Mark Thompson: How can Lib Dems credibly claim we only wanted an EU referendum "if things change"...

Wednesday 15 May 2013

...when we were putting out leaflets like this before the election?

Jim said...: You can't, but that won't stop them, because the Lib Dems are the most shameless (in a crowded field) of political parties who will say anything to garner a few votes, only to abandon or propose the exact opposite policy if that is politically expedient at some time in the future. This is just a particularly egregious example of the genre - Cameron's promise of an EU referendum on the Lisbon Treaty is a similar one.; 15 May 2013 at 18:23
oneexwidow said...: pIt's said (and I have no reason to doubt this) that the leaflet dates to earlier than the General Election - (2008 is mentioned, although given Lisbon Treaty still a live issue in the last Euro elections, so possibly 2009.)

It does seek (not particularly well, granted) to draw a distinction between offering an in/out referendum rather than on a specific treaty as was being proposed elsewhere... - and does seem to lack qualification and context.

Following ratification of Lisbon, then the referendum became a moot point - and manifesto commitment became government policy and law: a referendum next time there's a significant change.

Stephen Tall has more on this, here:

http://www.libdemvoice.org/the-surprising-truth-about-that-lib-dem-inout-eu-referendum-leaflet-32686.html; 22 May 2013 at 00:03

Pages