Let's just bear in mind these figures before we just heap all the blame on the LibDems...
Twenty one per cent of LibDem MPs defied their whip and voted for a referendum. Ninety five per cent of Tory MPs also voted for the amendment, with only the usual suspects of Ken Clarke (of whom more later), John Gummer and David Curry going to the dark side. But the real killer was that only 29 Labour MPs, seven per cent of the total voted with the people. It's the other 334 who need to be held to account for their actions, along with the 43 LibDems and three Tories.
20 comments:
I complete sell out for the people of Britain. I am sure they will come to regret this. No wonder we to not trust them.
Referendum culprit (euphimism) see also traitor, quisling, Judas, liar, corruption ad infinitum
"voted with the people" - which people would that be then squire? The euro-sceptic head-bangers perhaps. And how could MPs vote with people to deny people a vote so they couldn't vote to be voted with in the first place? You're in awful danger of disappearing up your own early-morning logical paradox.
PS your opening remarks imply that 95% of Tories defied their party's whip, shum missay shoorlee...
Hold on, didn't the Tory deputy chairman, the man responsible for candidates also not vote for a referendum?
Nice to see euphiles defining the Tory MP's of the future....
Gosh - my earlier PS resulted in you changing your text. Influence at last!
The Lib Dems have no principles, they just ditched the best leader they ever had or will have (Cable) and are in another mess. Who's shocked; like all cultural marxists they pay lip service to democracy but despise it. Anyone notice the Labour MP who got up and with bold stupidity said 'Who's sovreign us or the people?' Well us actually, hence the term demo-cracy; it's all in the title. Oh dear; anyone also notice the feeble level of debate and debating skills from the left? Truly atrocious. The Tories won the debate last night no matter what the result. They were moral, eloquent and logical.
I thought you'd already heaped all the blame on the Lib Dems, Iain.
Yesterday was like a throwback to another age, when Parliament really seemed to matter. I fear it was just the last flickering of a once mighty fire. All that's left to us now is ashes and clinker.
Yes, but I thought I'd do it again for good measure!
What is the score with Clarke/Curry/Gummer - are they all planning to stand at the next election? In all other resepcts, Clarke is an outstanding politician, but that inflexible position on Europe has condemned him to a career short of its full potential. Gummer probably loses us a hundred thousand votes each time he pops us (admittedly, less than the two hundred thousand Redwood costs) so he wouldn't be missed if he hung up his re-election boots. And Curry too.
Fancy any of their seats, Iain? (Although I think replacing Ken in Rushcliffe might require you to hang up your Hammers and become a Forest fan...)
For those who know the figures better than me, is there any chance that the LibDems, Tories and a few more Labour rebels could come to a compromise amendment to put forward when the Bill returns from the House of Lords?
Strikes me that LibDems might be willing to compromise in order to at least get a referendum with say 3 questions on the paper:
1. Do you wish to leave the EU?
2. Do you wish to stay in the EU but reject the Lisbon Treaty?
3. Do you wish to stay in the EU and accept the Lisbon Treaty?
Surely that set of questions would satisfy everyone - even the Tories who voted with Labour!
Moreover, surely Labour itself would feel it could not support such an amendment?
Iain, where can I find a list that shows how MPs voted please?
Let's be honest here.
So, Party politics fun and all that, who CARES? I really don't think the general public give that much of a sh*t about all of this.
The party leader abstained, but a quarter of his party disagreed with him, leading to the largest rebellion since he assumed the leadership.
Not Nick Clegg, but David Cameron.
As everyone examined the damage done to Nick Clegg's leadership by the largest Lib Dem rebellion in six years, the Commons also divided on New Clause 9 in the name of William Cash. It stated that nothing in the new Treaty of Lisbon should be construed by any court in the United Kingdom as affecting the supremacy of the United Kingdom Parliament.
The Conservative frontbench line was to abstain. But 40 Conservative MPs, including 12 members of the 2005 intake, voted for Cash's clause. Europhile Ken Clarke voted with the Government in the no lobby.
This was the largest Conservative rebellion since David Cameron came to power, involving a quarter of his MPs. It was also the largest rebellion by MPs of any party during the passage of the Bill to date.
The Real Referendum Culprits Are...
... the petty politicians (PPs) of all parties who played the Little Englander card without thought for the consequences. A plague on all your houses (be they in leafy England or the Dordogne). And Hooray for Ken Clarke who spoke real sense (not that the PPs will have listedned)
Since the vote on Bill Cash's amendment wasn't whipped, it hardly constitutes a "rebellion" does it? Get real.
That vote was just a sideshow on a day of shame for NuLab and the Lib Dems.
Parliament should vote with the people? Since when?
It hasn't happened in a thousand years and by God it won't happen for another thousand...
The Tories suffer the biggest rebellion so far on this bill. Cameron ignored by a quarter of Tory MPs.
http://www.revolts.co.uk/
Same old Tories. Same old deep divides on Europe.
Iain, why have you not commented on John Maple's abstention, with Ian Taylor, on the referendum vote? I hope that you are not too scared to criticise Maples is the Party Vice Chairman (Candidates? No true Tory with integrity would put career before principles.
I have no idea why John Maples didn't vote. Maybe he was slipped. Maybe he was paired. Maybe he ignored the three line whip deliberately. Feel free to tell me as your comment was the first I had heard about him and Ian Taylor. As regards your last comment, read my article in last week's Telegraph on Andrew Lansley and come back to me and tell me you think I am guilty of what you are potentially accusing me of.
"Feel free to tell me as your comment was the first I had heard about him"
*cough* Check my comment at 08:23!
7 hours before TFA Tory!
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