Nick Clegg

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Person.png Nick Clegg   WebsiteRdf-entity.pngRdf-icon.png
(politician)
Nick Clegg1.jpg
BornNicholas William Peter Clegg
7 January 1967
Chalfont St Giles, England
Alma materRobinson College, Cambridge, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, College of Europe
Children3
SpouseMiriam González Durántez
Member ofBanned from Russia 2015, Global Commission on Drug Policy
PartyLiberal Democrats
Member of Parliament representing Sheffield Hallam

Employment.png Leader of the Liberal Democrats

In office
18 December 2007 - 16 July 2015
Preceded byVince Cable
Succeeded byTim Farron

Employment.png Lord President of the Council

In office
11 May 2010 - 8 May 2015
Preceded byPeter Mandelson
Succeeded byChris Grayling

Employment.png Liberal Democrat Home Affairs Spokesperson

In office
2 March 2006 - 18 December 2007

Employment.png Member of Parliament for Sheffield Hallam

In office
5 May 2005 - Present

Nick Clegg is the Member of Parliament representing Sheffield Hallam since 2005, the former Deputy Prime Minister of the UK[1] and leader of the Liberal Democrats.[2] He resigned on 8 May 2015 as Lib-Dem leader following the results of the UK General Election 2015 after holding the position for over seven years. Despite managing to retain his seat in Sheffield Hallam, Nick Clegg bowed out in his final speech as party leader by saying that he "must take responsibility" for the loss in the share of the vote, which was mostly put down to the party's coalition with the Conservative Party, which Clegg had previously described in a special Question Time debate as being a "brave and plucky decision" which involved putting "country before party."[3]

Views on Israel & UK Arms Exports

Nick Clegg authored a comment article in the Guardian in January 2009, entitled We must stop arming Israel: Brown has to stop sitting on his hands, halt British weapons exports and insist the EU do the same. In the article Clegg argued that:

We have a European Union encumbered by clumsy decision-making and confused messages. And at home we have a prime minister talking like an accountant about aid earmarked for Gaza without once saying anything meaningful about the conflict's origins. Gordon Brown, like Tony Blair, has made British foreign policy effectively subservient to Washington. But waiting for a change of heart in Washington is intolerable given the human cost.
Of course, Israel has every right to defend itself. It is difficult to imagine what it must be like to live with the constant threat of rocket attacks from a movement which espouses terrorist violence and denies Israel's right to exist. But Israel's approach is self-defeating: the overwhelming use of force, the unacceptable loss of civilian lives, is radicalising moderate opinion among Palestinians and throughout the Arab world. Anger in the West Bank will make it virtually impossible for Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian Authority president, to continue to talk to Israeli ministers.
Brown must stop sitting on his hands. He must condemn unambiguously Israel's tactics, just as he has rightly condemned Hamas's rocket attacks. Then he must lead the EU into using its economic and diplomatic leverage in the region to broker peace. The EU is by far Israel's biggest export market, and by far the biggest donor to the Palestinians. It must immediately suspend the proposed new cooperation agreement with Israel until things change in Gaza, and apply tough conditions on any long-term assistance to the Palestinian community.
Brown must also halt Britain's arms exports to Israel, and persuade our EU counterparts to do the same. The government's own figures show Britain is selling more and more weapons to Israel, despite the questions about the country's use of force. In 2007, our government approved £6m of arms exports. In 2008, it licensed sales 12 times as fast: £20m in the first three months alone. There is a strong case that, given the Gaza conflict, any military exports contravene EU licensing criteria. Reports, though denied, that Israel is using illegal cluster munitions and white phosphorus should heighten our caution. I want an immediate suspension of all arms exports from the EU, but if that cannot be secured, Brown must act unilaterally.
Finally, the world's leaders must accept that their response to the election of Hamas has been a strategic failure. The removal of the EU presence on the Egypt border in response to Hamas's election, for example, has made it easier for the rockets being fired at Israel to get into Gaza in the first place. An EU mission with a serious mandate and backing from Egypt and Israel would help Israel deal proportionately and effectively with the threat from weapons smuggling.
Attempts to divide and rule the Palestinians by isolating and punishing Gaza will not succeed. To secure peace in the Middle East, Hamas must turn its back on "terrorism", and help create Palestinian unity. Only unified leadership in the West Bank and Gaza can offer Israel the security guarantees that it rightly seeks. My proposals to stay Israel's hand in this conflict may be unwelcome to some, but they have the country's long term interest at heart. No terrorist organisation has ever been defeated by bombs alone. Only a new approach will secure lasting peace for Israel itself[4].

Digital Economy Bill

On the subject of the digitial economy bill, Nick Clegg argued in April 2009:

We did our best to prevent the Digital Economy Bill being rushed through at the last moment. It badly needed more debate and amendment, and we are extremely worried that it will now lead to completely innocent people having their internet connections cut off. It was far too heavily weighted in favour of the big corporations and those who are worried about too much information becoming available. It badly needs to be repealed, and the issues revisited.[5]

Affiliations

External Resources

 

Events Participated in

EventStartEndLocation(s)Description
Munich Security Conference/202014 February 202016 February 2020Germany
Munich
Bavaria
The 56th Munich Security Conference, in 2020, "welcomed an unprecedented number of high-ranking international decision-makers."
Munich Security Conference/202416 February 202418 February 2024Germany
Munich
Bavaria
Annual conference of mid-level functionaries from the military-industrial complex - politicians, propagandists and lobbyists - in their own bubble, far from the concerns of their subjects
WEF/Annual Meeting/201422 January 201425 January 2014World Economic Forum
Switzerland
2604 guests in Davos considered "Reshaping The World"
WEF/Annual Meeting/201922 January 201925 January 2019World Economic Forum
Switzerland
"The reality is that we are in a Cold War [against China] that threatens to turn into a hot one."
WEF/Annual Meeting/202021 January 202024 January 2020World Economic Forum
Switzerland
This mega-summit of the world's ruling class and their political and media appendages happens every year, but 2020 was special, as the continuous corporate media coverage of COVID-19 started more or less from one day to the next on 20/21 January 2020, coinciding with the start of the meeting.
WEF/Annual Meeting/202222 May 202226 May 2022World Economic Forum
Switzerland
1912 guests in Davos
WEF/Annual Meeting/202316 January 202320 January 2023World Economic Forum
Switzerland
The theme of the meeting was "Cooperation in a Fragmented World"

 

Related Documents

TitleTypePublication dateAuthor(s)Description
Document:Huawei Hypocrisyblog post7 May 2019Craig MurrayFormer Deputy PM Nick Clegg said GCHQ's ability "to hack anything from handsets to whole networks … needs to be much better understood".
Document:Israel Stooges Freak Out over Baroness Jenny's Remarks - AgainArticle3 November 2018Stuart LittlewoodBaroness Jenny Tonge: "The Pittsburgh synagogue shooting was an absolutely appalling and a criminal act, but does it ever occur to Bibi and the present Israeli government that its actions against Palestinians may be reigniting anti-Semitism? I suppose someone will say that it is anti-Semitic to say so?"
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References

  1. Nick Clegg appointed Deputy Prime Minister, Number10.gov.uk, 12 May 2010.
  2. Nick Clegg – Leader of the Liberal Democrats, Liberal Democrats, accessed 12 May 2010.
  3. "Election 2015: Clegg not sorry for 'brave' coalition"
  4. Nick Clegg, We must stop arming Israel, The Guardian, 7-January-2009, Accessed 13-May-2010
  5. Nick Clegg, STUDENT QUESTION TIME - Nick Clegg answers your questions, The Student Room, 15-April-2010, Accessed 13-May-2010