News from the New Party

Out-minging Ming

The Spectator Coffee House crowd are having fun with Nick Clegg, who "leads" the Liberal Democrats.  Clegg is in trouble with the referendum on the Lisbon Treaty (i.e. the erstwhile European Constitution in drag) - which is remarkable since the whole world knows there will be no referendum on the treaty, notwithstanding the efforts of the "I Want A Referendum" campaign or indeed the fact that practically every MP in the House of Commons was elected on a manifesto promise that there would be one.

Gordon Brown has decreed that there is no need for a referendum on the basis that the new, improved treaty is just a minor tidying up exercise - nothing to get excited about, Parliament can handle it.  Clegg is taking a broadly similar line about Lisbon, but beyond the obvious problem of a manifesto commitment on the Constitution, he has the further handicap of being a Liberal Democrat and is therefore honour bound to demand a referendum on almost any issue available.

Clegg's first attempt to solve the problem was to proclaim a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty unnecessary, but demand instead a referendum on EU membership (which of course the Lib Dems would support and then campaign for).  The Lib Dem amendment to this effect was scuppered by the Speaker on the entirely reasonable grounds that it was completely irrelevant to the matter at hand (i.e. the Treaty).  Thus was the genesis of Ed Davey's hilarious tantrum and expulsion from the Commons chamber, and the fairly unenthusiastic walkout of some of his parliamentary colleagues which followed.

The new master plan is that Clegg will impose a three line whip to demand that his MPs renege on their manifesto commitment and abstain on a referendum.  Several frontbenchers (David Heath and Nick Harvey have been mentioned) are expected to vote for a referendum, some on principle, others possibly out of sheer confusion.  Clegg will then have to decide whether or not to sack them all.  It takes rare political skill to manufacture a debacle of this magnitude.  Even Sir Menzies Campbell couldn't manage it.  How much worse can it get for the Liberal Democrats?  On recent form, probably quite a bit.