Jews Don't Count

by David Baddiel

I want to talk about anti-Semitism and, most importantly, the anti-Semitism that needs to be deconstructed, which blatant far-right anti-Jewish statements do not. What we have looked at so far are examples of Jews being left out: left out, by the left, of identity politics. Identity politics, for anyone who doesn’t know, is a politics whereby traditional things that the left and right fight about – basically economics – get surpassed by issues like racism and disablism and homophobia. The duty of the left becomes less about supporting the working man (although many left thinkers would say that economic injustice goes hand in hand with injustices perpetrated against minorities, which I agree with) and more about the championing of people of colour, and gays, and trans people – all the people named by Dawn Butler. This is the good fight, and the left is always a fight-y space, defined by its rebelliousness. I use the phrase ‘good fight’ advisedly. The left have always thought of themselves as the good guys. I lean politically towards the left (as a teen, I was going to Young Communist meetings) and so I can’t really speak for the right, but it seems to me that people on the right are less bothered about a virtuous self-image.