Labour: What just happened?

In the harsh morning light, it is difficult to know what to make of the promised talks between Corbyn, Watson, Winterton and the Parliamentary Labour Party on giving Labour MPs some kind of renewed role in choosing the shadow cabinet - as a device to foster peace between Corbyn and MPs.

The point is Corbyn voted against a motion at the NEC last night mandating such talks and setting a deadline for them of the next NEC meeting, on Saturday evening at Labour conference.

And that motion was duly lost.

But immediately afterwards, Corbyn volunteered that he would after all hold precisely those talks, and would report on their progress to - oh yes - the NEC on Saturday.

One NEC member told me: "We all just looked at each other and wondered what had just happened. It was really strange."

The point is that no one but Corbyn really knows - and perhaps even he doesn't either - whether we are about to see serious negotiations on bringing MPs back into Corbyn's fold, on bringing some kind of fragile stability and unity to this bitterly divided party, with a view to submitting a resolution to conference on changing how the front bench is chosen.

Or was Corbyn just trying to seem emollient, and in fact has zero intention of being rushed into a deal which would presumably constrain his power to set direction and policies for Labour?

If recent history is a guide, you would bet peace and love is not about to break out in the parliamentary Labour Party - though my goodness the MPs I've been chatting with are desperate for it.