Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Comment
Simon Hattenstone

Dear Liz Truss: I’m woke, not business-minded and a leftwinger. Am I not your type of Jew?

Liz Truss
‘Liz Truss’s blindness to her bigotry in this case might be because she likes Jewish people – or rather the ones she shares values with.’ Photograph: Neil Hall/EPA

Bigots are often so blind to their bigotry that they don’t realise they are bigoted. Take what prime minister in waiting and foreign secretary Liz Truss put out to the Jewish community – a message she clearly believed to be supportive and vote-winning but was in fact reinforcing the most damaging tropes about Jews. “So many Jewish values are Conservative values and British values too, for example seeing the importance of family and always taking steps to protect the family unit; and the value of hard work and self-starting and setting up your own business.” She added that “the British Jewish community is incredibly proud of this country and so are Conservatives”, and that she was determined to protect the community from “woke civil service culture that strays into antisemitism”.

So that’s us Jews neatly classified. Conservative, business-minded, industrious, patriotic and anti-woke. Just like black people are great runners, Asian people are brilliant mathematicians and Yorkshire folk such as our Liz are careful with money … which takes us back to the Jews.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.