadership’s office in antisemitism investigations: Image vs. Reality
26:44 - The hypocrisy of journalists in the mainstream media when it comes to criticism
29:30 - Al Jazeera clip: Halima Khan: ‘Palestine’ included as a search term in investigations of Antisemitism
31:00 - Is there a “hierarchy of racism” in the Labour Party or even the mainstream media?
35:10 - Democracy in the Labour Party vs. message discipline in winning an election
37:00 - "The Labour party smearing its own members is very troubling"
40:00 - Allegations of hacking and surveillance against Labour Party members
44:40 - The Labour Party appearing to be a closed space to new members and ideas
46:00 - Labour "appears to loath its own members”
48:00 - Allegations that ordinary members were “smeared” needs a response
48:40 - "The complicity of the mainstream media in this is damning"
50:00 - Suspensions of antisemitism under Jenny Formby
51:00 - An attempt to push back on Palestine solidarity in Labour
51:56 - Are Palestinians safe inside the Labour Party under Kier Starmer?
54:14 - The “omerta” of the media silence of the Labour Files
55:00 - “Al Jazeera’s The Labour Files is a landmark piece of journalism”

[@Alison-LoveAndUnity]

With regard to what Mark sedden said... I am not a Labour member but saw what happened to Corbyn as a massive destruction of democracy (if we ever had one). That a few in the party hierarchy can turn and attack their own members after the party has grown in such popularity is shocking. It shows that Labour is controlled at the highest levels by The Establishment and that they will never allow a peace activist and left wing social ideas to gain any kind of power on our country. It should frighten all of us and I would feel the same for any party behaving like this. Members should decide the path or any political party. That is democracy. This is the line in the sand.

[@annenunney9907]

Well said

[@linlobb8110]

The Israeli Lobby was behind it all as they knew Jeremy Corbyn was concerned by the present Zionist Israeli government illegal occupation and oppression of the Palestinians and the war crimes that were being committed against them. BDS

[@johnwright9372]

Good comment.

[@davidnichol6282]

Corbyn's political wings should have been clipped a long time ago. In all the years as an MP never got into the cabinet under labour. Eventually when he became leader look at the results of general election under his leadership. Well and truly beaten. Alan Johnson summed it up well.

[@hittitecharioteer]

Blair's lot. Two words: 1. Common 2. Purpose

[@nizamixiii]

These guys produced the best piece of investigative journalism in the UK for a long time. They deserve an award, and should take heart from establishment silence. Silent because there is no political response to such a clear and methodical presentation of the facts.

[@carolwilcox7816]

In the UK?

[@hittitecharioteer]

Important viewing, for sure.

[@malarki5]

*Please...will someone credit Halima Khan for whistleblowing/leaking 'The Labour Files'? She has endured absolute hell personally for so doing and no one is acknowledging her at all for providing the greatest defence we can possibly have for the conspiracy against the then Labour Party leader, Jeremy Corbyn? #speakhernamehalimakhan

[@xyzunodostres]

UK Journalists who produce biased, one sided reporting are intimidated by Zionists and Israeli agents & can not be expected to apologize. They have discredied themselves and should be denounced & ignored. Same issue here in the US.

[@hilaryporter7841]

Peter Oborne said it is really very simple for the BBC to reply in a democratic society. That's true. Does this prove once and for all, we do not have a democratic society.

[@George57]

Of cause we don’t live in a democracy, the millions of people that don’t vote realised that years ago. Another revelation for you we haven’t got a free press either . All jokes aside your absolutely right we don’t have a democracy. And won’t have until the status quo has been smashed. And power has been taken off the real people that run this corrupt cesspit country

[@coloaten6682]

Not one Labour politician responded "No, what's that?" when asked if they watched The Labour Files on Al-Jazeera. So they knew what it was but never watched it......yeah right.

[@wagstaffphilip]

TBH it reminds me of the time Rebecca Long Bailey claimed not to know what BDS was about and asked the Board of Deputies to explain it. Yeah!

[@poesie6279]

Pathetic, even cowardly and certainly not interested in broad church issues!

[@malarki5]

*Please...will someone credit Halima Khan for whistleblowing/leaking 'The Labour Files'? She has endured absolute hell personally for so doing and no one is acknowledging her at all for providing the greatest defence we can possibly have for the conspiracy against the then Labour Party leader, Jeremy Corbyn? #speakhernamehalimakhan

[@ianwatson5605]

This is why I wont be voting Labour in the next General election.

[@harveybrown37]

As of 2017, thanks to ex-PR man for ITV, David Cameron, all bar one of the BBC Board are Government appointed , the Chairman is a former advisor to Johnson and Sunak and the Director General is a former Tory councillor and Tory donor. See N. Korea for similar.

[@johnwright9372]

Spot on. Tory plants in the BBC higher echelons. The proposal to privatise Channel 4 was justified by Dorries on the grounds it received public funding until it was pointed out it receives no public funds and pays for itself through its profitable commercial operations. The Tories was the mainstream media to be completely dominated by Tory client journalism. Again democracy is being undermined. The political pages of the Mail, Sun, Telegraph and Express read as if they came straight from Pravda or the Global Times.

[@Grombags]

Very telling that Peter Oborne would vote for Starmer ahead of the tories under Truss. As Mark said 'a very low bar'! More tories also joining and funding the Labour Party now. It is no longer a party for working people - it has actively worked against the interests of working people and I feel no connection to it at all now.

[@sichambers9011]

I take your point however he is a Conservative who also voted for Corbyn. I won't be voting Labour.

[@sethsergent9896]

As McTernan said "Thatcherites can come home to Labour" 🤢🤢🤢

[@johnwright9372]

Blair turned New Labour into Tory Lite which pushed the Tory Party even further to the right.

[@hittitecharioteer]

@@johnwright9372 Not really. Blair's "Third Way" was a classic deceit. As Peter Mandelson said, NuLabour was comfortable with capitalism so long as it could fund the expansion of the state and buy Labour votes from the "Tory Shires". Labour used its agencies (eg. Common Purpose) to infiltrate the public sector first, and finally the private sector with links to government contracts (eg. Railtrack, Serco, Group4, etc.) The politicising of institutions explained the rise of Ian Blair, Bernard Hogan-Howe and their ilk - especially in a farce like Operation Midland - which was orchestrated in the run-up to a general election. As for whatever side the Tory Party resides on the political spectrum, it is hardly the centre right? No challenge to wokeness. No protection of the sanctity of the family. High tax. High spend. No will to defend borders; aimed at the destruction of the 'nation state' by mass migration and the free-reign of diversity, minority and identity assertiveness. The deliberate destruction of essential government planning (as in energy, food production, education, and vital defence infrastructure), the wastefulness of 'Work from Home', the "notional" Health Service etc. Tory? Nope; not even in name only.

[@marlenejones1433]

Starmer's Labour is agreeing with AlJazeera'sTheLabour Files by their silence.

[@colinbrigham8253]

Thank you 🤗 Starmers labour Is a disgrace 😔

[@annoloki]

Of course there's silence over it... it wasn't a mistake... they meant it

[@malcolmcolemann]

You can be absolutely certain that every single Labour MP watched all three of the Labour Files documentaries (and probably every single other MP did TOO), but they HAD to say that they hadn't (or that they were rushing to go somewhere), because they knew that if they'd said Yes, they HAD seen them, the very NEXT question would have been 'What did you think of them?' !! Labour files? What Labour files?!

[@amandaknopp1519]

Why are the Labour Party in Britain, ignoring The Labour Files???

[@stevealdridge6911]

It seems that those who have tried to raise a complaint about the Panorama documentary are getting told that the BBC don't comment on other channel's programmes.

[@PhwoarPig]

And apparently refuse to reply when it’s shown that they frequently *do* comment on non-BBC programmes.. They need to be sued - and also the ombudsman who defended them over Panorama.

[@wagstaffphilip]

@@PhwoarPig This is once again an example of Corbyn's failure to take firm action, I'm sorry to say.

[@annenunney9907]

They are cowards the bbc

[@poesie6279]

What a joke!

[@carolwilcox7816]

@@wagstaffphilip Yep, it's all Corbyn's fault - he's still living for free in your head.

[@spartacusforlife1508]

Of course they've all watched it and been briefed not to comment. I wrote to the BBC over the Panorama show and received a reply that they had mentioned the forde report. They totally ignored the Panorama critique.

[@shellovski]

A tory showing real intelligence... quite a rare thing nowadays!

[@Regororbeen]

So pleased that even though the legacy media is ignoring this - there are still super heavyweights such as Richard Peter and Mark talking about it.

[@stevealdridge6911]

Surely the bit about message discipline is what should apply to the Shadow Cabinet only? It cannot be acceptable that a party member is disciplined for raising a valid point however much the leadership might not like it. These authoritarian clamp-downs have no place in a country where there is supposed to be free speech.

[@wagstaffphilip]

Much as I admire Oborne's honesty etc this was sheer nuttery and explains why he's no socialist, not that he's ever claimed to be one.

[@stevealdridge6911]

@@wagstaffphilip I've read all his books on New Labour and he gets most of that right. I disagree with him on his rosy tinted view in those books about the civil service being independent. We only have look at where they were educated to know they are mostly pro establishment Tories.

[@wagstaffphilip]

@@stevealdridge6911 I'd forgotten that but now remember reaching the same assessment at the time. Really quaint Bagehot opinion with no relevance to the 21st century. Kind of comment I'd expect from king Charles.

[@mo_rocksteady]

Peter with a proper journalist's room. Look at those book piles. Go algorithm!

[@pipecatcherfilmsltd.2581]

Excellent.

[@wagstaffphilip]

The argument that the LParty took fright at its increased membership is interesting. My sincere hope is that its membership will shrink to Blair levels or lower as soon as possible or at least in time for the next general election. I share Oborne's views of Truss and Co with a passion but I still will not vote Labour. If push comes to shove I will vote NOTA.

[@sluggygrumble5164]

Cheers for this - the whole thing has been so illuminating and, sadly, what I've always suspected to be the case. So fucking toxic. Thanks so much for doing what should be done. It's just corruption, plain and simple. Working people are no longer represented by this racket. Utter bastards.

[@neilcolley25]

good show

[@annenunney9907]

He was very popular with me and he had the only manifesto that will ever put this country back on it feet’s

[@marlenejones1433]

Sir Starmer would take anyone outside to a firing squad if anyone said they saw it

[@qasaaye23]

insightful interview 👍

[@johannafreeburn3061]

this MUST be revisited. there MUST be answerability on the part of wrong doers. OTHERWISE...WHAT IS THE POINT????

[@tahirmirza4707]

after appearing in part 3 and the treatment I received from the Labour Party, I have decided to stand against the Labour Party in East Ham in the coming GE2024

[@peterwilliams8283]

An interesting discussion. But I was sorry that there was no discussion about the 73 members of the Labour Party who are Friends of Israel. It was shocking that the Speaker of the House of Commons, a Labour MP decided to ignore the SNP's resolution a month ago. This may have happened after the film was released but it is symptomatic of the lack of independence of Labour.

[@stan4723]

It's on KS watch.

[@v3numgough465]

I and my wife have constantly tried to discuss this on MSN to no avail. The mere mention of the words Lost Labour Files get your comment deleted with the words 'violates our guidelines'. Why is that? I even said to someone 'do you like riddles'? and posted a poem whereby the first letter of each word spelt out Lost Labour Files and that was also immediately deleted.. How can I mention this on MSN when it is clearly being supressed? How do we get it into the public space?

[@povertybay3260]

As a Bernie supporter I know how you feel although I think I would take Jeremy over Bernie any day

[@peteweller2089]

I am certain that the Socialist Campaign Group of Labour MP's will heroically intervene in this disgraceful episode in the very near future. I am waiting with baited breath ...... zzzzzzzzzzzz.

[@harveybrown37]

That nobody from the left has stepped up to form a Democratic Socialist Party is depressing.

[@carolwilcox7816]

The whip would be suspended and they'd be out like Corbyn within 2 years. So, what would that achieve exactly?

[@peteweller2089]

@@carolwilcox7816 They should be out right now. There is no future for socialists in the Labour Party now. Trade unions must stop sending money to Labour now.

[@CMOT101]

@@carolwilcox7816 what are they achieving now?

[@carolwilcox7816]

@@CMOT101 What heroic act do you suggest they perform?

[@eve938]

It was telling

[@calbears56]

There's good order and message discipline and then there's authoritarianism and potentially criminal behavior.

[@beerd67]

All down to the capricious clown Kier Stalin!? 🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬

[@spartacusforlife1508]

Lack of professionalism? Interviewing Ella Rose when she wasn't at the department being investigated

[@amskhan1829]

Honestly - if Tories get rid of Liz Truss, I’ll be voting Tories

[@benw-king3380]

A good deal of hand wringing has gone on concerning the state of British politics; how ironic then that one of more decent and principled politicians of recent decades should be smeared in such a wholehearted and deeply cynical manner.

[@kwakkers68]

In his interview with George Galloway, Oborne self described himself as 'a Conservative'. He's clearly reasonably intelligent. Which begs the question, why is he a Conservative. After all, this isn't a moot issue. There's a wealth of historical evidence which points to this collective - in the UK, the USA, Germany ...internationally - being not a force for good, but a force for Corporate power, the immiseration of populations, illegal wars etc etc. i.e. the various agencies around the world are a de facto source of *evil*. Perhaps in part, it may be because his salary is reliant on participation in a sector which demands conformity. People flatter Oborne for his intellect. However. If we consider the common equation linking intellect with ethics, this isn't an entirely watertight proposition.

[@anthonyhill5379]

Read das capital

[@jean6872]

*_I stopped listening at the beginning when I heard that one of the guests wrote for the Conservative Daily Telegraph. Life is too short._*

[@totalfreedom2408]

Peter Oborne also voted for corbyn so lol

[@johndtwaldron]

i rate Oborne, but I never quite understand his jouney from Telgraph editor to anti establishment media man

[@sonpacho]

What is this about? What are the "Labor Files?"

[@totalfreedom2408]

it's an aljazeera documentary about the Labour Party, how they undermined corbyn and the left more generally

[@Notfunnysam]

How the party was hijacked. Same thing is happening elsewhere right now.

[@duncanwalker1347]

The trouble the Labour party has today is that it is a party of two different Ideologies trying to be just the one and failing badly. What needs to happen but I doubt ever will is for these two Ideologies split and form their own party. The Left of Centre Blairites need to remain as the Labour party and the Marxists / Communists that are dishonestly using the Labour party to push their own Ideology start their own Marxist UK or Communist UK party and just be honest about their politics and their ideology but they will never do this as there simply aren't enough Marxists / Communists voters in the UK that would ever give them any seats never mind putting them into Government so stick with Labour in the hope they can influence the party to be far more Left than it wants to be to get elected and again ios failing miserably

[@davidparry5310]

There are barely any communists in the Labour party, and the few that there are certainly don't wield any kind of influence. Left social democracy as represented by Corbyn, McDonnell, Lansman et al is not communism.

[@elsonck2523]

You must understand that the Labour Party was founded as a socialist party fighting for worker rights. Actually, it's the Blairite/Starmer faction that are the quislings within the party and have overtaken it mainly I think to block a leftist party from ever forming government. They are the ones who should form a new party--I suggest they call it the "Five Eyes Fascist party". Of course, Chief Constable Starmer should remain their banal, uncharismatic leader as he has shown how able he is to snake his way up the Machiavelian ladder of political neoliberalism.