Protesting about the weak neo-liberal-running-dog bourgeois-appeasing manifesto of Ed Miliband

Inspired no doubt by the success of Syriza in the Greek election sixteen Labour MPs have just published a manifesto of their own, protesting about the weak neo-liberal-running-dog bourgeois-appeasing manifesto of Ed Miliband.  The Labour rebels are Diane Abbott, Dave Anderson, Katy Clark, Jeremy Corbyn, John Cryer, Fabian Hamilton, Kelvin Hopkins, Ian Lavery, John McDonnell, Michael Meacher, Ian Mearns, Grahame Morris, Linda Riordan, Steve Rotherham, Jim Sheridan, Chris Williamson.  Among several demands they insist that the railways are taken back into public ownership (conveniently forgetting that it was a publicly-owned section of the railways that was responsible for the closure and chaos at Kings Cross station over the Christmas holiday - nationalised organisations are always contemptuous of their customers) http://labourlist.org/2015/01/16-labour-mps-release-statement-calling-for-change-in-party-policy-direction/

We are of course fourteen weeks away from the general election.

That's about 84 campaign days (I am assuming the parties are going to give it a rest on Sundays).

What are we to make of such disloyalty at the very moment when Labour needs unity and commitment?

Presumably large sections of the Labour party have given up on May 2015.

They know they are going down, and the landing is going to be hard.

They also know that in the wake of defeat, among the resignations and recriminations and bitter internecine in-fighting, there will be an opportunity for a charismatic faction to seize control of the Labour Party.  They fear the return of David Miliband and the neo-Blairites.  Therefore they are getting their offering in first.