Plots thicken

Same stories in the Times and the Absurder about a new centre-ground party (hardly news), featuring C Umuna and A Soubry. The main rallying cry seems to be Brexit, clearly the most important issue, despite the Tory manifesto -- that and a bit of opportunism, of course. Maybe some background panic too, of the kind made famous by Beck's study of risk, and how, for the first time, the middle classes are feeling at risk of something dreadful (in Marx's day it was Malthus who voiced those risks): it must all roll into one -- climate change, air pollution, the use of fur in the fashion industry, gender anxiety, Trump, Brexit.

The Observer has been told by multiple sources that at least six MPs have been drawing up plans to resign the whip and leave the [Labour]  party soon. There have also been discussions involving senior figures about a potentially far larger group splitting off at some point after Brexit, if Corbyn fails to do everything possible to oppose Theresa May’s plans for taking the UK out of the EU.

The Absruder thinks that the split will be advanced by news of a poll saying that:

Labour is now seven points behind the Conservatives, with approval ratings for Corbyn over his handling of Brexit at an all-time low and worse than those for May...The survey suggests Labour is losing its Leave supporters to the Tories and Remain backers to the Liberal Democrats, who are up one point on 8% earthquake!], as the Brexit crisis deepens.

I know which group I would sacrifice, but Labour will lose both if it isn't careful.

Unrest inside Labour and frustration at its failure to mount stronger opposition to Brexit – and back a second referendum – has grown after a week in which nine shadow ministers were among 25 Labour MPs who escaped any punishment by the leadership after they defied a three-line whip and refused to back an amendment aimed to delay Brexit by up to nine months. The amendment tabled by Labour’s Yvette Cooper was defeated by 321 votes to 298 with the help of the Labour rebels...The Observer has also learned of mounting anger on the former solidly pro-Corbyn left of Labour. Ana Oppenheim, an organiser for the leftwing anti-Brexit movement Another Europe is Possible, who is also active inside the pro-Corbyn grassroots movement Momentum, suggested any Labour MPs who refused to do all in their power to block May’s Brexit should be deselected.

 

Leftwing? Meanwhile the Sunday Times,after an hilarious headline story about plans for the Queen to be evacuated if there are riots after Brexit, adds another dimension to the Cooper amendment saga:

Last Monday MPs were poised to vote for a cross-party plan concocted by Sir Oliver Letwin, Nick Boles and Yvette Cooper to let MPs seize control of the Commons agenda to press for a softer Brexit. Letwin reported to members of the cabinet that the motion, in Cooper’s name, would “win by three votes” [impressively precise] . The ministers Richard Harrington, Tobias Ellwood and Sarah Newton were all prepared to resign to help it triumph...A secret deal struck between Brexiteers Kit Malthouse, Steve Baker and Jacob Rees-Mogg and remainers Nicky Morgan, Robert Buckland and Stephen Hammond torpedoed that plan

No doubt all the Remain media were tipped off beforehand, hence all the discussion that assumed the Cooper amendment was a done deal and confidence that Parliament was 'taking back control'