[Closed] Nick Clegg executive pay....

its a good one isnt it.
🙂

...over use of stupid there, and wrong forum, but come on...

how can you say that? our deputy PM is a man of his word!

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I would not give him good odds of persuading dave or the rest of his party that corporate greed for those top is disatesful but at least he may be trying - Oh hold on its cleggs it FFS what was i thinking off considering what his pledge is worth this is not going to happen is it 😥

I posted that at the same time as Kimbers did his pick so I hereby claim JINKS

Notice that it's him that comes out with all this nonsense and not DC Thatcher Jr III.

Yup, he's really getting a great deal out of that relationship, not DC going home with a sore bum...

Conservative treatment dude. Soon it'll be all the NHS can provide.... 😉

I heard this policy and wondered how long till we end up like ye olde russias ideals

Give the guy a break ffs. The polls for over a year have been putting the LibDems on half of the support which they had at the general election - he [i]has[/i] to do something.

I say go for it Nick ...... I'm sure everyone will forget your broken promises/policies/pledges and the fact that you're a Tory in disguise.

I reckon well delivered outrage, without actually doing anything tangible, is an excellent game plan. Specially as LibDem supporters have been proved to be potentially very gullible.

I [i]live[/i] in his constituancy.
Labour are really weak here so it's either voting for him, or the conservatives. What a bloody choice. 🙁

Nick is a dick.

Are you really surprised?

ernie_lynch - Member

Give the guy a break ffs. The polls for over a year have been putting the LibDems on half of the support which they had at the general election - he has to do something.

TBH it'll take ritual disembowelment to make people forgive. I think he'll be remembered as the worst lib dem leader, and I wouldn't rule out the possibility he's one of the last 🙁

I think he'll be remembered as the worst lib dem leader

He has killed the party - no chance of any significant representation for a generation again

Lied incessantly to gain power. Hopefully in the next election he, and that hideous ginger Gollum creature, will be consigned to obscurity. Doubt it though.

What a disappointment Clegg has turned out to be eh? I remember watching him on the first if the televised debates and thinking that he might just be the man to split the Tory/Labour stranglehold. Fast forward to now and look what's happened, as TJ says, the lib dems are finished as a political force for the forseeable future and the Tory/Labour stranglehold is bigger and stronger than ever.

He's an idiot. End of.

What do you expect from a Godless philanderer?

Swears an oath to God to be an MP then denies the existence of God, a little clue there don't you think?

Worse thing that happened to the lib deems, forced me to vote tory and I haven't stopped washing since.

Disgusting man.

Godless? my opinion of him just improved...

Hopefully in the next election he, and that hideous ginger Gollum creature, will be consigned to obscurity. Doubt it though.

I assume "that hideous ginger Gollum creature" is Danny Alexander ?

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Personally I think it's highly probable that he will be consigned to obscurity. The muppet is so clearly a Tory - the rush with which he embraced David Cameron's agenda, and the enthusiasm he's shown in implementing it, is quite frankly embarrassing.

Of course he's not silly enough to think that anyone standing as a Tory in Scotland stands much of a chance, so very wisely he didn't do that, and stood as a LibDem instead.

But I'm not entirely convinced that the people of Inverness will be fooled a second time. The evidence that he's clearly nothing more than a Tory by another name is now overwhelming.

He has got a large majority, but Tories aren't very popular in Inverness - the candidate of the official Tory Party only managed 13% of the vote at the last general election. A Labour or the SNP win is doable.

I reckon Danny Alexander's days are number - by however many days there are left until the next general election. Which particularly amuses me as in recent days he's been very vocal about the LibDem manifesto for the next general election, I think to myself, "you won't be implementing it mate".

Not that anyone will ever again think that a LibDem manifesto is worth the paper it's written on of course.

Still, he'll have the recompense of knowing that his 10 years in parliament will give him a pension. Boosted by the fact that for half that time, whilst he was shafting teachers, nurses, etc, for their pensions, he was a senior minister. Nice work if you can get it.

On the minus side, there's a risk that he might need to get a proper job - he's never had one of those.

Tory's not stupid are they. Get the idiots to be the whipping boys and deliver all the bad news, make flaccid promises etc. Then step away from the mess and trundle through the pernicious obnoxious changes while everyone is astounded by the lib-dems stupidity.

Ernie - do you reakon europe could split the coalition? I do so hope so. I will be very hard for Cameron to take a position on any euro bailout deal that will appease both the tory Eurosceptics and the Lib Dem pro EU side. Or will the lidb dems swallow anything to stay in power?

What do you expect from a Godless philanderer?

Swears an oath to God to be an MP then denies the existence of God

I would say you have quite enough problems of your own to be getting on with if this is your biggest concern. How about the fact that it's quite nice to have someone in government who doesn't believe the Tooth Fairy catapulted the world into existence and won't give pointless time and attention to the unelected spongers in the church.

My hope, my over-riding hope, is that this generation of professional politicians, the Camerons, the Cleggs, the Millibands will mess up so badly that they will never be trusted again, and we can move to a system where politics is something you do because you want to make things better, rather than because it's a way to make cash.

My hope, my over-riding hope, is that this generation of professional politicians, the Camerons, the Cleggs, the Millibands will mess up so badly that they will never be trusted again, and we can move to a system where politics is something you do because you want to make things better, rather than because it's a way to make cash.

not a hope in hell, it is an easy route into a directorship, lots of money and it is always their fault

and if your cameron, how about an earldom?

......and won't give pointless time and attention to the unelected spongers in the church.

Nick Clegg's wife is a Catholic. His children are being brought up as Catholics. I doubt whether he is particularly hostile to "unelected spongers in the church".

Ernie - do you reakon europe could split the coalition?

No idea. I'm surprised the Great Tory-LibDem Love-in has gone this far. I did expect greater resistance from within the party. Some liberal members have spent the last 20 or 30 years fighting the conservatives ffs. How they have allowed some geezer, who was only an MP for a couple of years before becoming their leader, to drive them into bed with the Tories, and screw up their chances for the future, is beyond me.

That's exactly him ernie and I hope you are right. Not a pleasant site seeing him, in the early days of the coalition govt, heartily congratulating Geogre after his speech where he laid out how he was going to **** over any who wasn't a Tory.

we can move to a system where politics is something you do because you want to make things better, rather than because it's a way to make cash.

Will the electorate ever ignore what the newspapers owners are telling them, and support politicians who have entered politics to make a difference ?

The electorate loved Tony Blair - because they were told to. Never has there ever been a more self-serving British Prime Minister.

One can dream ernie, one can only dream.

An interesting side effect of the stupidity currently taking the place of actual politics is the re-politicisation of a generation of people. Given the poor turn outs, the lack of interest in politics, the way that young people no longer saw that politics was important, the current shower of inadequates have at least forced politics back onto everyones agenda.

You'll like this one Ernie:

Coincidence, kismet or subtle ironic political statement?
Parked directly outside the front Mr & Mrs Blair's pricey Pied à Terre in a select west London square as I cycled past this morning, was a Ferrari 458 with the number plate "1RA0"

A gift of thanks perhaps?

Senior Conservatives are said to be sceptical about the plans and say no government work is under way on implementing them.

From the Telegraph.

Senior Conservatives are said to be sceptical about the plans and say no government work is under way on implementing them.

[i]Shhhhh ![/i]........don't steal the thunder from Clegg's well rehearsed outrage.

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Sorry Stoner, I always need to have 'personal' number plates and red-top pun headlines explained to me. I don't know what "1RA0" means 😐

"1RA0", from 30yrds looks like IRAQ

Ah, right. Things like that always go right over my head 😀

.......I tend to take things literally, and lack poetic license.

"1RA0", from 30yrds looks like IRAQ

anyone know if 1 RA exists? just thought it might be nice to park up near thatchers funeral?

Flaperon - Member
What do you expect from a Godless philanderer?
Swears an oath to God to be an MP then denies the existence of God

I would say you have quite enough problems of your own to be getting on with if this is your biggest concern. How about the fact that it's quite nice to have someone in government who doesn't believe the Tooth Fairy catapulted the world into existence and won't give pointless time and attention to the unelected spongers in the church.

Clearly you missed the thread in which I proved the existence of a supreme being/force that for the sake of convenience we should continue to call God, if only to call lying scumbag politicians to account in the final reckoning.

Crikey, another Unread Ernie Essay, religion/atheism and Thatcher all in one page? STW in a nutshell these days.

Ernie - I think you are very harsh on Clegg, he was dealt a truly impossible hand by the electorate. There was no credible alternative to a Conservative led government, the numbers just did not work, if he had allowed them to govern on a finance and supply basis, and flinched from the responsibility of government - where would that have left the Lib Dems? He has been left in the least worst position but the electorate would have hit them one way or another. Having said that, offering a full colalition was a strategy master-stroke by the tories.

...and the usual mildly critical and essentially useless comment about the thread rather than about the subject matter of the thread from his lordship.
All would appear to be as usual in STW land.

Mefty - he had another option. Negotiate a queens speech he could / would support and allow Cameron top form a minority government with Cameron having to gain support for bills not in the queens speech on the merit of each bill.

He would have had a far more effective veto power and could critise policiues not in th queens speech directly, he would not have had the lib dems loose support because of the support for the tories in the same way - but no ministerial cars.

It would have beena far better and more honest option. He was either incredibly neive or he sold his party for a ministerial car or two

That is what is meant by finance and supply, he would have flinched from power, and the LibDems would have been sitting ducks, what is the point of the party which isn't prepared to govern? He was stuffed whichever way.

He certainly is now; he has no power or influence other than that faintly reflected from Cameron, and is despised by his own party as well as everyone else. He has convincingly destroyed any small credibility the Lib-Dems ever had and has consigned them to history.

But to be honest that is what happens to them when they get close to power, they got clobbered by the Lib Lab Pact in the 70s as well, their vote went down from 18% to 13%.

He would have been much better off allowing Cameron to run a minority government. The lib dems would not have been damaged nearly so badly IMO. It could easily have been pitched as a principled stance not flinching from power

And now he can argue he took a principled stance by assuming the reigns of government and getting some of his policies implemented - it really was an unenviable decision and now he has to see it though. That is the point I am making, no one will have the benefit of hindsight on this one.

Just a matter of approach. When the tories were dependant on ulster unionist votes, David Trimble didn't act like a man grateful for the opportunity to wield power- he made Major's government jump through hoops for his support.

But the Tories had a majority then, albeit a small one, they needed Trimble because of rebels, there was no coalition agreement.

Waht policies has he got thru? He has folded on everything and been made to look extremly foolish and week and has lost much support within the party.

I seriously don't see him lasting the full term and history will judge him harshly.

mefty - Member

But the Tories had a majority then, albeit a small one, they needed Trimble because of rebels, there was no coalition agreement.

Which made Trimble's position weaker, not stronger.

Rubbish, they needed him because of the rebels, he knew it and extracted a price. That is what a coalition agreement is designed to meet upfront.

How is that rubbish? Cameron has got far more from the deal than Major got from the Unionists yet he's given them far less.

He has convincingly destroyed any small credibility the Lib-Dems ever had and has consigned them to history.

Crikey - can you remind me what credibility you were referring to, and what part of modern history you are consigning them to exactly?

So a minority party trades power for principle - and just imagine what an alternative voting system would bring? Perhaps this will be Cleggies (unintended) legacy!! Oh the irony!!

Trimble got £10 million for NI for helping out Major.

Nick Clegg has got an increase in personal allowances taking people out of tax and the pupil premium, there are probably others but I can't be bothered to look. He did a decent deal, not that that is likely to hep him.

decent deal? He got shafted on electoral reform which was the biggie and he has had to support policies that are an anathema to his party.

He got a crap deal

He [s]got[/s] negotiated a crap deal [i]in order to get a sniff off power that otherwise he and his cronies may not have got[/i]

FIFY

He got his referendum, so how did he get stuffed, he had the support of Ed Milliband, what more can one have wanted for? There is little point debating the niceties, I don't give a stuff about Nick Clegg, I was pointing out that most denigration of him on here is overly simplistic but I guess you get what you pay for.

power or powder?

He got a referendum on something that is not PR and not policy with the tories doing everything in their power to go for a no vote anyway.

I think you vastly overestimate what Clegg has got out of this.

there are probably others but I can't be bothered to look.

Yes, remember "child detention" ?

The day Nick Clegg announced a "coalition" with the Tories back in May 2010, he said to much applause, [i]"There will be no more child detention"[/i]. Offering it as a major concession that he had got out of the Tories.

Only we still have child detention...........so I'm not sure if it counts.

I reckon it probably does still count. After all he got plenty of brownie points for announcing it, and no one seems much bothered that it's yet another broken LibDem promise. Maybe there's too many broken LibDem promises to worry about ?

Every concession which the Tories made to the LibDems they did so because they were happy to do it. They haven't been [i]forced[/i] by LibDems to do anything.

Oh, btw : [i][b]"Nick Clegg has got an increase in personal allowances taking people out of tax "[/b][/i]

And they are now paying 20% VAT. Despite this election campaign by the LibDems :

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....and not a lot of people knew the LibDems would help him.

Ernie - so what should he have done, which would not have clobbered the Lib Dems? He was stuffed either way.

so what should he have done

Er... show some backbone and push for what he believes in*.
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*This is now the subject of some debate...

How would not going into "coalition" with the Tories have clobbered the LibDems ?

I can't see how helping the Tories to achieve what they otherwise wouldn't be able to achieve, was the right thing for the LibDems to do. And millions of former LibDem voters agree with me. They're not interested in seeing a stable Tory government.

People generally don't vote LibDem because they want to vote Tory. Something which appears to be lost on Clegg.

How would not going into [s]"coalition"[/s]"servitude" with the Tories have clobbered the LibDems ?

FIOA

And millions of former LibDem voters agree with me. They're not interested in seeing a stable Tory government

He speaks the truth you know. This is *fact*.

The history of Lib Lab pact does not suggest not going into coalition would have done them that much good either.

The history of Lib Lab pact does not suggest not going into coalition would have done them that much good either.

The Lib-Lab Pact is hardly a comparable situation.

Completely different arrangement, in a completely different political climate. It was a very minor arrangement whereby the Liberals agreed not to support a no confidence vote in the House. The whole thing lasted less than 18 months and was over well before the subsequent general election.

The Liberals were not "punished" for the Lib-Lab Pact, however much spin you try to put on it. What probably happened, as the Labour vote held reasonable well, is that some Liberal voters possibly switched to Labour - there was a real fear of a Conservative government with Thatcher as the Prime Minister. There was a strong "anti-Thatcher" sentiment in 1979.

Why all the moaning:

1. We get to understand what LibDems are really like?
2. We get to understand what coalitions are like?
3. Ed Balls can't screw up any more?
4. The Tory haters get a field day?
5. Labour get a few years to find a proper leader?

Sounds like most get a good deal?

It was a confidence agreement, as opposed to a confidence and supply, which I guess is what would have been on offer otherwise, so I think it is a reasonable comparison. Always difficult to work out why your share goes down, but we know that it certainly did and my thesis would be this is the natural trajectory of a third party in a two party system when it approaches power as its essential futility becomes obvious.

It was a confidence agreement, as opposed to a confidence and supply, which I guess is what would have been on offer otherwise, so I think it is a reasonable comparison. Always difficult to work out why your share goes down, but we know that it certainly did and my thesis would be this is the natural trajectory of a third party in a two party system when it approaches power as its essential futility becomes obvious.

EDIT: Apologies for using the incorrect term earlier.

Why all the moaning

Good point teamhurtmore. I could perhaps be forgiven for relishing the sight of capitalism and bourgeois democracy in crises - hardly a day passes when there isn't yet more news concerning how capitalism is shafting itself.

However unfortunately it's the ordinary man and woman who is paying for this crises, which kinda takes the shine off things.

So no, it doesn't sound [i]"like a good deal"[/i] at all, imo.

Ernie - I assume that you appreciated that my comments were made with my tongue fully in my cheek!

But back to the main issue. I agree with Cleggy that the current levels of executive remuneration are excessive in absolute terms, in relative terms to company performance, in relation to workers within the same company etc. But I do not see that this means that the government should be legislating here. The government has not right to intervene and is in no better position to intervene than anyone else. This should be left to the company's shareholders, customers and workers to determine. I would agree that shareholders have failed in their responsibility to deal with the issue, but they have suffered as a result with poor share price performance. So it should be them, who deals with the issue.

I could just about support the idea of greater transparency but again who is to determine where this ends? Still probably best left to others.

So all-in-all, just another political gimmick?