Labour falls between two horses
Following the Euro referendum, Labour had two options. Either accept the result and make the best of it – my own preferred starting point – or else reject the result and set up shop as the party of the second referendum.
Instead, it has tried to straddle the two positions while papering over the gulf between them with the implausible demand for a General Election.
This clumsy attempt at internal compromise has now suffered the inconvenience of coming face to face with voters.
Labour’s dismal performance in the English local elections is certainly a verdict on Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership. Equally, however, it is punishment for facing two ways.
Take your pick – Leave voters were hitting back at metropolitan smarties who would brook no compromise or Remain voters found somewhere more remainminded to go. Or maybe both.
It remains to be seen if Labour will continue to blunder into European elections where the punishment will
be even more severe, with Mr Farage in the field, or if they will finally smell the survival salts and sign up for a deal that could still negate the need for them. And that, of course, would be denounced by the second referendum faction.
I suppose a dose of pragmatism just might be encouraged by the realisation that slaughter would await in a General Election, so why keep demanding it?
The last thing Labour needs is more elections until it has a credible position on Brexit
or, more likely, is overtaken by events determined by others.
The time might also be used to contemplate the electability or otherwise of Jeremy Corbyn – a question he is now obliged to ask himself with some urgency.