Lib Dem party president Tim Farron — who resigned from the Lib Dem front-bench in 2008 to vote in favour of a referendum on the Libson Treaty — explained today why he thinks it would be “completely mad” to hold a referendum while the UK is tryng to get out of the biggest recession in living memory. You can watch the 2-minute video here:
Subscribe
-
Follow @libdemvoice.org on Bluesky
-
Like us on Facebook
-
Subscribe to our feed
-
Sign-up for our daily email digest
Most Read
Search
Op-eds
-
Liberals and the unions: time to talk again (Jack Meredith)
-
Andy Burnham’s NHS record: Devolution, delivery and the limits of local power (Iain Donaldson)
-
Huge victory for Campaign for Gigi (Tom Morrison)
-
Andy Burnham’s record on policing: Success story or missed opportunity? (Iain Donaldson)
-
Burnham: Strategic implications (Paul Reynolds)
Recent Comments
David Warren
@David Raw I don't agree with the draconian laws introduced by the Thatcher government that allow union funds to be seized and campaigned vigorously against ...
Roland
@Peter Martin - " but it does raise the question of why there is so little UK involvement in the sector." ...
David Raw
@ David Warren You write approvingly, "we also need to highlight reforms that are needed to make unions truly democratic. The Tories passed legislation in the ...
David Warren
I have been a trade union member since 1980 and for 20 years was a full time representative of the postal workers union CWU. Yes Liberals do need to relate m...
Peter Chambers
Paul, thanks for this incisive piece on the relationship between the Labour Party and the privation of state provision in the UK. I agree with much of what you ...



5 Comments
The only reason its mad not to have a referendum is simple the politicians know there gravy train will end that’s why labour wont have one too. You lot changed the terms in which we granted entry in the 70s so much its led to the mess Europe is in So I say let the people decide IN or OUT
“It would be “completely mad to have a referendum now” on EU”
I quite agree, what the EU will become has not yet been determined, nor too the appropriate balance of competences discovered from the whitehall review.
Those who say we don’t know which way the EU is going lol you must be blind its clear as day the Political class’s want a Federal Europe in United States of Europe no matter how they dress it up. We are going to be sold down the line just as we have since joining a trading union supposedly
Tim is absolutely correct, our approach should be collegiate rather than prima donna. Every EU country wants to re-negotiate some things, and every EU country has the freedom to leave, but that is not a reason to threaten to do so.
On the referendum, I like that we are quite properly agreeing with Cameron – have one when something big is to change. No reason there for business to worry, every EU country might do it.
Perhaps more important though, what is the electorate saying? Quite a few might actually be attracted to the Euro if we were to lead in that direction.
Richard, sadly quite a few are talking as Terry above. Clearly(in my view) confused and ill-informed, but he has a right to his opinion. The fact that a worryingly large number of people hold these views is the result of years of non-information from our anti-EU press, and downright lies from some anti-Europeans. Tim is absolutely right, the country needs Leadership, and needs to be told the facts, not be left in a vacuum for the sceptics to fill in the blanks with their nonsense.. When we, eventually, get around to changing our Leader Tim is the man we need.