The Romsey Advertiser 7 March 2008

Written by Sandra Gidley MP on Fri 7th Mar 2008

This has not been the happiest of weeks as for the first time in my life I defied a three line whip.

It started well as over the Friday to Monday period I had a number of interesting engagements including talking to children at North Baddesley Junior School and relaxing at a very entertaining evening at the Plaza. I also had a number of very productive meetings with various local organisations.

Last Friday I told my constituency executive meeting that, after a great deal of heart searching I had decided that I had to vote in favour of a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty. I was somewhat relieved to receive support and confirmation that they thought I was doing the right thing. It made things a little easier.

On Tuesday I had to see Nick Clegg, our new leader. I had expected some sort of roasting or dressing down but he was very charming and did seem to really understand my position. He disagreed with me and put a number of arguments to me to consider but none were sufficient to make me change my mind. We left on amicable terms.

Tuesday was totally surreal as my chat with the leader was followed by a visit to see Winnie the Pig who was the star attraction in the lobby of Westminster by pig farmers. The issue? Pig farmers could be a dying breed as they are threatened by the double whammy of rising feed prices and low priced pork imports from countries with lower welfare standards.

Events in the House of Commons then took a surprising turn as the Speaker allowed us a vote on whether we should instruct the House of Commons to allow a vote on the principle of a referendum on whether the UK should be in or out of Europe. Yes, it does all get a little convoluted at times. Unsurprisingly, we did not receive support for this idea from the other two parties. The Lib Dems are united on this issue but a vote on an in-out referendum would expose the fault lines in the Labour and Conservative parties.

Wednesday was the final day of discussion on the Lisbon Treaty. The morning was spent in Hackney, with some of the Lib Dem Health team, looking at mental health services. It was a good excuse to ignore the numerous calls to my mobile as the press had got wind of the fact that I was planning to vote against the party line.

The afternoon was spent on various health related issues including baby milk regulations and the future of funding for long term care. My mind was very much on the votes later in the day. It was with a heavy heart that I voted against the party line but ultimately I feel that I have honoured my pledge at the last election and in my heart of hearts I know that I have done the right thing.

Published with kind permission of the Romsey Advertiser