It isn't Corbyn's left-wing views that threaten this country

Those of you who read my blog on negotiating tactics would have seen demonstrated yesterday a classic case history on How Not To Do It. The Government has so boxed itself in that David Davis went into Day One of the Brexit negotiations with only two alternatives. He could cave in or walk out. And since walking out before things had even started was impossible - particularly after the election - he did the only thing left to him, which was to capitulate. How the EU's leaders must be laughing at us. When Davis tried to wriggle around what had happened, Michel Barnier let his aggravation show and made the critical point that the Brexiteers just refuse to understand: The UK wanted this, so it can't expect any favours. Our pathetic negotiators and negotiating position are clearly going to collapse. It is only a matter of time. That should be the moment when it would be possible to admit it had all been a terrible mistake, the Leave voters were misinformed and didn't realise the consequences, and can we please have our EU membership back. Yet there is one real obstacle to that - and it isn's the Mail/Sun/Express/Dacre/Murdoch, let alone the increasingly wild-eyed Outers on the Tory benches. It is Jeremy Corbyn. Before the election, the widespread cry went up that there was no opposition to what the Conservatives were doing generally. Then came the campaign, Corbyn's rise to popularity and an unexpected result. Opposition is back - at least, opposition to austerity, enforced poverty and increased privatisation. But there is no real opposition to the biggest issue that faces the country, and that is our withdrawal from the European Union. John McDonnell was always an Outer, as paid-up members of the far left are. Corbyn was more wishy-washy, but his left-wing credentials pushed him towards Leave and he has now bought into it totally. Which has given the Out mob the chance to say that 80 per cent of those who voted in the election voted in favour of not just Brexit but a hard Brexit. Not in my name, comrades. Tragically, the bulk of the Labour Party, which supports Remain but is utterly cowed by getting Corbyn so wrong, are going along with it. This is going to end in tears.