Jeremy Corbyn to give Salter Lecture at Hamilton House
'Quaker Socialist Society discerned that Jeremy would be their speaker, and another Quaker body discerned he couldn’t be. Both discernments were leadings of the spirit, recognised as legitimate and valuable.’
Following concerns from within Britain Yearly Meeting (BYM) about inviting Jeremy Corbyn to speak at Friends House during Yearly Meeting, the Quaker Socialist Society (QSS) has decided to invite him to deliver this year’s Salter Lecture at an alternative venue.
It will now take place at Hamilton House, with Quaker Paul Ingram, an expert on global nuclear disarmament, joining the former leader of the Labour Party.
‘QSS very much regrets the decision regarding our plan for a Salter Lecture on “War and Peace”,’ said QSS in a statement.
‘We are disappointed that this will not be allowed to take place in Friends House with Jeremy Corbyn as one of the speakers. Since we still wish to hear both Paul Ingram and Jeremy Corbyn discuss the peaceful resolution of conflict, we will arrange to hold the 2024 lecture in another venue.’
According to the Equality and Human Rights Commission, the former Labour Party leader had presided over ‘unlawful’ anti-Semitic harassment within the party. When he claimed this finding was ‘dramatically overstated’, he was suspended. In the light of these events, BYM trustees deemed that his appearance at YM would put BYM programmes and staff at reputational risk.
The recommendation was accepted by the Yearly Meeting Agenda Committee (YMAC), which asked QSS to arrange for the Salter Lecture to be given by Paul Ingram alone, or to ‘make alternative arrangements… that may include Jeremy Corbyn as a speaker. This could be at the time of Yearly Meeting [at another venue] or at another time’.
The minute noted that BYM’s work in Israel and Palestine ‘is particularly vulnerable at this time, and that this work may be put at critical risk by the conversations that we would expect to arise around a lecture… including Jeremy Corbyn as a speaker’.
Sheila Taylor of QSS said that the issue had raised ‘important questions about Quaker decision making’, following seven months of discussion between QSS and ‘various Quaker management bodies’. ‘Quakers are non-hierarchical, but we have decision-making bodies. We delegate power and though we struggle to admit it, there are more “weighty” Quakers within delegated bodies. Is it inevitable that some are more significant than others?
‘We use discernment to reach collective decisions, but one Quaker body might discern one thing and another discern the opposite. Who is then to judge what is right? QSS discerned that Jeremy would be their speaker, and another Quaker body discerned he couldn’t be. Both discernments were leadings of the spirit, recognised as legitimate and valuable.’
Sheila Taylor also highlighted that QSS, as a Quaker Recognised Body, is ‘officially independent’. ‘However some Friends consider that if QSS holds an event at the time of Yearly Meeting, the content will be seen as official Quaker policy. This is contradictory: are Quaker Recognised Bodies independent or not?’
Comments
I salute Sheila Taylor and QSS for proceeding with this event, despite unease within BYM. Moreover her concluding question rightly poses a serious challenge to BYM about the status and autonomy granted to Quaker Recognised Bodies.
By hartwell43 on 25th April 2024 - 9:26
Thank you QSS for this statement and for standing firm. I wonder in whose eyes Trustees and YMAG think they’re risking our reputation with, and if those directly involved with the EAPPI programme agree. It seems to me that BYM has damaged Quaker reputation with all those who work alongside us in the area of justice and peace, including in Israel and Palestine - those who see Quakers as trusted and stalwart allies. This decision appears to have been taken out of timidity and fear, and the highly selective quote from the EHRC report raises a question for me whether they’ve actually read the report, or the leaked Labour Party report, the independent Forde Report etc, which do not support the dominant hostile narrative about Jeremy Corbyn, who I know to be an honourable, decent man and a vehemently anti-racist politician with rare integrity. He needs allies to stand with him during this persecution and we have let him and the peace and justice movement down.
So sad.
By scallywag on 25th April 2024 - 12:59
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By doreen.osborne@outlook.com on 25th April 2024 - 22:12
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