That's what I thought. Say what you will about Douglas Carswell, at least he had the cojones to ask
his electorate to back or reject his change in party allegience.
I can't see any of the seven making that choice.
Here's two Scottish tak
es on the split:
There is no clear space for a new centrist party in Scotland
Quote:
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Beyond the matter of national independence, Scottish politics is far less ideologically polarised. In Scotland, of course, "independent" has a very different meaning. And this is why the former Labour MPs of The Independent Group, if they take the step of forming a new party to fight the next election across the UK, will struggle north of the border.
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A very gentle revolution
Quote:
What does today's parting signify? Is it the beginning of a new alignment in UK politics; the ambition of many since the establishment of the SDP in 1981 by the Gang of Four?
Perhaps. If so, it is initially a very gentle revolution. The seven - do they yet have a nickname? - are not, at this stage, forming a new party, which would involve recruiting grassroots members, setting up a formal structure, contesting by-elections and the rest.
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This is one of the consequnces of having a devolved Scottish Parliament that governs many of the day-to-day activities up here - the upheaval at Westminster and political churn within England seems a bit removed.
Another is that as England (and Northern Ireland currently) is effectively a direct possesion of Westminster it doesn't have a functioning government. Scotland and Wales both do, albeit only within their respective devolved areas of responsibility.
Mike.