Comments on: Nick Clegg’s half century: not out http://www.theliberati.net/quaequamblog/2008/02/11/nick-cleggs-half-century-not-out/ crass, boorish and more a bruiser than blogger Sun, 20 Jul 2008 02:45:15 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.1 By: Top of the Blogs: The Golden Dozen #52 | Liberal Democrat Voice http://www.theliberati.net/quaequamblog/2008/02/11/nick-cleggs-half-century-not-out/#comment-164384 Top of the Blogs: The Golden Dozen #52 | Liberal Democrat Voice Sun, 17 Feb 2008 19:50:03 +0000 http://www.theliberati.net/quaequamblog/2008/02/11/nick-cleggs-half-century-not-out/#comment-164384 [...] Nick Clegg’s half century: not out on James Graham’s Quaequam Blog! blog. You don’t even get 100 days to prove yourself these [...] […] Nick Clegg’s half century: not out on James Graham’s Quaequam Blog! blog. You don’t even get 100 days to prove yourself these […]

]]> By: James Graham http://www.theliberati.net/quaequamblog/2008/02/11/nick-cleggs-half-century-not-out/#comment-162055 James Graham Mon, 11 Feb 2008 17:30:05 +0000 http://www.theliberati.net/quaequamblog/2008/02/11/nick-cleggs-half-century-not-out/#comment-162055 Fundamentally, I agree with you. I'm just tired of the Tories claiming the moral highground here when they don't have a leg to stand on. We might have broken a manifesto commitment, but at least our position has a degree of coherence and consistency. The Tory line - a referendum on this treaty but not that one and a portrayal of the Lisbon Treaty as if it is the single biggest EU reform since Rome when it palpably isn't - is far more dishonest. Two wrongs don't make a right and all that, but still... Fundamentally, I agree with you. I’m just tired of the Tories claiming the moral highground here when they don’t have a leg to stand on. We might have broken a manifesto commitment, but at least our position has a degree of coherence and consistency. The Tory line - a referendum on this treaty but not that one and a portrayal of the Lisbon Treaty as if it is the single biggest EU reform since Rome when it palpably isn’t - is far more dishonest.

Two wrongs don’t make a right and all that, but still…

]]> By: sanbikinoraion http://www.theliberati.net/quaequamblog/2008/02/11/nick-cleggs-half-century-not-out/#comment-162034 sanbikinoraion Mon, 11 Feb 2008 16:56:43 +0000 http://www.theliberati.net/quaequamblog/2008/02/11/nick-cleggs-half-century-not-out/#comment-162034 (just ticking the box to get emails) (just ticking the box to get emails)

]]> By: sanbikinoraion http://www.theliberati.net/quaequamblog/2008/02/11/nick-cleggs-half-century-not-out/#comment-162032 sanbikinoraion Mon, 11 Feb 2008 16:56:00 +0000 http://www.theliberati.net/quaequamblog/2008/02/11/nick-cleggs-half-century-not-out/#comment-162032 One of the commenters nails it on the point about the EU referendum, though: like it or not, whether the party's position is correct (and I, and many Lib Dems are desperately unhappy about it), it was a cast iron opportunity for Clegg to show honesty and trustworthiness that the other politicians were attempting to weasel out of, and he (and by extension we) didn't. Whether or not (this treaty) or (this treaty + all previous treaties) = EU, we promised a referendum on <i>this document</i>, and now we appear to be going back on that promise. I don't see why the PP can't campaign for both a referendum on <i>this document</i> and then for a hokey-kokey referendum afterwards <i>except</i> that they are scared that they would lose, because the public rightly see the EU as a tremendous waste of their tax money. One of the commenters nails it on the point about the EU referendum, though: like it or not, whether the party’s position is correct (and I, and many Lib Dems are desperately unhappy about it), it was a cast iron opportunity for Clegg to show honesty and trustworthiness that the other politicians were attempting to weasel out of, and he (and by extension we) didn’t.

Whether or not (this treaty) or (this treaty + all previous treaties) = EU, we promised a referendum on this document, and now we appear to be going back on that promise.

I don’t see why the PP can’t campaign for both a referendum on this document and then for a hokey-kokey referendum afterwards except that they are scared that they would lose, because the public rightly see the EU as a tremendous waste of their tax money.

]]> By: John Dixon http://www.theliberati.net/quaequamblog/2008/02/11/nick-cleggs-half-century-not-out/#comment-162020 John Dixon Mon, 11 Feb 2008 16:08:20 +0000 http://www.theliberati.net/quaequamblog/2008/02/11/nick-cleggs-half-century-not-out/#comment-162020 I thought it was pretty decent article, no matter what the response might be from those who assume that not having a referendum on the EU treaty is equivocal to having queen spanked by Sarkozy, the truth is Nick has been active, obviously has a solid idea of where he wants to take the party and is probably our most likeable and media friendly MP. Lets hope he keeps talking loudly about the real issues and gets noticed eh. I thought it was pretty decent article, no matter what the response might be from those who assume that not having a referendum on the EU treaty is equivocal to having queen spanked by Sarkozy, the truth is Nick has been active, obviously has a solid idea of where he wants to take the party and is probably our most likeable and media friendly MP. Lets hope he keeps talking loudly about the real issues and gets noticed eh.

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