Centrist Granddad: We shouldn't be shocked Corbyn is timid on tax

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This evening 20 Labour MPs voted with the Lib Dems to oppose the Conservatives' tax cuts for middle and high earners.

The rest did what they were told by their party's leader and abstained.

Labour's sea-green incorruptible keeping his head down so as not so upset affluent voters?

Indeed so. And this is not the first time Jeremy Corbyn has been uneasy about increasing taxation.

There is no more spanielesque supporter of Corbyn than Chris Williamson. So public is his undying loyalty that his comrades have forgiven him for running Derby through an arrangement with the Conservatives.

But when Williamson suggested that council tax bills for the highest value homes in England should be doubled, he was gone from his shadow ministerial post before he could wag his tail.

Labour's mood music under Corbyn is very left wing, largely because defending his policies has been subcontracted to a WhatsApp group of media commentators and social media stars.

When shadow ministers are called upon to do the defending they don't sound half so assured. Can the programme of rebuilding those media commentators really be financed without increasing taxes for the average voter?

Labour activists talked with awe of their manifesto at last year's general election. But its slogan 'For the many not the few' was a retread of an old Tony Blair slogan, and the Institute for Fiscal Studies confirmed that the Lib Dem manifesto for that election was far more generous towards benefit claimants.

So we should not be surprised that Corbyn's Labour was so timid tonight. Deep down, he's a bit of a centrist granddad.

Corbynite firebrand Chris Williamson MP ran Derby in coalition with the Conservatives

"Chris Williamson said that his party would have to take stock of the election results before deciding whether or not to renew the pact with the Tories." – Derby Evening Telegraph (2008)@DerbyChrisWhttps://t.co/PF39QPmOlr

— Lion & Unicorn (@LionUnicornNews) April 9, 2018

Today the Lion & Unicorn site published its 44 quotes by about Chris Williamson, the ultra-Corbynite Labour MP for Derby North.

The most striking one amongst them reminded us that, when he was the Labour leader of Derby City Council, he ran an administration in coalition with the Conservatives.

The Red Roar gave more details of this episode earlier this year:

Firebrand MP Chris Williamson formed a Labour-Tory alliance when he was leader of Derby City Council after Labour lost its majority in local elections.

Williamson, who signed up to the Pidcock Doctrine this week by stating he could never befriend a Tory, led Derby in coalition with the Tories for nearly two years from 2006. 

The deal was struck after the local elections in May of that year, when a third of the city’s councillors stood for reelection. 

The Tories and Lib Dems both made gains. Under the deal struck by Williamson, three Tory councillors joined the cabinet and Williamson remained leader. 

Archived copies of the Derby City Council website show that Williamson was leader of a Conservative – Labour alliance from at least May 2006 to March 2008, with Williamson sitting alongside Tory councillors in cabinet throughout that period.

It went on to refer us to a Derby Liberal Democrats press release from the period:

Derby Liberal Democrats have slammed the decision of Labour and Conservative groups on the city council to form an Alliance. 

Liberal Democrat group leader Hilary Jones said "It is a slap in the face for the people of Derby. The public gave their verdict on Thursday. The Liberal Democrats were the only party to gain seats in Thursday's elections. Both the Labour and Conservative parties lost seats. Now the two losing parties have joined together in a desperate attempt to cling onto power.

If I did not find this so funny I would be outraged.