The British Trades Union movement is a fussy character. It demands that other countries open up their markets to British goods. In return, more and more of its member organisations are campaigning against Israeli products.

Naturally, those who will suffer first are the Israeli working classes, as they could lose their jobs. But that is irrelevant for the big chiefs of the Labour.

Also ignored is the fact that there is no mutual condemnation of Palestinian violence. Neither is there a word of protest against the lack of human rights in Palestinian society. 2010 elections will be delayed. Or see the latest report from the  Independent Commission for Human Rights.

So, it came as a pleasant surprise to me, when I encountered a local London street market, where at least two of the stalls are openly selling Israeli consumer products. Such markets are very popular in London and are gradually emerging in more and more places.

I checked the labels – the place of origin was clearly marked. As I approached during the lunchtime period, there were several active buyers in the vicinity. Yup, and many of the vendors looked as if they would welcome trades union support for better conditions etc.

Maybe the unionleaders should evaluate the true level of their hypocrisy. Their campaigns are planned on computers and mobiles, loaded with Israeli tech. Many of their largest unions, such as hospital workers, operate machines built in Israel. And their anti-Israel rhetoric can be traced to that which was shouted at them by facists in the 1930s.

Spin is a soothing drug, which helps us to forget and to ignore the lessons of history.