Over the last week we saw Jeremy Corbyn elected as leader of the Labour Party and the Prime Minister became a laughing stock as (albeit uncorroborated) revelations were made about his student antics.
“I know that lots of Lib Dems are contemplating supporting Jeremy Corbyn, including me”
The Liberals are led by a man who takes a dim view of gays getting married and are variety of Trotskyist groups have returned to their old ways by setting up shop inside the Labour Party. They are not alone in changing their allegiances.
It's not that long since Tim Farron claimed that "distraught" Labour MP's were ringing him about the dangers they faced from the rise of the "Corbynistas", and talk began of at least a few defecting to the Liberal Democrats.
Unlikely given that the civil war inside the Labour Party has only just started. Meanwhile Jeremy Corbyns anti-Western and pro-appeasement politics have brought him some "Liberal allies".
First up was former Lib-Dem Peer Jenny Tonge who told the Sunday Times (no link £):
Given some of Corbyns "unsavoury friends" Tonge would seem a natural ally.The algemeiner. describes the woman in no uncertain terms:
....a member of Britain’s House of Lords with a long record of inflammatory, often antisemitic, statements against both Israel and the British Jewish leadership..
So far just one Liberal Democrat has defected to Labour. The Richmond and Twickenham Times reports:
A Liberal Democrat councillor has defected to Labour in support of Jeremy Corbyn, becoming Richmond's first Labour councillor in more than 13 years.
Teddington Councillor Jennifer Churchill, partner of the borough's former Lib Dem leader and fellow Councillor Stephen Knight, said new party leader Tim Farron "doesn't seem to stand for anything".
Churchill will find herself alongside some rather strange new "bedfellows" in the form of Workers Power (British Section of the Fifth International) who rant in their unreadable rag:
For these reasons Workers Power supports key elements of Jeremy Corbyn’s programme. We believe all socialists should join the Labour Party, defend and promote Jeremy’s progressive demands, and work to extend and deepen these policies in a revolutionary socialist direction.
Until recently the couple of dozen or so members of this tiny group were involved in Ken Loache's still born Left Unity Party, having taken over one of the Leeds branches.
Better pickings inside Labour it would seem.
Moves have already begun to try and oust those that might oppose Corbyn. The Mail writes:
Simon Danczuk said a ‘concerted effort’ by the new leader’s far-left supporters had now begun to ‘silence’ people like him and ‘drum’ them out of the party.
It came as left-wing party members plan to issue a formal complaint to Labour’s ruling NEC about the conduct of the Rochdale MP, who has been highly critical of Mr Corbyn’s brand of politics.
An online petition calling for Mr Danczuk to have the whip withdrawn has gathered thousands of signatures.
Mr Danczuk said: ‘My advice to moderates in the party is: watch your back. Be careful, but don’t give in to these people.’
One of Mr Corbyn’s most loyal supporters, new shadow energy minister Clive Lewis, warned the ‘forces of establishment’ within Labour that they would be ‘unwise’ to oppose the new leader.
Just like the eighties when Labour was made unelectable by the same types of activists that are rallying to Corbyn now.
To be fair Corbyn opposes mandatory reselection of MP's but as he appears to be weak and unfit to lead anything but a rabble in the street he may not be able to control the comrades on the ground.
The Press may be less than interested in the seaside outing of Farrons Lib Dems but they will be at Labour Party conference in droves to see the internecine warfare erupt as the left jockeys for position.
Can the moderates fight back?
Only time will tell, but to do so they must organise fast and hard.
Now, before it becomes too late!
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