What concerns me about this is that they actually believe there is a widespread desire for a centrist party demanding a second referendum. There isn't. In my opinion, people fall into the following broad boxes:
1) Militant Lefty Communist prats. Mostly agitators like Owen Jones, McDonnell etc and 'rebellious' students. Maturity usually soughts these out into the following:
2) Middle-class lefties. So long as you're saying the socially acceptable things, they'll vote for you.
3) Common sense, normal working people often mistakenly referred to as right wing
4) Other nutters. Ranging from tree shagging hippies to racist, dangerous far actual far right people.

Labour are no longer the party of the working class and are actively targeting the benefits brigade.

Who the f*** out of the above are going to buy what they're selling? Category 2 is clearly the target, but I'm not sure they have the numbers they'd need even if they could get the support of them all.

A new party targeting category 3 is where there's opportunity to my mind.

You're a category one, aren't you?

What concerns me about this is that they actually believe there is a widespread desire for a centrist party demanding a second referendum. There isn't. In my opinion, people fall into the following broad boxes:
1) Militant Lefty Communist prats. Mostly agitators like Owen Jones, McDonnell etc and 'rebellious' students. Maturity usually sorts these out into the following:
2) Middle-class lefties. So long as you're saying the socially acceptable things, they'll vote for you.
3) Common sense, normal working people often mistakenly referred to as right wing
4) Other nutters. Ranging from tree shagging hippies to racist, dangerous far actual far right people.

Labour are no longer the party of the working class and are actively targeting the benefits brigade.

Who the f*** out of the above are going to buy what they're selling? Category 2 is clearly the target, but I'm not sure they have the numbers they'd need even if they could get the support of them all.

A new party targeting category 3 is where there's opportunity to my mind.

Edited by ChrisGC (20 Feb 2019 6.35pm)

Why didn't this bunch just join the lib dems?

One of the Tory MPs claims the party has been hijacked by UKIP and that MPS are afraid of the extremists in the local party. What she meant of course was leavers, well she is forgetting the vast majority of Tory voters are leavers. She is the one out of step with the electoral support for the Tory party.

The independent group is pro Remain and there is a place in politics for that view. However what else does this group have in common? Asking for a 2nd referendum whilst denying your own voters a by election smacks of self serving and I suspect that many will see it as that.

My guess is that at the next GE these people will go the same way as the SDP and will lose their seats or migrate into the Lib Dems.

This will only be an issue if the independent group grows substantially. Right now it is a group of disgruntled politicians who have no clear policies or aims beyond Remain. I think if there was a public appetite for a new third way the Lib Dems would be mopping up.

As for what happens now in parliament well I think this helps Mrs May and Corbyn they no longer have to pander to these people who were always going to vote against any Brexit deal.