Also-ran Rosselson

The subtitle of Leo Rosselson’s web page reads, “How I failed to become rich and famous.”

A mere glance at the rest of the page and you come to at least two conclusions:

1.     That Rosselson cannot really be at all special or unique (in spite of the blurb which refers to him as a “songwriting (sic) colossus”

2.    That anyone to whom even the Guardian refers as “A very modest provocateur” is doomed to remain second-class; indeed, in the words of the article “… As it is, the golden anniversary of Rosselson’s musical debut has passed by largely unnoticed…”

It seems to be the fashion nowadays among second and third-rate celebrities to “make a political statement” about particular events which are sure to grab people’s attention, and to ride to what they hope will be “fame” on the coat tails of the stir they hope this will cause.   As we well know the Guardian will use any stick with which to beat Israel, even Rosselson, whose CD – The Last Chance: eight songs on Israel/Palestine – may well be a telling Freudian slip about his career, and has, perhaps, been given the final coup de grace by being pushed on the Jews for Justice for Palestinians’ web page, which describes it as containing “songs which move the mind and heart” which has to be an oxymoron if ever one existed.

Like the proverbial drowning man clinging to the wreckage of a ship, Rosselson has milked his Theobald Jew’s animus towards Israel (and his mindless support for the Palestinian cause) for all it is worth.   For example we see him among the letters on the Guardian webpage, opining among other things that Jonathan Freedland is a “good man fallen among Zionists.”   His letter contains, of course, all the buzz words which will appeal to the underdeveloped grasp of the Middle East conflict by Guardian editors, which is probably why it was printed.

Last year, probably in a desperate attempt to get himself noticed as a leading runner among the anti-Israel players, Rosselson opined about the “cultural” boycott of Israel (no doubt wishing that Israel had invited him to perform there so that he could make a huge fuss in the media about why he had refused).   As far back as 2006, Rosselson felt that he had to explain himself further elsewhere, too.

He has an extensive anti-Israel bio – in other countries as well as in the UK.   In Australia we again see him using all the usual buzz-words guaranteed to get him noticed by like-mindless Israel haters.   The communists in Australia obviously love him – the author of this review referred to his  “.. his consistent ability to integrate his fine melodies with acutely observant lyrics and wordplay…” (see also here)  From the Australian page we see that he came from a communist background, once belonged to a socialist-Zionist youth movement (perhaps the same one as the other CiF former Zionist Theobald Jew and also-ran Anthony Lerman?).

More recently, in the wake of the Mavi Marmara incident, we have Rosselson again among a group of academics with distinctly questionable objectivity and an equally questionable grasp of truth, as one of the contributors to a ridiculously divorced-from-reality letter published in the online edition of the Guardian.   Of course, the subsequent findings and particularly the video films taken from the passengers themselves made an utter nonsense of their contribution, but this is hardly surprising, since none of them has ever let the truth get in the way of the dissemination of over-the-top Israel hatred using the ever-receptive Guardian as a medium.

And it doesn’t stop there.   Rosselson, (who might be more aptly described as “Disgusted of Park Chase, Wembley” given the number of complaining letters with which he is associated) seems to be sorely afflicted of the signatory bug in yet another letter filled with the usual distortions, to the Guardian on 29th March 2010, in which a motley crew of Israel-haters who are similarly desperate to be noticed were equally desperate to tell us why they were not celebrating Israel’s birthday.  Here’s a passage from the letter:

“As Edward Said emphasised, what the Holocaust is to the Jews, the Naqba is to the Palestinians…We cannot celebrate the birthday of a state founded on terrorism, massacres and the dispossession of another people from their land. We cannot celebrate the birthday of a state that even now engages in ethnic cleansing, that violates international law, that is inflicting a monstrous collective punishment on the civilian population of Gaza and that continues to deny to Palestinians their human rights and national aspirations…”

Rosselson seems to be inching his way up the greasy pole of Israel-hatred, however, and he is in illustrious company, too.  On 15th October he is described as an “acclaimed singer, songwriter and author” and is featured on the programme of the annual fund-raising dinner (at £125.00 per head) hosted by the Arab Women’s Association in London.  Note that among his fellow guests is Haneen Zoabi,  the Israeli MK who voluntarily joined the Gaza “aid” flotilla, thus choosing to associate herself with IHH – a group with a radical Islamic anti-Western orientation, and one which supports Hamas and, at least in the past, even global jihad elements.

But wait!   Let’s look again at the programme, and which illustrious personage is listed as having sent the fundraisers a “Statement of Support” albeit in absentia?   Why, none other than the UK Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg.   Clegg is not known for being backward about coming forward in his denunciation of Israel, however misplaced or unfounded and lacking in context.   It is evident that he knows next to nothing about Gaza but, like other politicians who like to hear their own misplaced righteous indignation, this has not prevented him from preaching to the vote-getting, anti-Israel choir as often as he gets the chance.

Note this in particular.   Again, note all the buzz words.  Yes, Clegg cannot then have been in full possession of the facts as per the IDF film footage, but that being the case, why parade his ignorance of the wider issues and dig himself into a hole?  Nile Gardner in his Daily Telegraph blog article summed this up when he referred an article for Comment is Free by Clegg when he was leader of the Liberal Democrats It seems that little has changed:

“… As a former EU bureaucrat, Clegg brings with him to Westminster the sneering condescension towards Israel which is so pervasive in Brussels and Strasbourg. It is a destructive approach that undermines a close British ally while encouraging Israel’s enemies. There is an important distinction between a free, democratic society like Israel, acting in self-defence, and brutal terrorist organisations such as Hamas and Hizbollah. Clegg’s drawing of moral equivalence between the two sides is both sickening and offensive.”

Excellently put and in the light of it I wonder whether Clegg’s statements, which broadcast his ignorant biases, improve the situation in the Middle East, given his current position as Deputy Prime Minister of the UK government.   What might be the outcome for the safety of the country of a Deputy Prime Minister who lacks judgement, who so plainly cannot be bothered to inform himself fully and so obviously does not care about the effects of what he says?

I recognise that at first glance any linkage between also-ran Leo Rosselson and the benighted Nick Clegg might appear contrived, but I believe that there are commonalities apart from their misguided politics which led to them being listed as supporting the same pro-Palestinian fundraising programme:

  • Both have missed the boat as regards the fame they seek – Rosselson seems to be the living epitome of the law of diminishing returns in that the more he tries the less he seems to achieve, and Clegg will always be a second-rate politician rather than a statesman with true gravitas because he actually knows so little.
  • Both prefer rather to play for effect (or in Rosselson’s case, to try to do so) rather than to offer substance.
  • Finally, both are so lacking in presence and achievement that they look likely to be consigned to a place in the dustbin of history, rather than to influence the making of it.
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