Lest we forget that I am an ex-party member
Today, when I went to get some money out of the bank, I saw a crowd of people outside a building. It looked like there were stalls and things. When I got nearer I saw that it was a Labor Party polling station. The people outside were campaigning for various candidates in today’s party primaries, which were to determine the list for the elections. Likud’s was yesterday, but only party center members got to vote. In Labor all members voted. The festive atmosphere outside the labor polling station reminded me of my five minutes as Labor Party member. Bish and I joined up after Yitzhak Rabin’s murder. We were the guys who gave the world Ehud Barak. Well, I admit having been in awe of Barak for many years, ever since, as head of Military Intelligence, he went on TV to let all Israel hear a tape connecting the Achille Lauro attack to the PLO or the PLF or something. Well, he was very impressive, whatever. Imagine my surprise when years later I discovered Bish was also a fan (Bish is his last remaining fan, besides his wife, maybe.). So we became party members for the sole purpose of making him head of the party.

The whole being-a-party-member was very strange for us. The main thing I remember about going to vote were all these old timers hanging about there, Ben Gurion look-alikes.

I soon stopped paying party fees. Bish hung on a bit longer.