It's interesting what the late peer and former Lib Dem leader Paddy Ashdown had to say on Brexit. Paddy cast a postal vote for Leave (1:50) but subsequently changed his mind and campaigned for Remain. On the night of the EU referendum he said: "Those who've asked for this, and I was the first leader to ever ask for a referendum way back in 89-90, have said so because they believe it to be an act of democracy. I will forgive no one who does not accept the sovereign voice of the British people once it has spoken. Whether it's by 1% or 20%. Once they've taken it is our duty to as those who serve the public to make the best use and to make sure that the country does the best it can with the decision the people have given us. I've heard Mr Farage say tonight 'we're coming back even if we loose'. Excuse me he's the person who complained about lack of democracy in Europe. If he will not accept the sovereign voice of the British people when they vote whatever they say then I think he does not have the national interest at heart, he has his own interests at heart. So for all of us: in, out, half the way, I don't mind, when the British people have spoken you do what they suggest - what they command." The reporter asks a question and he says "Either way what you do is you put the national interest first. Either you believe in democracy or you don't. When democracy speaks, we obey. All of us do. If you put your nation first then you make the best use of it as you can, as soon as you've got. If you're disappointed one way you still apply yourself to making sure the British people's decision is followed, is obeyed, and we do the best in the national interest with that decision. Any people who say 'we're coming back for a second one' - they don't believe in democracy. Anybody who says 'well I'm disappointed I'm therefore going to fight against this' that is I think an abligation for the very thing we stand for. You cannot run a democratic system unless people accept the democratic judgement and then put the national interest first."
His comments re-appeared during the 2019 General Election to haunt Jo Swinson.
The 2018 op-ed (first link in above paragraph) is remarkably balanced. He did in the end underestimate Johnson's capacity at pragmatism, although it was written an entire year before Johnson became prime minister and Paddy passed away December 2018.
The Lib Dems were the first of the major parties to call for an EU referendum in 2007. I'm not exactly sure why they put out a poison chalice when they're a pro-EU party, but nevertheless they did. We all know what happened since 2016 - the parliamentary party, unwisely, let in a bunch of remainer defectors from the other major parties in Westminster. Under Vince Cable's leadership Lib Dem's official Brexit policy since 2017 was to hold a second referendum - "a people vote", and by the EU elections of 2019 it was "bullocks to Brexit".
The central thesis in Paddy's op-ed is that any Brexit outcome was possible (at the time): "Hard Brexit, soft Brexit, no Brexit, no deal, crash out, break up of the Tories, break up of Labour, new centre Party, Lib Dem government – no I go too far – but you get the point." And that this was due to deeply divided parliamentary parties, catastrophically so as he puts it.
He was right.
Ultimately the path that has taken the UK to where it is now, is one by which whatever party (Labour or Tory) unified themselves behind a policy the public could accept, would win. Lib Dem, SNP, DUP, and indeed the Tories all successfully unified their parliamentary parties behind a Brexit policy. Of course in the case of Lib Dem they chose a policy their voters would not accept (something I pointed out from the very start), and consequently ran an appallingly bad campaign. Labour on the other hand remained catastrophically divided.
They still are.
I'm not sure that Lib Dem knew what hit them either.
Now some will say that Paddy is proof that the older cohorts voted for something they didn't really want, when it's not their future anyway, it's very sad that he died but it will never affect him. Actually that view misses a lot. Paddy may have changed his mind, but he never said he regretted voting Leave. Also he campaigned for remain - he more than offset his own vote by doing so, meaning he didn't bring on Brexit at all quite the opposite.
His comments re-appeared during the 2019 General Election to haunt Jo Swinson.
The 2018 op-ed (first link in above paragraph) is remarkably balanced. He did in the end underestimate Johnson's capacity at pragmatism, although it was written an entire year before Johnson became prime minister and Paddy passed away December 2018.
The Lib Dems were the first of the major parties to call for an EU referendum in 2007. I'm not exactly sure why they put out a poison chalice when they're a pro-EU party, but nevertheless they did. We all know what happened since 2016 - the parliamentary party, unwisely, let in a bunch of remainer defectors from the other major parties in Westminster. Under Vince Cable's leadership Lib Dem's official Brexit policy since 2017 was to hold a second referendum - "a people vote", and by the EU elections of 2019 it was "bullocks to Brexit".
The central thesis in Paddy's op-ed is that any Brexit outcome was possible (at the time): "Hard Brexit, soft Brexit, no Brexit, no deal, crash out, break up of the Tories, break up of Labour, new centre Party, Lib Dem government – no I go too far – but you get the point." And that this was due to deeply divided parliamentary parties, catastrophically so as he puts it.
He was right.
Ultimately the path that has taken the UK to where it is now, is one by which whatever party (Labour or Tory) unified themselves behind a policy the public could accept, would win. Lib Dem, SNP, DUP, and indeed the Tories all successfully unified their parliamentary parties behind a Brexit policy. Of course in the case of Lib Dem they chose a policy their voters would not accept (something I pointed out from the very start), and consequently ran an appallingly bad campaign. Labour on the other hand remained catastrophically divided.
They still are.
I'm not sure that Lib Dem knew what hit them either.
Now some will say that Paddy is proof that the older cohorts voted for something they didn't really want, when it's not their future anyway, it's very sad that he died but it will never affect him. Actually that view misses a lot. Paddy may have changed his mind, but he never said he regretted voting Leave. Also he campaigned for remain - he more than offset his own vote by doing so, meaning he didn't bring on Brexit at all quite the opposite.
