Lib Dem peer Lord Greaves has repeated his call for his party to set up a reconciliation process similar to the one followed in apartheid South Africa to solve the crisis over Lord Rennard.
Appearing on BBC Newsnight on Monday evening, the peer said the row over the actions of Rennard, who has been accused of sexual harassment, threatened to create a lasting rift within the Lib Dems.
"It's what happened, on a much grander scale, it happened in South Africa, it got Ian Paisley in government with former field commanders of the IRA," he said.
Greaves said: "At the moment we are all falling out with the people who are supposed to be our colleagues and comrades in arms."
But Bridget Harris, one of those who made a complaint against Rennard, said "we are not all friends and colleagues when one of us is accused of sexual harassment".
"I don't see any reason why party loyalty should come into it," she said. "I am perfectly loyal to the Lib Dems and the policies and Nick Clegg."
She said she did not see why party female members should be "loyal" to someone who |inappropriately tries to take advantage of their power position".
Greaves also suggested Rennard's critics should let bygones by bygones. "The problem is this is all the past, and we can argue about the past over 10 years, over the past year, we can argue about the last few days. The problem is we are where we are now, and the party is in a dreadful state."