Puja wrote:
I think a lot of them will be gnashing their teeth that they didn't support AV when it was on the table. With FPTP, any breakaway will be an irrelevance and voters in these polarised times give short shrift to those changing parties mid-term - just look at the Conservative to UKIP defectees and how they fared after turning their coats.
The only people who will break away will be those like Field, who was about to get deselected by his local party anyway for being daft enough to prop up the Chequers plan when May was on the rack. Anyone who's discontented but likely to keep their candidacy won't leave; they like power too much.
Puja
I just got signed out and lost my post so this will be brief, but
a) Read this, particularly the bit about the expecting deselections -
https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/u ... corbyn-MPs
b) There's no end of politicians fighting long gambles and quixotic causes due to principles, emotion, and a lack of options. See above for lack of options; the situation is certainly emotionally charged; and if you believe the Labour right has principles, campaigning to make Corbyn Prime Minister betrays them (particularly those who've called Corbyn a racist/the Labour party institutionally anti-Semitic). We have the perfect apex here.
c) John McDonnell's interview with the NS and Chuka Umuna's letter to his constituency party are further grist to the mill of this is getting serious.