The talk from last night's programme about the foundation of the coalition is of who was lying when David Cameron told his backbenchers that Labour had offered AV without a referendum.
In an Agatha Christie Whodunitt style, we have David Cameron in the committee room stating that Labour was ready to do the deal and bouncing his party into accepting an AV referendum in his impatience to get the coalition running. We have Nick Clegg in Admiralty House, telling DC that Labour had offered the deal, knowing that wasn't the case. In the bunker we have Gordon Brown on the phone to Nick Clegg offering the deal without anyone else knowing about, and then saying he didn't (although no one has seen GB since to check on this - maybe he'll come back as his own twin brother!).
It's not clear any one was lying, there were so many private conversations that it would not be inconceivable that senior Lib Dem spoke to senior Labour man, Labour man said it might be an idea, it becomes possible to Lib Dem, to probably to the Lib Dem negotiating team, and a certainty to the Tory negotiating team. It's how rumours start!
So, I'm not sure about whether anyone lied deliberately or by mistake. From last night's programme, though, you'd have to think though that DC was adamant and so was Ed Balls/Peter Mandelson, which leaves the person in the middle using words like "perception" to explain himself. I'll let you make your own mind up.
Squiffy.
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