Facebook names former Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg head of global affairs Facebook has hired former British deputy PM Nick Clegg to head up its global affairs – a move that reportedly involved boss Mark Zuckerberg spending months “wooing” the Lib Dem has-been. The Financial Times reported that the ex-Liberal Democrat leader will move to Silicon Valley permanently in January to replace Elliot Schrage …
evil moustache - either a long waxy/twisty one, or a really really narrow one...
seriously this is no culture class from FB. Liberal Democrat fits right in with FB's natural political inclinations. They simply hired someone who's like-minded with the rest of their management.
As it was under his leadership (and continuing since, sadly) that I found myself unable to follow my heart and historical trend of voting for the Lib Dems, quite frankly I'm rather glad he's pissing off from the UK entirely.
And the values the Lib Dem's supposedly hold, yet he's working for FB.... says everything you need to know about modern politics (or just politics?), regardless of colour.
If Clegg hadn't sold out for a taste of power as he did, my constituency wouldn't now be returning a f-witted Tory drone to Westminster. All the time I've lived here I've held my nose and voted Lib Dem just to keep the lower-than-vermin party out, but it became too agonising to sustain after 2010. And it seems about 2000 of my neighbours thought the same, not to mention similar numbers in another 39 constituencies.
Thanks, Nick, you useless wanker. Enjoy California. You won't recognise what remains of the UK by the time you come back.
Let me get this straight, you are saying that you stopped voting anti-Tory in your constituency and are angry that the Tory then got in? Sounds like it's your fault!
If you want to get it straight, read what I said again: it's Clegg's fault my constituency now returns a Tory. I'm angry with the Lib Dems (and I told them why), not with the smarmy git who now sits in Westminster (though I have caught him lying, but then like most politicians his lips do move).
The Lib Dems went into a coalition with the Tories, so voting Lib Dem turned out to be functionally indistinguishable from voting Tory. There's no point in repeating that action. The problem with tactical voting is that you never vote for what you want, only against what you dislike the most, and consequently no smaller party ever sees much of an increase in their vote and people then carry on voting tactically because they don't think any other party stands a chance. Sooner or later it has to stop. The Lib Dem vote collapsed in 2015 precisely because of the coalition, so they might yet learn their lesson. I have since voted for another party, even though I know they won't win, because at least it improves their chances over time. That's the only way to make a lasting difference.
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Rich 11,
The Lib Dems went into a coalition with the Tories, so voting Lib Dem turned out to be functionally indistinguishable from voting Tory.
So let me get this straight... You voted for a party whose major policy has always been electoral reform to bring in a system that virtually guarantees coalitions. Because they say they genuinely believe that this is a better way to run the country - by forcing parties to compromise when forming coalition governments. And of course having more and smaller parties gives more voters a chance at being represented.
And you complain that they joined a coalition with the Conservative party, when a coalition with Labour was mathematically impossible.
What else did you expect them to do? Say that "our whole political philosophy is bollocks that we didn't really mean and we don't believe in coalition politics after all" - or do the thing they've always said they'd do since the party was founded?
As for the pathetic comment where you call an entire political party that you disagree with "lower than vermin" - have you considered that sort of childish comment might just not be very good for democracy? A bit more understanding and nuance and a bit less childish arseholery would make our politics a lot healthier. As well as a lot more pleasant.
'If Clegg hadn't sold out for a taste of power as he did, my constituency wouldn't now be returning a f-witted Tory drone to Westminster.'
Do you mean leaving UK politics? Because as I recall, he lost his seat in an election. Pretty difficult to remain a political force without a seat.
Or do you mean entering a coalition with the Tory party? As again, I recall there was a hung election result where neither Labour no Torys could put an effective government in place without the Liberal seats.
Clegg was faced with a choice of sacrifice parts of the Liberal policy and enter into a coalition or sit back and watch the UK effectively be without governance or international representation until an election rerun could be arranged still with no guarantee the result would be decisive.
Yeah, I'm sure it was the thought of power that made him ditch the student grant policy and as a result, completely alienate the voter demographic all political parties are striving to garner.
What a useless wanker....
“WHICH 'lower than vermin' party?
Apart from UKIP I'd say they are all like that.”
I would suggest a re-assessment of UKIP...
With Farage gone, UKIP ceased to be a single issue party and the alternative leadership options have been been unfit to be politicians let alone touching the heady heights of being vermin....
I accept some may speculate that UKIP was always thus, but there was always a range of political views within the larger party covering the differing views within their supporter base.
"I accept some may speculate that UKIP was always thus, but there was always a range of political views within the larger party covering the differing views within their supporter base."
Farage invited the racists and pond life in to UKIP to boost support and numbers by allowing them to hide their racism behind pretending to be merely anti EU. A very successful strategy which delivered as intended.
With the referendum over every half decent person left the party leaving only racists and idiots who clinging to brand loyalty.
As it was under his leadership (and continuing since, sadly) that I found myself unable to follow my heart and historical trend of voting for the Lib Dems
Damned if you do, damned if you don't. Political parties routinely renege on manifesto promises and that's even without coalitions. It was obvious the Tories were going to force an increase in tuition fees through so the only question was, what could the Lib Dems get for agreeing to them and I think they got a reasonable deal on the whole: it was five years of fairly scandal free government and the country still had a health system at the end of it. Whatever your politics, if you compare the governments immediately before and after I think you'll agree the coalition ran fairly smoothly and both parties had to compromise.
In my view the real mistake was agreeing to a referendum instead of a parliamentary vote on changing the electoral system. Had it gone through the Tories wouldn't have won a majority in 2015 and we wouldn't have had the Brexit fiasco. But too many purists decided it wasn't enough so shot it down.
What?! I really don't think you've been paying attention.
Perhpas not as much as you, but consider the last two Labour governments and the Tories since 2015 and try and keep the politics out of it. If the Tories had one an absolute majority in 2010 then they would have been able to push through the boundary changes in their favour in time for 2015.
The scorn poured on the Lib Dems — what were the alternatives in 2010? — for making compromises and being unable to fulfill campagin promises reminds me of some of the discussions about leaving the EU with the naive idea that compromises can be avoided with the right strategy/negotiating team/choice of tie.
Personally, I thought the coalition and the introduction of fixed term parliaments were, on the whole, positive. I really, really wanted electoral reform. But since then we've witnessed a slide back into single issue bickering which mainly serves feed disaffection with politics in general and, thus, bolster the extremists (Momentum and the ERG).
I've a few more suggestions if Facebook wants more ex (Or soon to be) politicians (All ironic of course):
Tony Blair as head of Middle-East public relations...
Gordon Brown as head of accounting...
John Major as head of Human Resources...
Theresa May would make a good coat rack...
Presumably because this is the point at which facebook needs a name synonymous with trust, kept promises and public confidence.
<sarcasm alt="in case anyone was in doubt"/>
Alternatively, facebook absolutely DOES need someone who can sing the "I'm sorry" song every few weeks each time they let on they lost more user data.
>I seem to remember the LibDems stopped the brexit referendum being called when they were in coaltion.
Most LibDems seem to remember that - unfortunately the in/out EU Referendum was in their 2010 manifesto. The delay was because Cameron convinced the Eurosceptics in his own party that he could get the UK a special deal.
If Labour hadn't adopted its "members elect the leader directly" constitution...
If the Scots had voted to leave the UK... or if their referendum had never happened at all...
If the Germans had treated the Greeks a little better...
Heck, if Philip II of Spain had succeeded in invading England in 1588...
I could play "things that could have prevented the referendum" all day. But I've got things to do.
I'm sure Nick sold them a great tale about being one of the most trusted former politicians in the world with regard to privacy an honesty.
I would say Facebook know full well that every politician or former politician they buy is a useless knob end. But that doesn't matter, because anybody who has held significant office retains residual door-opening abilities to governments, oppositions, civil servants and regulators. They shouldn't, but they do.
Mind you, Clegg and Zuck are both revolting, smarmy, shallow, lying knobs, maybe they really like each other's company.
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