“Recently UCUNF have attempted to blame other parties for the U-turn by David Cameron over his “cast-iron guarantee” to give the people of the United Kingdom their say on the Lisbon Treaty in a referendum. They claim that had the government lost the vote on the provisions of the Terrorism Act, then a General Election would have been called and the Tories, with Dave safely ensconced in Downing Street would have kept their word after all. This claim does not stand up to any scrutiny whatsoever. 

Over the course of the last 32 years, there have been 51 government defeats in the House of Commons. Following the logic of UCUNF we should have had 51 General Elections in the same period. They are laboring under the false illusion that a government defeat in the House of Commons means an immediate General Election. This is demonstrably not what happens. One would have thought for a party that parades its love of all things British, they would at least have a basic understanding of how our Parliament functions.  

Despite their spin and attempts to blame other people there is no excuse for the Tories abandonment of their promises to the British people. If Lisbon is a bad deal now, it will be a bad deal after any General Election and its outcome."

NOTE TO READERS: 

See below information pertaining to governments and the number of defeats they suffered in the House of Commons:  

Callaghan - 32 Commons defeats (government was brought down by 33rd - no confidence motion)

Thatcher - 4 Commons defeats - (government did not fall)

Major - 9 Commons defeats - (government did not fall)

Blair - 5 Commons defeats - (government did not fall)

Brown - 1 Commons defeat - (government did not fall)  

Total between 1977 and 2009 = 51 Government House of Commons defeats

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