Difference between revisions of "Nick Clegg"

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Having left his role as Deputy Prime Minister after the 2015 general election, Clegg has taken on a number of new positions outside politics.  
 
Having left his role as Deputy Prime Minister after the 2015 general election, Clegg has taken on a number of new positions outside politics.  
He is now a fortnightly columnist for the London Evening Standard, as well as an ad hoc speaker for News Presenters Ltd. <ref>[https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/clegg-nick-deputy-prime-minister-acoba-recommendation/summary-of-business-appointments-applications-rt-hon-nick-clegg] Gov.UK, accessed 22 September 2015.</ref>  
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He is now a fortnightly columnist for the London Evening Standard, as well as an ad hoc speaker for News Presenters Ltd. <ref>[https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/clegg-nick-deputy-prime-minister-acoba-recommendation/summary-of-business-appointments-applications-rt-hon-nick-clegg Summary of Business Appointments - Rt Hon Nick Clegg] Gov.UK, accessed 22 September 2015.</ref>  
  
 
==Views on Israel & UK Arms Exports==
 
==Views on Israel & UK Arms Exports==

Revision as of 10:07, 22 September 2015

Nick Clegg. Photo by Crmck95

Nick Clegg is the MP for Sheffield Hallam.

From 2010 to 2015 he was the Deputy Prime Minister after forming a coalition government with the Conservative Party.[1] He was elected leader of the Liberal Democrats in December 2007 but stood down after the party only won eight seats in the 2015 general election.[2]

Having left his role as Deputy Prime Minister after the 2015 general election, Clegg has taken on a number of new positions outside politics. He is now a fortnightly columnist for the London Evening Standard, as well as an ad hoc speaker for News Presenters Ltd. [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 Digital 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]

Special Advisers

  • James Sorene - appointed as head of communications and spokesman in January 2011. Previous jobs include, deputy director of communications and head of news at the Department of Health, and deputy head of news at the Home Office [6]
  • Jonny Oates - was selected as chief of staff in 2009. Previously Oates worked as the strategic media director at Bell Pottinger, prior to this Oates was the party's director of policy and communications for 15 months from 2007. [7]
  • Ryan Coetzee - is now the director of strategy for the General Election for the Liberal Democrats, prior to this, Ryan was appointed director of strategy in september 2012. Previous roles include special adviser to the Premier of the Western Cape as well as the Democratic Alliance strategist. [8]
  • Stephen Lotinga - was appointed as director of communications in April 2014. Previous jobs include working at {[Edelman]] as managing director of public affairs. Stephen was also managing director of public affairs & partner at Bell Pottinger as well as senior health adviser for the Liberal Democrats. [9]
  • James McGrory - head of political communications since 2010. Previous jobs include working as justice and home affairs adviser in Downing Street.
  • Owain Myrddin Edwards - appointed as special adviser (media) to Clegg, in February 2014. Previous roles include head of communications for the Welsh Liberal Democrats as well as press office. Edwards also worked as press officer for the British Embassy. [10]
  • John Foster - was appointed as director of policy innovation and implementation in 2012. Prior to this Foster worked for Tim Farron who is MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale.
  • Chris Saunders - appointed chief economic and business advise in 2013. Saunders worked for Clegg previously, but left his post with Clegg to travel around the world with his wife. Saunders was previously employed as a lobbyist in the financial industry. [11]
  • Matthew Hanney - is parliamentary liaison and constitutional affairs, Matthew has worked for Nick Clegg for over six years. [12]
  • Matt Sanders - Departmental adviser: Cabinet Office, DfE, DCMS

Affiliations

Donations

External Resources

Notes

  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. Summary of Business Appointments - Rt Hon Nick Clegg Gov.UK, accessed 22 September 2015.
  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
  6. James Sorene LinkedIn profile, accessed 6 October 2014
  7. Kate Magee Jonny Oates returns to Liberal Democrats for general election campaign PR Week, 5 August 2009, accessed 6 October 2014
  8. Ryan Coetzee LinkedIn profile, accessed 6 October 2014
  9. Stephen Lotinga LinkedIn profile, accessed 6 October 2014
  10. Owain Myrddin Edwards LinkedIn profile, accessed 6 October 2014
  11. Louise Armistead, "George Osborne's Treasury team - the power behind the coalition government", The Telegraph, 13 May 2010, accessed 8 September 2010
  12. Iain Dale and Brian Brivati From Nick Clegg to Sir Menzies Campbell: the 50 most influential Liberal Democrats The Telegraph, 24 September 2012, accessed 6 October 2014
  13. Shabnum Mustaphe LinkedIn profile, accessed 6 October 2014
  14. Leading Authorities Nick Clegg, accessed 23 July 2015.
  15. The Register of Members' Financial Interests: Part 1As at 9th March 2015 www.parliament.uk, accessed 18 March 2015