20 february 2019, the magnificent 7, 8, 11…

Their approach seems rather light the blue touch paper and see what happens, but the fireworks are quite exciting. It remains to be seen whether the independent group so masterfully gaining the uk media spotlight is white knight or damp squib. They tick boxes like young, female, non-tribal, caring, centrist and, of course, anti-brexit. The steady drip of defections in these first days provides that greatest of political potion, momentum. It already has more mps than the dup, more twitter followers that the actual momentum and some 14% in the polls. Add in the libdem's 7% and they are nipping labour's heels. There is every chance of more leaving, although the "30 or 40" the charismatic heidi allen mooted is ambitious, though possible. The conservatives, well up in the polls, are the stronger of the two holed main party ships, with a rapid leadership change popularity boost up their sleeve, if only they can keep the band together through brexit. Despite the break-the-political-mould, hopey-changey exhilaration, the looming 29 march 2019 day of doom is still the most important thing by a million miles in british politics and everyone is waiting with bated breath (not) for the results of theresa may's latest foray to europe, also brexitcrashing a get-together in egypt to 'ave a word. The latest spat on gibraltar, as other countries have internal politics too, is just one straw in the wind, as if more were needed, that there's nowhere serious to go on this and the running down the clock until parliament is forced to choose between may's deal or no deal, is going to come down to may's deal. What the indy grouping changes, a fraction, is the lesser likelihood of corbyn somehow cobbling together a teflon way to allow the deal through, as there is now that much stronger an alternative pole around which his opponents can gather. However you cut it, bringing more diversity and competition into a dreadfully old-fashioned and patently failing polity is a very good thing. Whilst it's too much to expect old-friends but now-opponents to actively support an alternative political force, it may just be that exclusivity itself comes rather quickly to be seen as rather dated, and it may just be that different politics is the best platform the newbies have to stand on. It's certainly needed.