The Rebels are presumably still both Conservatives and patriots. They dare not push May so far that she gets replaced by a hardliner, or push the government so far that its collapse lets Mr. Collective Farm into power.
My calculation early on was that Tory Rebels feared Corbyn more than anything. The ERG feared BINO most, and view it as destroying their life's work so will do anything to stop it.
I also think it likely that the Tory Rebels do fear a hard liner too, if May falls. If that happens all hope of BINO is gone.
Your calculation as a Tory Rebel was a lot about how far the ERG would go. Would they try to collapse the government to stop BINO even if that meant Corbyn becoming PM.
Damn straight they would. Possibly because they figure Corbyn can be manipulated. And failing that how long would Corbyn last with his own party as divided as they are? In a post Brexit situation?
The Tory Rebels had their backs to the wall either way. Combine that with the abuse and threats, and perhaps a quiet word about how party members are going to get special treatment if Brexit turns into a nightmare, won't you think of your family type thing, and they fold under the pressure.
I don't know that I have much sympathy for the Rebels. They had ample opportunity to step up a lot earlier but didn't. And the further it went the harder it got. They just don't believe that May will go for a no deal situation when the chips are down. Personally I think that's incredibly naive given everything that has happened, but I also think that if you are privileged you tend to be blind to the worst of human failings and of the mindset that X will never happen.
The numbers were sufficient to block no deal despite the leadership of either party. I suspect that deselection might have cropped up. Indeed Soubry is facing it as her own local party are trying to do so. But all they had to do was survive until March next year. Not even that long tbh.
But again it goes past that into threats to family. You might be willing to sacrifice your career but you might also put your life at risk and that of your family.
For that reason, and despite the threats, I don't think you can call them patriots. Patriots in the truest sense of the word. Patriotism is about fully understanding the implications of your action or indeed non action. And being prepared to sacrifice all for it. If you can be bought off, your belief has limitation. But let's see how long patriotism lasts in the face of no food. You just get riots and destruction with no regard to how that harms the country...
May's biggest vice as PM has been to foster and encourage a culture where potential lynchings are a possibility. Encouraging vigilantism is the stuff of fascists. It shows, ultimately, how far we have gone and moved away from democracy into a situation where parliamentary intimidation and vote rigging is real. With that the power of the people has already gone and been replaced by the power of thugs.
This should frighten you, because it's now government sanctioned strategy for pushing things through without scrutiny and moderation. When someone feels they no longer need moderation because they have all the power they need, they are capable of anything.
And that's what too many people don't see. The belief that it will all be ok, in this context, is extremely naive.
It might well be the case that May thinks she is leading this, as it's got her, her own way thus far. She's wrong. What she has unleashed is bigger than her. It will eat her in the end and someone more hard line will take over anyway. She is hostage to it, whether she knows it or not.
The where do we go from here is terrifying, as shit hits the fan on way or another. This dynamic was visible as possible on 24th June 2016. It's not unravelled yet and indeed is more and more likely as too many have made bad choices.
Pick your poison.