Vocal Voices

News outlets are today carrying pieces by Vince Cable and Tony Blair hinting at the need for a party of moderates. These follow similar thoughts by Conservatives Nicholas Soames and Anna Soubry.

Cable warns of Labour and Tories moving to the extremes leaving moderate voters with nowhere to turn. He is even considering changing the name and focus of the LibDems to try and accommodate some of them.

Blair thinks that the Labour party is now lost to the likes of Momentum and doubts that it can be taken back. He claims that there have been profound changes and that It is a different type of Labour party from the one he joined over 40 years ago.

Soames and Soubry feel much the same way about the Tories. The party is riven from head to toe to the point where it has become two parties in one with little common ground between them.

It is hard not to agree with their appraisals, but they all leave out one common theme. For decades all parties have ignored the wishes of the electorate; gone ahead with their pet projects, handed out gongs; promoted some of the dodgiest characters in British life and treated us with disdain.

Will a new moderate party be any different? I will not be putting a penny on it.

Completely agree with your resume, WM.

If any moderate party, (newly formed like the SDP was, or a reincarnation of the LibDems), is to survive and thrive, it must have a top team - more than just a charismatic leader - of steadfast mainstream politicians who can be trusted by the voters. Unfortunately, those politicians simply don't exist.

It is interesting watching the Macron presidency unfold in France. Not sure I'd give it too long before it starts to unravel ….

It's not about good versus evil imo.
People in this country tend to vote tribally. Labour or Tory.
There is already a third party out there, the Liberal Democrats - and they aren't pulling any trees up.
What Blair and his chums want is to get the rights to the brand name "Labour" back, because that's where the votes are.
But under the rules atm, Labour members have the power and they want Corbyn.
The SDP Mk 2, or Tony Blair's All Stars or whatever this new party may be called is going to die on it's ar5e.
Blair and his backers will get a big push from the media but that will do no good.
If Labour have a disaster at the next GE then Corbyn might go and things could change but I don't think that will happen.