As readers will probably be aware, there have been calls for the Conservative Party to set up an independent enquiry into anti-Muslim bigotry. It seems as though there is a strong prima facie case for going ahead with this, given a string of disturbing allegations.
Sajid Javid’s attempts to defend the Conservative Party didn’t strike me as fully convincing – and ironically echoed some of the arguments used by those eager to minimise accusations of antisemitism against Labour. You can see the relevant section of the interview with Andrew Marr here.
For a start, the fact that Muslims have reached high office in the CP isn’t in itself proof there isn’t a problem – compare the successes of both Ed and David Miliband in Labour.
Javid then drifted away from the specificities of the charge – anti-Muslim hatred in the Conservative Party – to vaguely acknowledge that there were problems with all types of hate in Britain generally and they all needed to be tackled – shades of the ‘antisemitism and all other forms of racism’ refrain.
I share Sajid Javid’s reservations about the MCB (and can’t go along with his ‘I’ve got a lot of time for Baroness Warsi’) but that doesn’t in itself invalidate the concerns.
