Nick Clegg
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He promised to "break the mould of British politics" by making the Lib Dems an influential third party. This, at least, demonstrates that he has not broken the mould of Lib Dem election campaigns; they ''always'' promise this. | He promised to "break the mould of British politics" by making the Lib Dems an influential third party. This, at least, demonstrates that he has not broken the mould of Lib Dem election campaigns; they ''always'' promise this. | ||
| − | However, his greatness did not last, as the Lib Dems actually got ''fewer'' seats in the election itself, despite increasing their share of the vote. Following the election there was no outright winner and there was a slightly confused period of negotiation followed by Clegg putting the Lib Dems into coalition with the Tories, producing a Con-Dem nation | + | However, his greatness did not last, as the Lib Dems actually got ''fewer'' seats in the election itself, despite increasing their share of the vote. Following the election there was no outright winner and there was a slightly confused period of negotiation followed by Clegg putting the Lib Dems into coalition with the Tories, producing a Con-Dem nation. |
==Previous history== | ==Previous history== | ||
Revision as of 20:13, 17 April 2012
Nick Clegg is the current leader of the Liberal Democrats, the perennial third political party of the United Kingdom, and Deputy Prime Minister in the Conservative-led government. A relative newcomer to high-profile politics, Clegg was elected to the Commons in 2005 as MP for Sheffield Hallam, after previously sitting in the European Parliament as MEP for the East Midlands; he then took the reins of his party in 2007. Much to the Daily Mail's disgust,[1] Clegg is a cosmopolitan chap, complete with Dutch mother and Spanish wife, and being fluent in German, Spanish, French and Dutch. The radical student population of Britain, showing their usual nuanced understanding of the world of politics, believe his real name is Judas Iscariot.[2]Contents |
2010 UK General Election
Following his showing on the first leaders' debates he went from being an unknown to being the most popular leader since Churchill,[3] by virtue of a single TV debate in which he was much less terrible than Gordon Brown attempting to smile or the Dave Cameron that had been Photoshopped onto the screen. He also did well in the second and third TV debates.
He promised to "break the mould of British politics" by making the Lib Dems an influential third party. This, at least, demonstrates that he has not broken the mould of Lib Dem election campaigns; they always promise this.
However, his greatness did not last, as the Lib Dems actually got fewer seats in the election itself, despite increasing their share of the vote. Following the election there was no outright winner and there was a slightly confused period of negotiation followed by Clegg putting the Lib Dems into coalition with the Tories, producing a Con-Dem nation.
Previous history
Prior to the 2010 general election, practically no one knew who Nick Clegg was, with the name being just vaguely associated with a long string of Liberal Democrat leaders who weren't, you know, watsisname, or whoever, or that alcoholic one, or that really old bloke with the funny name. Before becoming a member of Parliament, he was a member of the European Parliament; in future he plans to work his way up to Sheffield City Council.
Quotes
The Scottish Tory leader Annabel Goldie[4] described him as an "immensely irritating" and "tiresome" insect.[5] But then, she would.
His new coalition partner, David Cameron, was once asked for his favourite political joke. He replied, "Nick Clegg, at the moment."[6] He took this back when he desperately needed Nick to get in the door of Number 10, surprisingly enough.
See also
External links
- Liberal Democrats Official website
Footnotes
- ↑ http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/election/article-1266826/The-United-Nations-Nick-Clegg.html
- ↑ http://www.coalitionofresistance.org.uk/2010/09/nick-clegg-greeted-by-calls-of-judas-in-sheffield-protest/
- ↑ it says here
- ↑ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z94CgVyE5Xo
- ↑ http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/apr/19/scottish-tories-attack-nick-clegg
- ↑ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7567513.stm