Opik joins the yellow rebels
Fraser Nelson 12:26pm
A cheeky little bird has leaked me this text, from a letter Lembit Opik sent to a constituent - saying he will defy Nick Clegg and abstain from a vote on a referendum for the Lisbon Treaty:
“The question of a referendum on the Treaty itself is a hard question. As you well know, others say that the treaty is so much like a Constitution that it warrants a referendum on its own. I think the best thing I can do is abstain on the specific vote about a referendum on the treaty, while pushing for a vote in accordance with our position that the real referendum that needs to be had is whether we stay in the EU or not.”Many Coffee Housers may consider the phrase “principled Liberal Democrats” an oxymoron, but Nick Clegg’s line on the EU Constitution is flushing them out. Opik and the other 65 LibDem MPs were elected on a manifesto to bring about this referendum - about half the party thinks as Opik does. Remember on current polls, half the LibDem 66 MPs are scheduled to lose their seats. This tends to focus the mind. And, who knows, the Lisbon Treaty debate may be interesting after all.
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Comments
mart
February 19th, 2008 1:50pmSo then, a bit of principled fence-sitting? I'd be more impressed if the "principles" were a little clearer to see, and - ahem - count! (ie. in the voting lobbies).
Francis S E Codjoe
February 19th, 2008 7:36pmThe question is: Wha does Clegg know about European integration? How well-informed is he on the sigbnificance and implications of the whole EU project. Is he aware that a Briton wrote about a political alliance of European nations: how it would develop, its charctefr and future before the the founding fathers of EU, Jean Monnet ande Robert Schuman, wwere born in 1888 and 1886. British politicians must do their hom,ework before imposing their own opinions on the masses based upon their shallow knowledge on European integration. Because of igonrance they lack the confidence to confront Brussels. They are blindly following the French and Germans to sell Britons as 'slaves, in Monnety's 'slave market in Brussels. Knowledge is power ignorance is weakness. Had politicians examined what the Fotrgotten Briton wrote about European integration and its future, they would have torn the Lisbon Treaty into pieces. Britain does not belong to 'selfish' and 'ignorant' and unprincipled politicians. Europe
Mike Hanlon
February 19th, 2008 9:59pmThat's not a rebellion, Fraser. Unbelieveable though it may seem, abstention on a *treaty* referendum is this week's official Lib Dem stance, I believe. By not bothering to take a view on such a major political debate as whether to agree a blank cheque transfer of powers from Parliament to undemocratic EU institutions (much less stick to the view they stated in their manifesto at the last election!) the so-called Liberal Democrats clearly have no wish to be perceived as a party worth taking seriously. The best thing Opik could do is honour his election promise and support a referendum on this treaty, which everyone seems to be confirming is essentially the EU Constitution re-branded.
J.R.Roberts
February 21st, 2008 9:48amHALF LIB DEMS to lose seats !! Yestyerday's Opinion Poll (Guardian) put us up on 21 % Believe me prospects are changing !!