Gladstone once said that “Liberalism is trust of the people tempered by prudence; Conservatism is mistrust of the people tempered by fear”.
As a Liberal I trust the people to take decisions that affect their own lives.
I also believe that Government should be accountable to Parliament and not the other way round. This was back-bench business and the Government and Official Opposition shouldn't have whipped members into line.
Your reason for supporting the "EU referendum now" motion is inadequate – perhaps you could elaborate on why your approach differs from the rest of the Liberal Democratic party ?
Respect to you Mr Sanders for having the courage to defy your party whips and put your trust in the British electorate on the subject of EU membership. It is a great pity so many Tories lack your democracy, especially as a lot of them would probably vote to leave the EU in a secret ballot.
Congratulations Mr Sanders! Your courage is envyable and an example to all so called opposition MPs. I am of Greek (European) origin and respect the right of any nation to have their views heard about the so called European Union. I cannot understand where the opposition is in this parliament when no one else votes against the government other than their own MPs and yourself. This just proves the lack of concern of MPs for their constituents and an underlying political deterioration. Political deterioration leads to social disrespect for democratic values and eventually results in chaos, see Greece!