Day 51. Woodwork squeaks and out come the freaks. (20/2/19)

Perspective; interesting thing, perspective. Interesting the way it can change your opinion on what is basically the same event occurring twice within three days. The way you can be outraged by the first and at first amused and then genuinely slightly galvanised by the second so that it actually changes your response to the first.

Is that too vague? Okay, let's start properly with a 'but first, this...'

(But first this... Soundtrack: World of Twist's absolute classic 'Sons Of The Stage', quite possibly one of the greatest singles ever to have never been a hit. Liam Gallagher's Beady Eye used to cover it, it was, without question the best song in their set. By about a million miles.  It's on repeat right now.  The reason for this? A bit of record shop shopping this afternoon. I'd had the usual CityTalk slot at 1.30, followed by a pre-record for another CityTalk show at 2, something to go out next week. I hadn't managed much in the way of productive writing in the morning, didn't expect to manage much in the afternoon, was in town anyway, ten minutes in Bold Street's Dig Vinyl since it's right by the car park? Oh, okay then.

'Sons Of The Stage' 12". Was (Not Was)'s imperious '(Return To The Valley of) Out Come The Freaks 12". The Blue Aeroplanes'  swaggering '. . . . And Stones (Lovers All Around Mix) 12" [genuinely 'swaggering', it's from their 'Swagger' album, for those who don't get every obscure reference I throw in just to amuse myself] A phantasmagoria of early 90s delight. (and a lot of brackets)

Handed my card over. "Needs to be five pound minimum, mate." So I added the 'Pieces Of Hancock' album and a double vinyl of Julian Bream playing stuff by Bach, Rodrigo, Scarlatti, Ravel and their mates. I spent a fiver. Any idea how happy that makes me? And now, twenty minutes of 'Out Come The Freaks')

So, three Tories have quit the party of austerity and class war. Excellent. I'll have that.

The news was breaking as I walked into the CityTalk studio. "The press conference is just starting."

I had no idea there was a press conference. Even less what it would concern. And my first reaction was a degree of disgruntlement at Heidi Allen taking up my air time. I wasn't, in all honesty, all that sure who Heidi Allen was. (I'm still not, really.)

She was a Tory. She isn't now. She's left the party, along with Anna Soubry (who saw that one coming? Oh yeah, everybody) and Sarah Wollaston. Again, not a clue on Sarah.

Heidi was making the statement though. She was leaving because the party no longer chimed with her version of what the country should be. This was not the party of the big idea of the Big Society, this was now the party of austerity and hardship.

Congratulations on taking a decade to realise what Tories are. Well in. At least you got there in the end. Anna Soubry? Still not holding that Anna has principles: look at her voting record, it's as vile as the rest of her now ex-colleagues. Opposing Brexit doesn't make her a saint.

And now these three are 'centrist'. Now these three have joined The Independent Group. Group, not party; if you're a party you have to admit who your backers are. And you probably shouldn't register yourselves in Panama.

Here's the thing though: when the not even vaguely magnificent seven left the Labour Party on Monday, I was just the slightest touch furious. I saw this as a threat to the Labour vote. I demanded by elections immediately. These three leaving the Tories? Anybody who leaves the Tories is fine by me. Perhaps others can follow. Quickly. Very quickly. As soon as possible, please.

The Independent Group may have just become a very useful thing indeed. It might be useful if all of us who have been so disparaging of the seven/eight/eleven start thinking of them as our new best friends.

Might be useful if we think of them as kingmakers.

Might be profitable as we regard them as the Nick Cleggs de nos jours (bit of French for the pro-Brexit idiots there). Perhaps hideous and self centred and grasping for power they would not otherwise have but very possibly the best chance we have of getting rid of Theresa May's cruel and unusual government and halting this pathetic suicide note we've delivered to Europe at the same time.

A few more Tories heading for the middle ground? That'd be nice, wouldn't it? They survived a vote of no confidence by 20 votes last time it was raised. They survived by the difference between the DUP voting WITH them rather than against. They survived by the loyalty of bigots bought with billions taken from the public purse: ie - us.

If a few more centrist, pro-European Tories can be persuaded that the grass of the central ground is emerald beyond belief then maybe, just maybe, the balance of power shifts from the militant arm of the Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster to a slightly more balanced group.

Perhaps now is the time to start talking to the Independent Group. Perhaps now is the time for the Labour leadership to take a very serious view of the concerns that drew some of their resignations and think about coalition. And once they've thought about coalition think about 'respecting the will of the people'.

The will of the people changed about a month ago. Statistically speaking we reached the point where the number of older voters who had voted out and had since passed away was superseded by the number of those who were sixteen at the time of that pointless, stupid, bloody referendum and had now passed eighteen so would be entitled to a vote that the result of the referendum has been reversed.

Britain is now pro-European and would, in all probability, vote to remain. It just doesn't feel that way because we're exposed to too much of the bile of racists who don't really have the support base that they believe or claim.

If we see a handful more Tories realise that their party is nothing more than the physical expression of the greed and avarice of the Eton educated and decide to head for the centre, if we can talk to the centre, if we can put forward another vote of no confidence knowing that we now have the numbers to counteract the DUP's easily bought allegiance then we could finally be in a position to trigger a general election, defeat these vile right wing wretches and look to a left leaning coalition with centrist input. That may not be my ideal but it would be a start.

The Independent Group may turn out to actually be more solution than threat.

Time for us all to start talking. And listening.

Time to get strategic.