jackbarron
Chelsea, London
It's surprising in that Toynbee used to hate Corbyn. She attacked him and advisors like Seumas Milne virtually every week. So did the newspaper. It got to the point where I stopped reading The Guardian, aside from the Culture section. I do however think she's right in her analysis that if Johnson quits, MPs should back Corbyn to avoid No Deal.
Johnson quitting is a distinct possibility, because he then wouldn't be able to ask for an extension to Article 50. Given the Tories are shrinking in Parliament, the Queen would then choose Corbyn as the next PM and he would lead a unity government.
The Opposition Parties and rebel Tories would have to come together for a unity coalition to succeed. There are potential glitches though, as Toynbee points out.
"The Lib Dem leader, Jo Swinson, may be softening her “no way” stance. If not, she’ll lose the party’s reputation for pragmatic politics. Starmer says to exit the EU with no deal through squabbling would be unforgivable. It can’t and mustn’t happen. Understandably, Swinson fears that going into an election in November she may be attacked as a Corbyn stooge, but she’d never be forgiven if she let Britain crash out.
"Parties must swallow their squeamishness and vote the Labour leader in if that’s ever required. To prefer some grandee risks breaking the unity and goodwill of the alliance. In any case, to be an interim prime minister in this broken-backed parliament is almost meaningless: Corbyn would only have permission to call an election or do whatever parliament required. He would be as powerless as Johnson to promote his party’s policies without majority backing: a no-confidence vote could remove him instantly."
Its a well thought out piece by Polly Toynbee. I can see Corbyn as an interim PM. Whether I would vote for him and Labour in a general election though, is an entirely different matter.
Jack
