Honestly, what do you expect? Every party has promised us a referendum on the issue, and every party has broken that promise. Is it any wonder that the majority of MPs are seen as lying scumbags?

It appears that only one hundred and eleven MPs believe in democracy in this country.

He deserves the Nick Clegg Award For Honesty In Public Life.

He’ll say he was referring to the Lisbon Treaty, not an in/out referendum.

The people of Hammersmith have spoken. They want a Referendum on the EU Treaty.

Which is it this time Sunny? Are you being illiterate or dishonest?

OMG! Someone supported a referendum on one thing but voted against a referendum on something different! Call the hypocrisy police!

@Tim J.

Seeing as a common eurosceptic argument is that the Lisbon Treaty *is* constitutional, I think you’re somewhat pissing into the wind.

Pathetic Tim J, even for your usual trolling.

“The Enumclaw horse sex case was a 2005 incident in which Kenneth Pinyan (June 22, 1960 – July 2, 2005), an American Boeing engineer residing in Gig Harbor, died from receiving anal sex with a stallion at a farm in an unincorporated area in King County, Washington, near the city of Enumclaw. He had videotaped previous sex acts with the horses and distributed them informally under the name Mr. Hands.”

Oh my God, one person once supported a referendum on one issue, then opposed a referendum on a separate issue several years later!

Personally if I were looking for examples of hypocrisy, I’d look elsewhere. Like the fifty-six Lib Dem MPs who ran on a manifesto saying that they were “committed to an in/out referendum” on Europe, and then voted against holding such a referendum. I seem to remember howls of “Betrayal!” and “Undemocratic!” when they went against their manifesto on tuition fees, but not now. Funny that…

Tim J,

OMG! Someone supported a referendum on one thing but voted against a referendum on something different! Call the hypocrisy police!

I think you may be trying to excuse him on a technicality – which might appear accurate, but seems very strange. If you believe in a referendum on Europe, why quibble about on what?

I think hypocrite is quite a good term. Fortunately, there are plentiful other MPs in the house to keep him company with that.

6 – you’re just being dumb again Sunny. There is nothing hypocritical about being in favour of a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty prior to its ratification, and being opposed to a referendum on membership of the EU. That is, in fact, the straight down-the-line Conservative Party position.

It’s no more hypocritical than a Labour MP being in favour of a referendum on whether there should be devolution in Scotland, but opposed to a referendum on Scottish independence (hey, guess what? That’s not far off an exact parallel).

If you look a little bit harder you could actually find evidence of hypocrisy – or at least of a parth that has diametrically changed its view on the advisability of an in-out referendum – but not where you’re looking.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6995032.stm

@4 – Yea, people really can’t get their heads round it. Sigh.

There is nothing hypocritical about being in favour of a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty prior to its ratification, and being opposed to a referendum on membership of the EU

Oh RLY? You may want to ask the 100s of Tory MPs that who were spitting blood last night.

It’s quite nice that we have people here so loyal to Cameron that are willing to try and excuse hypocrisy but its not going to wash really, Watchman above is spot on.

Oh RLY? You may want to ask the 100s of Tory MPs that who were spitting blood last night.

Oh Sunny. The Labour Party were in favour of a referendum on the European Constitution and opposed to a referendum on withdrawal from the European Union. By your definition every one of them are contemptible hypocrites (other than the 15 or so that voted in favour of a referendum).

Because you are in favour of a referendum doesn’t mean you are automatically obliged to be in favour of all referendums.

And there only are 300 or so Tory MPs – they can’t all have been spitting blood.

Tim J,

Oh Sunny. The Labour Party were in favour of a referendum on the European Constitution and opposed to a referendum on withdrawal from the European Union. By your definition every one of them are contemptible hypocrites (other than the 15 or so that voted in favour of a referendum).

Yes, but I think Sunny missed that point when he agreed with me about the number of hypocrites in parliament (add in the Liberal Democrats (-1) as well). It is looking very like all the parties say one thing and then try to claim technicalities make doing another thing fine.

14 – I’m just not sure it’s hypocritical. Look at the other example I gave – Scottish independence. Labour were in favour of a referendum over devolution, but are opposed to one over independence. Is that a hypocritical position? I don’t think it is, because the arguments for and against each referendum are not identical.

It may not be a wholly consistent position (although even that’s a matter of opinion I think) but there needs to be a slightly higher benchmark than that for hypocrisy.

@XXX #8:

Personally if I were looking for examples of hypocrisy, I’d look elsewhere. Like the fifty-six Lib Dem MPs who ran on a manifesto saying that they were “committed to an in/out referendum” on Europe, and then voted against holding such a referendum.

I must have missed something; has the “British government sign[ed] up for fundamental change in the relationship between the UK and the EU” since the election?