New Centrist Party LOOKS DOA

For several months now, rumours have swirled concerning the formation of a new “Centrist” party in the UK, maybe left of centre, maybe in cooperation with the Lib Dems. Several Labour MPs unhappy with Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership have had their names pitched as likely recruits. And every time the Centrist party looks set to get off the ground, take-off is aborted, or more likely never attempted in the first place.
Rachel Riley - may be involved ...

Until this week. As i News has reported, there was a meeting last Tuesday at the offices of Neil Blair. Who he? Well, he’s Jo Rowling’s agent. That’s right, she couldn’t be there, but sent her fridge, er, sorry, agent. We are also told “Countdown’s Rachel Riley and former EastEnders actress Tracy Ann Oberman have joined forces with advisers from Tony Blair’s Government and J K Rowling’s agent to create a new, centrist breakaway Labour party”.

Do go on. “They met with Blair’s former Chief of Staff Jonathan Powell and his former speechwriter Philip Collins on Tuesday at the central London offices of Ms Rowling’s agent Neil Blair at which there were 50 supporters. Details of the meeting, which have been confirmed to i, include creating a breakaway pro-European centrist party which would appeal to the left of the Conservative party and the right of the Labour party”.

There was more. “Observers believe the creation of such a party would be the death knell for the Liberal Democrats”. Ron Hopeful there. The Liberals, and later the Lib Dems, have been pronounced dead with monotonous regularity since the 1950s, and every time they turn out not to have been. And that wasn’t the only slice of over-optimism.

During the meeting last week, when discussions of who should be leader of the new party, Harry Potter author JK Rowling’s name was shouted out to a round of applause … Although Ms Rowling, a past Labour donor, has been critical of Mr Corbyn, leadership of the new party is not believed to be her ambition. Instead it is thought she may offer financial backing or bankroll a think tank”. Leadership? She should steer well clear.
... while Jo Rowling may not. Perhaps

But enough of the PR: the hard reality is that Ms Riley and Ms Oberman are not the kinds of figures that any political party should have as their public faces, not after their recent conduct. As Shaun Lawson has noted, “One of [my Tweets] mentioned the actress, Tracy Ann Oberman, who had also featured in my article. Oberman took such exception that she made the hilarious threat to sue me”. And what had Ms Oberman been up to?

My comment was in relation to her indefensible behaviour towards Rosie, the 16-year-old girl whose deplorable treatment by Rachel Riley was at the heart of my weekend piece; and even Rosie’s father. This article sets out in detail exactly what that behaviour involved, the consequences for the poor child, as well as the latest depth-plumbing by, yet again, Riley herself”. The name of that game, for those who missed it, was harassment.

Well-documented and cringe-inducing harassment, to boot. If that is the depth of the political talent pool available to the new Centrist party, it’s going to look more like a puddle.

Right now, it looks as though this new venture is DOA. No surprise there, then.
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