Nick Clegg says referendum on an elected Lords would cost too much money when all party manifestos supported it

At one minute thirty seconds into the interview the Deputy PM says there is no need for a referendum - which would cost millions of pounds - which would be a "monumental distraction" - when all three parties were committed to an elected Lords in their manifestos.

Fourteen minutes into the interview Andrew Neil pressed the Lib Dem leader on whether he had a moral duty to return the money that Michael Brown donated to the Lib Dems and which turned out to be effectively stolen money. No, Clegg replied.

In this second video Mr Clegg insists he'll fight the next election as Lib Dem leader and that he had no choice but to form an alliance with the Conservatives after the last election.

Comments

[Malcolm Dunn]

This man really is the end. 1. The Conservative manifesto most certainly did not support an elected house of Lords, elected by PR. It pledged to try to build a consensus. No consensus remotely exists.
It is a bit rich for Clegg to claim that a referendum on Lords Reform would cost too much when he wasted a great deal of money on a referendum that few people wanted on an electoral system that would have been much more expensive than FPTP.
People like Clegg are one of the reasons why the political class is so despised at the moment.

[Mdr107]

Democracy is expensive! Much cheaper not to bother asking the uneducated proles who do not understand what is good for them, and it gives time for policies to work.....

[Michael mcgough]

Clegg has a moral duty to return stolen goods ie.£2.4million belonging to investors in 5th Avenue Partners.
What is the difference between the LibDems and your bog standard money launderer?
The LibDems shorn of Short Money are struggling to exist but they shouldn't be kept alive by retaining I'll gotten gains

[kitty]

I agree with the gentleman above - Democracy is far too expensive,
Prehaps that is because we spent far too much on the AV referendum- Yet i agree with Nick
The referendum we all should have is one on Europe and never mind how much it costs after all
we can throw money down the drain for the IMF...

[John Prendergast]

Clegg is a receiver of stolen goods and his wife is an oiverpaid anti British influence too.

[Mike Barnes]

He's got a moral duty to return the money and he's got a moral duty to return the votes he stole from hundreds of thousands of students.

[robert]

The public will never forgive Nick Clegg and the Liberal Democrats supported by David Cameron for fiddling while Rome burns and focusing on Lords Reform and Single Sex Marriage rather than the important issues facing the country.
Nick Clegg has no idea what is required to run the country and is out of his depth.

[GeorgeKaplan5]

So if a referendum would be too expensive, why wouldn't elections to a House of Lords be too expensive. Hypocrite! Stop trying to force a change no one wants on a subject no one cares about which will damage our constitution.

p.s. It was NOT in the Conservative manifesto.

[colliemum]

Nice to hear it from the horse's mouth: a referendum would cost too much money ..
Actually, MPs and Lords cost too much money as well, and elections are even more expensive.

So why not get rid of the whole bang shooting match and have Clegg, Cameron and Milipede draw straws as to who is to 'reign' for five years ... with the help of the Sir Humphreys, who know best anyway.

[G+P]

Clegg is dead wrong here. We’re not asking for a referendum to “subcontract” the decision to the electorate.

Referenda should not be about bypassing parliament.

A referendum should be to ratify or veto the will of parliament on major constitutional matter.

[Galahad]

Just get rid of hereditaries and bishops, and leave further reform for another day. The public would like that.