A way away from the very real phenomenon of Cleggmania which is sweeping across considerable sections of the country, an obscure debate is rumbling within the upper echelons of the Liberal Democrats over the one major policy that has divided senior members of the party behind the scenes.
Newstatesman.com has learned that a number of senior Lib Dem peers have privately said they do not support Nick Clegg’s policy to have an “in or out” referendum on EU membership, designed to eclipse the Tories who are seen to have broken his “cast iron” promise in the Sun for a public vote on the Lisbon Treaty.
A source close to a group of pro-European Peers says that many MPs are willing to support the policy because, particularly in the South West, they need a populist line with which to counter the Tories. But senior “wise elders” in the party, said to include at least one former leader, have expressed concerns. There are fears that the “in or out” referendum is, in effect, an “anti-European” policy because — on a theoretical level — it goes against the tradition of representative parliamentary democracy and — on a practical level — it could result in a “No” vote. “I am not sure this has been properly thought through,” one Lib Dem source said.
There is no mention of the policy here or here in Europe sections of the Lib Dem web site. But the manifesto itself outlines the policy [found by my eagle-eyed colleague Ian Smith], which is relatively rarely discussed in the media:
The European Union has evolved significantly since the last public vote on membership over thirty years ago. Liberal Democrats therefore remain committed to an in/out referendum the next time a British government signs up for fundamental change in the relationship between the UK and the EU.
Some in Westminster were surprised when Ed Davey, the Lib Dems’s foreign affairs spokesman, reiterated the position during yesterday’s BBC2 debate.
Clegg is expected to face questions on this policy during tomorrow night’s Sky News leaders’ debate, which covers foreign affairs. Ironically, he is also likely to be attacked from the right by David Cameron, meanwhile, for being too pro-European and therefore out of step with majority British opinion, despite the point — reiterated by Tony Blair recently — that no party has won an election since 1945 on an anti-European platform.
Overall, it is likely that Clegg will counter with his combined message of pro-Europeanism and a “power to the people” themed referendum possibility, while exploiting the fact that only his party opposed the invasion of Iraq.
Overall it is hard to see, in other words, how Cleggmania will be halted tomorrow night.
Content from our partners
Related
