Now Lib Dems vote against votes at 16
Here at Bright Green we try to avoid partisan attacks. They are pretty boring. But this is quite an impressive hattrick.
Less than a week after Vince Cable decided to back the findings of the Browne review, and so support the raising of tuition fees that he had promised he would scrap; a few days after every single Lib Dem voted against Caroline Lucas’ amendment to allow proportional representation – despite both Labour and Tory MPs rebelling to vote for it; they have now – in another amendment to the AV Bill – voted against another longheld Lib Dem principle – votes at 16.
This is, of course, particularly painful this week. With the clarification that Child Benefit will now end at 16, many had argued that we’ve seen the final nail in the coffin for the argument that the state sees 16 and 17 year olds as children.
Lib Dem activists must be hurting this week – but I suppose Nick Clegg is treating them like a plaster – ripping them all off at once.
douche
I can’t remember which council it was; but I recall Liberals manoeuvred Green councillors into a position where they voted against recycling – giving them the headline they have used ever since “Greens vote against recycling” (Alliance members can join the Liberal councillors’ association). I have to say this nonsense is less convincing. As Hansard reports; “Mr Mark Williams (Ceredigion) (LD): The Liberal Democrats share the hon. Lady’s passion for reducing the voting age, but does not her amendment risk looking dangerously isolated against the mission that she wants and we want: a much broader package of votes for everyone at 16? It looks very isolated and perhaps this is not the Bill in which to pursue this issue.”
The vote is about half way down this page (division 79), which also has the debate itself.
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201011/cmhansrd/cm101018/debtext/101018-0003.htm
I can’t find anything about this on Hansard – can you post a link to anything with more info? Thanks
Lib Dem manifesto, page 88, says: “[Liberal Democrats will] give the right to vote from age 16”.
What exactly is the point of voting Lib Dem if they don’t keep their promises? If they were honest, their next manifesto would contain the single sentence: “Don’t bother reading this manifesto, we promise to break our promises if we’re elected”.