Realignment of political parties?

Matthew Parris in today's Times newspaper suggests that the Labour tradition has to re-find itself and discover what it stands for. Tony Blair effectively destroyed old Labour, clause 4 and all, but apart from soundbites and slogans never fully developed New Labour, or hadn't when he was deposed.

There are still Blairites in parliament, who may have worked out what they stand for and who are conducting guerrilla battles with G.Brown.

Assume for a moment that today's elections deliver a massive blow to Labour, perhaps knocking them into fourth place in total votes cast, behind the Tories, UKIP and the LibDems. What then, if the parliamentary party falls into infighting?

Most parties have "wings", that is they are broad churches. The Tories have right wing eurosceptic,with market dominated policies, and a progressive left wing more favourable to the EU.

Labour may be more complicated. Originally there were two elements - the traditional working class socialist/Marxist trade union wing, and the Fabian/intellectual wing of socialists. They had common causes but differences. The former group tended to emphasise collective bargaining, the latter constructivism.

The LibDems embrace those who are virtually socialist and statist, and others who embrace a notion of market and personal freedom. The former could be happy in the Labour Party, the latter in the Blairite wing and with the left of the Tory Party.

Is it possible that any convulsions following the expected poor results for Labour if they happen, could produce a realignment. The Blairites could join the right wing of the LibDems, or the left wing of the Tories, the left wing of the LibDems joining intellectual socialists to form a Social Democratic Party.

Is it possible that the main two parties could be enhanced Tory and enhanced LibDems, with a small die hard Trade-Union-financed Socialist Party, perhaps with the Greens, to become the third party?

The permutations are endless, and this is all speculation about things that could be a year or two away. If Matthew Parris is right, and Labour has to find a role and message, who knows what could happen? Arguably politics could become as fluid as it has been for some time.