The Slog exclusive dismissed as ‘absolute rubbish’ by the Nick-Spinners inside LibDem headquarters was revealed today to have been right on the money. As a later Slog post reviewing Clegg’s last interview with Andrew Marr showed, the Yellow Leader was careful to say PR was ‘unavoidable’ rather than non-negotiable. Nick Clegg gives himself away in today’s FT article, where he is quoted as saying:

“I’ve never talked about preconditions. What I’ve said is it’s unavoidable. Of course it’s a vital element to the renewal of politics that we need in broad terms. That’s all I’ve said.”

As it happens, this isn’t true either. When things were looking rosier for him last week, Clegg bragged that “electoral reform is an absolute precondition for renewal in this country.” He is absolutely right about that; but which statement reflects his true beliefs? How will the election result be historic if he supports a Tory Party implacably opposed to PR in general and the AV majoritarian system in particular?

The Slog wrote yesterday that Cameron’s refusal to talk about any electoral reform (or even consider a Coalition) was a masterstroke. It has, as we predicted, put the LibDem leader on the spot. All Labour will offer is a referendum on voting reform – a referendum Nick Clegg knows full well he could lose. And to prop up Labour now would irrefutably contradict what he said to Marr the week before last: to keep a defeated PM in power would be a travesty – although several of his Parliamentary colleagues have said in private that they’d be happy to do even that.

The Slog first broke the story of Clegg’s equivocation and trimming on PR after he left it off his list of bargaining chips in the Jeremy Paxman interview. We then showed the ridiculously low profile given to it in the Party manifesto. Nick Clegg is, as we have said all along, prepared to sell out on anything – to say anything and do anything – to get that foothold on the power ladder he has the brass neck to call ‘a stitch up between the Tories and Labour’. It is in fact a liberal progressive Establishment stitch-up: an eternal club he is desperate to join…after which, membership will close behind him.

I rarely if ever ask for this on The Slog, but I’m asking all those reading this now to email the link to, or post, this piece – and get it as broadly disseminated as you can. Nick Clegg is trying to con the British people. In this, he is no different to the other two: but the point is, he says he isn’t like them, and he doesn’t do spin, and he won’t give evasive answers. Rubbish – he’s a dyed-in-the-wool Big State politician down to his hand-made shoes.

Related articles: The Responsibility on Clegg’s shoulders ; Nick Clegg’s X-Factor ; Nick Clegg – another straw in the wind .