Lisbon: feel the pain of the Liberal Democrats

The Liberal Democrats are feeling injured (again) over their parliamentary and media treatment on the Lisbon treaty. Nick Clegg has adopted a masochism strategy (Newsnight, Today, PMQs) but the consensus is that it is hurting rather than working. It isn't an easy job to defend the party's principled approach - to abstain.

His spinners insist that the media are being unfair because the party is being entirely consistent with the past. But, as Peter Riddell wrote this morning, 72 Conservative MPs who are still in the Commons voted against a referendum in 1993 on the far more significant Maastricht treaty, and all but four are likely to vote for a referendum tonight. Consistency isn't everything.

Jeremy Paxman identified the difficulty last night. Why, if Clegg believes that this is a treaty rather than a constitution - and therefore does not need a referendum - does he not vote with Labour against the Tories' attempts to force one. The Lib Dems say that this is because they are making the point that the real debate should be whether there is a referendum on Britain being in or out of Europe. But this means that they are ignoring the question at hand and taking a position different from the one being asked. The worst of all worlds, it seems.

The real test for them will come later today, however, if there are resignations from the Liberal Democrat front bench. Update: There are three resignations, Tim Farron, justice spokesman, David Heath and Alistair Carmichael, who speaks on Scotland and Northern Ireland

The Liberal Democrat spring Conference in Liverpool promises to be an interesting spectacle.

Comments

[Martin Pantling]

Verify your update that there ARE 3 resignations. Is this yet known at the time of your posting?

[Martin Pantling]

Verify your update that there ARE 3 resignations. Is this yet known at the time of your posting?

[Andrew]

Masochism is fine for Clegg, but I'm not a fan and Last night (Newsnight) and today were painful to watch...

[Richard]

Chris Huhn dubbed his leadership opponent
'Calamity Clegg'. How prophetic ! The LibDems are proving to be neither liberal nor democratic and will surely be decimated at the General Election.

[Richard]

Chris Huhn dubbed his leadership opponent
'Calamity Clegg'. How prophetic ! The LibDems are proving to be neither liberal nor democratic and will surely be decimated at the General Election.

[HD]

I feel bewildered,let down,upset,etc.I am a Lib dem(was a Young Liberal in 60s London)I voted for Nick Clegg recently(tho' I was hard-pressed to choose him over Chris Huhne(whom I also thought excellent). When I returned from holiday yesterday and caught up on the latest Lib Dem "saga" I thought,"Oh no here we go again;being sneered at by Paxo among others." I really can't stand much more but would have to have gone gaga before I could ever vote Tory or Labour.(and we think the Americans have problems politically!)

[nick]

you have to love paxman, always a great interview