Nick Clegg's childish tantrum is not only embarrassing, it's based on utter nonsense

By James Slack for the Daily Mail

Published: 16:47 BST, 6 August 2012 | Updated: 16:54 BST, 6 August 2012

Have you ever 証言，証人／目撃するd a toddler having a tantrum in the middle of a busy park or shopping centre? Not just a bit of shouting. The proper foot-stomping, 動揺させる-chucking 炉心溶融 that all parents dread?

井戸／弁護士席, Nick Clegg has just had one of those, live on the rolling news channels. Again, as with toddlers, he’s also re-written history ーするために 正当化する his howling, wild-注目する，もくろむd hysteria, but we’ll come to that a bit later.

The 問題／発行する, of course, is House of Lords 改革（する）.

Tantrum: に引き続いて news that Cameron was abandoning his 試みる／企てる to 説得する Tory backbenchers to support 改革（する）, Nick Clegg has 宣言するd a messy 復讐

Last week’s news that David Cameron was abandoning his 試みる／企てる to 説得する Tory backbenchers to support a 大部分は elected upper 議会 left the 副 総理大臣 with a choice.

Would he maturely 受託する that, with the 改革（する）s no longer having any 現実主義の prospect of success, it would be a waste of time to 追求する them その上の ? 特に when all the 政府’s 成果／努力s should be 献身的な to 直す／買収する，八百長をするing the economy?

Or, ーするために placate his rancorous party (which truly doesn’t know how lucky it is), would he 試みる／企てる to take a messy 復讐?

He’s 選ぶd for the latter, 非，不，無-statesmanlike course? ? 宣言するing this afternoon that he will be 教えるing his MPs to 身を引く their support for changes to the (関係のない) 計画（する） to re-draw 議会の 境界s, which would 除去する the anti-Tory bias which 存在するs in the 現在の system.

復讐: Clegg 明らかにする／漏らすd that his party will not be supporting Tory 境界 改革（する） live on sky news

Here’s what he had to say.

‘連合 作品 on 相互の 尊敬（する）・点; it is a 相互の 協定, a two-way street. So I have told the 総理大臣 that when, in 予定 course, 議会 投票（する）s on 境界 changes for the 2015 選挙 I will be 教えるing my party to …に反対する them. When part of a 契約 is broken, it is normal to 修正する that 契約 in order then to move on.

Lords 改革（する） and 境界s are two, separate 議会の 法案s but they are both part of a 一括 of 全体にわたる political 改革（する）. 配達するing one but not the other would create an 不均衡 ? not just in the 連合 協定, but also in our political system. Lords 改革（する） leads to a smaller, more 合法的 House of Lords. 境界 changes lead to a smaller House of ありふれたs, by cutting the number of MPs. If you 削減（する） the number of MPs without 高めるing the legitimacy and 有効性 of the Lords all you have done is 弱める 議会 as a whole, 強化する the (n)役員／(a)執行力のある and its over-mighty 政府 that 勝利，勝つs. So, for these 推論する／理由s, I have decided, reluctantly to 押し進める the pause button on these 議論の的になる 議会の 改革（する）s.’

First, let’s を取り引きする the fact he’s talking nonsense. The 連合 協定 categorically did not say what Mr Clegg 示唆するs. The review of 選挙区／有権者 境界s ? part of a long-standing Lib Dem 政策 to 減ずる the cost of politics, by cutting the number of MPs, incidentally ? was tied only to the 国民投票 on AV.

Here’s the 関連した section, in 十分な.

We will bring 今後 a 国民投票 法案 on? 選挙（人）の 改革（する）, which 含むs 準備／条項 for the introduction of the 代案／選択肢 投票（する） in the? event of a 肯定的な result in the 国民投票, 同様に as for the 創造 of より小数の and more equal sized 選挙区／有権者s. We will whip both 議会の parties in both Houses to support a simple 大多数 国民投票 on the 代案／選択肢 投票（する）, without prejudice to the positions parties will take during such a? 国民投票.

The problem for Mr Clegg and chums is that they lost the AV 国民投票 ? 配達するd by Mr Cameron, against the wishes of much of the Tory party ? and they lost. Spectacularly.

So now they are shamelessly trying to pretend it never happened.

Second, what of Mr Clegg’s 明らかに 原則d position that the 現在の 境界 system 含む／封じ込めるs a ‘深い unfairness’? The 副 総理大臣’s words in 2010, when discussing the AV 国民投票 and 境界 changes, were 明白な.

He said: ‘Together, these 提案s help 訂正する the 深い unfairness in the way we 持つ／拘留する 選挙s in this country.? Under the 現在の 始める，決める-up, 投票（する）s count more in some parts of the country than others, and millions feel that their 投票（する）s don't count at all. 選挙s are won and lost in a small 少数，小数派 of seats. We have a fractured 僕主主義, where some people's 投票（する）s count and other people's 投票（する）s don't count.’

Is that no longer a problem then? Or can we no longer believe a word Mr Clegg says?

Isn’t the truth that his political 改革（する） 協議事項 was nothing more than a cover for 手渡すing his party the 勢力均衡 until the end of time?

Advantage: House of Lords 改革（する） would have rigged the British 憲法 for Mr Clegg's 選挙（人）の advantage by creating a Lords which would have been 永久的に hung

AV would have made hung 議会s ? and therefore 連立政権s stuffed with 自由主義のs ? far more likely.

平等に, House of Lords 改革（する） would have rigged the British 憲法 for his own party’s 選挙（人）の advantage by creating a Lords which ? because it would have been elected by PR - would have been 永久的に hung.

If he can’t have those, he’s no longer bothered about 直す／買収する，八百長をするing the 境界 system ? which can only be changed with Lib Dem support, because 労働 ? the 受益者s of the 現在の 不公平な 政権 ? are …に反対するd to 改革（する） in the same way that turkeys are not fond of Christmas.

It goes without 説 that the repercussions for the 連合 could be enormous. Tory MPs will wonder what the point is of staying in 共同 with such a 背信の, untrustworthy bunch.

The Lib Dems may 井戸／弁護士席 decide that they themselves no longer have anything to 伸び（る） from the 現在の 協定 (though 選挙（人）の annihilation would surely follow if they 崩壊（する）d the 連合 now, at a time of 墓／厳粛／彫る／重大な 経済的な danger over such an arcane 列／漕ぐ／騒動).

The end? It goes without 説 that the repercussions for the 連合 could be enormous. Tory MPs will wonder what the point is of staying in 共同 with such a 背信の group of people

More すぐに, what will 正式に happen to the 境界 提案s? Was Mr Cameron 警告するd in 前進する of Mr Clegg’s strop, and will now order they be 孤立した? Or will Lib Dem 大臣s be 投票（する）ing against what are still 政府 提案s?

It’s an utter shambles. But then 連立政権s usually are.

一方／合間, let’s hope that, for their sake, the people who look after Mr Clegg have 設立する his 動揺させる by bedtime. He’s going to be very tired and irritable.