MARCHING OFF INTO THE WILDERNESS

The seven former Labour MPs prepare to head off into the political wilderness.

Last year British MP Chuka Umunna declared his admiration for the centrist policies of Jacinda Ardern. Now Umunna and six other MPs have resigned from Labour, citing irreconcilable differences with leader Jeremy Corbyn - the main difference being that Corbyn is a socialist and they aren't.

LAST YEAR CHUKA UMUNNA praised the centrist politics of Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. She was, gushed Unumma one of 'a new generation of politicians', which included Justin Trudeau of Canada and Emmanuel Macron of France -presently engaged in hand-to-hand combat with the Yellow Vests who don't appreciate the neoliberal reforms he's trying to impose on the country.

While Chuka loves Jacinda he doesn't love his own Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn. In 2016 he played an instrumental role in an attempted coup against the Labour leader and he's been taking potshots at him ever since. Now Umunna has spit the dummy and, along with six other disgruntled MPs, has resigned from Labour citing irreconcilable differences with Jeremy - the main difference being that Jeremy is a socialist and they aren't.

That Corbyn almost managed to pull off an unlikely election victory last time round has also annoyed Umunna and his chums.No longer able to argue that Corbyn's Labour could not win a general election, they can only mutter darkly about what Britain would look like under a Corbyn -led government. It would be nightmarish society where neoliberalism would have been dumped in the rubbish bin of history. Public utilities would once again be brought under the wing of the state to provide a social service rather than dividends for a small number of shareholders. It would be a society where taxation would be increased on the wealthy and a lot more money would be pumped into the areas of education, health, and welfare. A massive public housing program would be implemented to finally bring to an end Britain's record level of homelessness. It would be the end of austerity. No wonder Chuka Umunna is distressed. It sounds terrible.

While the anti-Labour tabloids will milk the resignations for all they are worth, Umunna and co have effectively walked off into the political wilderness They have, rather optimistically, called for other MPS to join them in the wilderness. Its doubtful, if any, will take up the invitation to not get re-elected at the next general election.

The only Labour MP's who would consider jumping ship are those facing de-selection by their local electoral committees.  So they have nothing to lose.

The problem for not the very famous seven is that Jeremy Corbyn and Labour , whether they care to admit it or not, remain very popular. There is no widespread anti-Corbyn sentiment abroad in British society, despite the concert effort made by Umunna and his Blairite mates to smear Jeremy's good name with trumped up charges of anti-semitism. After too many decades of the destructive and divisive polices of neoliberalism, people want a real alternative and not the rehashed Blairism that Umunna has on offer.