Update: We’ve closed comments on this post as the Interview is now finished. See Nick’s Twitter stream for further responses to questions and this post for an account of how the event worked.
Video Feed
If you’ve got a question for Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg then now’s your chance: on Monday July 13th (1200 GMT). he’ll be joining the Reuters UK team to take your questions live. And no subject is off limits.
You’ll be able to see the live videostream here and you can ask questions ahead of the event or respond during it by using Twitter (#askclegg) the 12 Seconds video service (nickclegg) or use this post’s comment form below. (We’ll also feature the highlights on the reuters uk news twitterstream.) Nick introduces the event below and, to kick off the discussion, asks a couple of questions of his own.
On Monday we can change the way we do politics. Every week I travel around the country to meet people in their local town halls and listen to their views. Anyone can come along and ask me (just about) anything and in return I get a pretty good picture of how people across the UK feel about politics and how they are being affected by the recession.
Next week I am going to do another of my public Q&A meetings, but this time it is going to be live and online so that you can ask me your questions from home, your work or wherever you happen to be online. There will be no script and no special invitations - just get in touch and ask a question on subjects that concern you.
The one thing that keeps coming up again and again is the state of our politics and how we can clean it up. Many people say they would like to see action taken against MPs who seriously abuse the system. But currently voters have no power to sack those MPs who have been found guilty of serious wrong-doing. I want to change this and make politicians more accountable and politics more transparent. I am keen to hear your ideas.
This has never been done before so, on Monday 13th July post your questions and let’s discuss how we can clean up politics and fix the British economy.
Nick Clegg
This is a great idea, and we should see more of this sort of thing.
2 reforms to the voting system could make our politics much more responsive, and give us much more power:
1) Why not introduce a system of Delegated Voting, whereby MPs' votes in the Commons depend directly on how many people voted for them (votes cast for other parties in that constituency could be distributed to the elected MPs of that party)? In this way, every vote would count directly in the Commons, for every MP and for every party. Votes would matter in safe seats and in marginal seats; Labour votes would count in Tory constituencies, and so would Tory ones, because it would stop being just about who got the seat, and start being about the votes. Why don't you propose such a system, so that in future we can affect politics with our votes even where our MP retains their seat?
2) More ambitiously, could we have continuous voting, where we could change our vote online when we wanted (maybe with a restriction on doing it too often), so that Parliament would gradually change as opinion in the country changed, and MPs and governments would always be at the mercy of the people? Truly unpopular and massively important decisions might not then go through, as they can now.
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173 comments so far
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Dear Nick.
I have a lot of respect for Mark Williams Ceredigion (Wales) Liberal MP, he has been our backbone while fighting against a near by wind development.
My questions to you are as follows…
1. where do you stand regarding Wind dvelopments in the UK?
2. Would you change the policy to make more use of other forms of renewable enrgy?
3. What are your thoughts regarding Nuclear?
4. Would you support local MP\’s for being democratic, even if it goes against the Liberal policy?
Mark Williams is one of the MP\’s that can see further than his own back pocket, if all MP\’s listened to what communities want rather than what Quango\’s advise, (which is usually for their own benefit) the political system would be democratic and trustworthy…
At this moment in time, we are living in a dictatorship country and not a democratic one.
Dear Nick.
I have a lot of respect for Mark Williams Ceredigion (Wales) Liberal MP, he has been our backbone while fighting against a near by wind development.
My questions to you are as follows…
1. where do you stand regarding Wind dvelopments in the UK?
2. Would you change the policy to make more use of other forms of renewable enrgy?
3. What are your thoughts regarding Nuclear?
4. Would you support local MP’s for being democratic, even if it goes against the Liberal policy?
Mark Williams is one of the MP’s that can see further than his own back pocket, if all MP’s listened to what communities want rather than what Quango’s advise, (which is usually for their own benefit) the political system would be democratic and trustworthy…
At this moment in time, we are living in a dictatorship country and not a democratic one.
So many people don’t vote Lib Dem because they feel we don’t make enough of a difference in Parliament. There have been a few successes recently, but the question is: Do we have a national strategy to take power? (to be the opposition first naturally). I think if the answer were a definitive yes and what that was (in broad terms) then many more people would vote for the Lib Dems.
In the current coming age of climate change, energy security and public transport will become increasingly important.
These utilities will need to be properly co-ordinated and run for the benefit of the population at large and not for profit.
Some surveys have shown that as many as 75% of the UK population are in favour of rail re-nationalisation.
With these considerations in mind, why is re-nationalisation of utilities and particularly public rail transport not on the LibDem agenda?
Nick
Is politics today less about ideology are more about who can best manage the shop?
On behalf of some 800,000 Polish voters, scattered in key seats, I would like to ask what the LibDem policy is on the government’s recent decision to retain the Workers’ Registration Scheme.
This demands that Polish workers and other A8 nationals (but NO OTHER EU nationals, Americans, Africans, Maltese etc) pay a huge £90 fee for the privilege of entering a sytem which confers no benefits, and delivers innaccurate statistics because so many evade the scheme; statistics which moreover are put to no discernible use.
Sarah Ludford MEP has called the WRS an expensive, discriminatory farce, which inhibits the free and equal movement of Labour, and should be scrapped. What does the rest of the party think?
Nick, my question is what is your stance on Gay Marriage? Personally I think that civil unions aren’t good enough - it’s hardly fair or equal. The government should be secular on personal matters such as this, and not take sides with the Church of England.
Z
Do you think that there should be more helicopters and men sent to Afghanistan to shore up the military effort, which many ex-army chiefs have called for? It seems that this is the only way to achieve the objective. Do you think that non-military approaches could work?
In times of the recession it’s difficult for anyone to get a job, but for blind and partially sighted people it’s always the case, with 66% of blind and partially sighted people of working age still out of work.
Given the right opportunities, blind and partially sighted people have always been able to compete in the job market, but the problem is many employers need more information about the abilities of visually impaired people and schemes available to support them, such as the govrenment funded Access to work scheme.
How will a lib dem government look to raise awareness of this scheme to employers?
I am concerned that the negative impact of industrial wind turbines on local communities is not being addressed.
With politicians to date it is ’seen to be green’ politics and a re run of the emperors new clothes…from all parties!
The financial sums involved buys silence, compromises communities and buys political support,yet the UK public and our economy are paying for this. More goes from most communities into the ROC pot that they accrue from community benefit funds.
Democracy is not being best served and prudence and sound engineering are being ignored.
We have finite resources natural and financial…too much time is being spent debating global issues and arguing about our future too hot? too cold?…too many making money out of career environmentalism … it is time we took action and used our all finite resources prudently by taking a large dose of commonsense and put communities first, not relying on vested interests,media and PR hype to plan our future!
It seems MPs are slipping back into their old habits over expense reform and standards in public life. Instead of a full tax authority and police investigation into fraud, it appears a light touch and forgive and forget attitude has been taken on all sides. No better and as ineffectualy as an Independent Police Complaints Commission investigation. Justice must be seen to be done. Do you feel for example, that it is justified for the public to pay for MPs to have perks like second homes when it would be a far better investment for the taxpayer to buy the necessary properties as state assets(at reasonable cost/specification, or to develop a specific ‘campus’ for the purpose)? This would necessitate a one-off/reducing expense cost to the public purse. In the long run this seems to be a more cost-effective solution than giving away money in perks to MPs at market rate. Does Mr Clegg feel that it is fair for MPs to have enhanced pension packages when the average person is seeing pension schemes closed and raided by the chancellor for increased taxation that is killing the company/personal pension scheme; and does he feel that pensions should be for the ‘life of the contract’ (unaltered during the term of the contract by legislation) and would he do something to address the labour raid on pensions and address this gross imbalance which disconnects MP’s from the realities of the working public? Is it right for disgraced MPs to retain benefits? What sort of message does this send to the country? Is it right to have a two tier system in which those who legislate are largely exempted from the effects of their actions and live inside a glass bubble?
Dear Nick,
Having studied Sociology for the last two years, it appears that education is central to societies fortunes. Despite Tony Blair focusing heavily on education, he has got a lot of issues wrong.
I want to know what your plans for the education system would be and how you’d like to shape the system.
Dear Nick,
What is your policy on detention of children and torture victims in immigration detention centers?
Will you increase carers allowance to a wage you can live on and provide a basic pension for long term carers?
Thanks.
Dear Nick,
Do you believe that the current recession, combined with ever-increasing environmental concerns, present a very good opportunity for the British Government to take a lead in investing heavily in Green Industry? Why do you think the Labour Government is reluctant to move away from preserving the ’status-quo’?
Kindest Regards,
Steve
Hi Nick,
Are housing expenses the real issue, or just a media fixation?
Dear Nick,
What are your thoughts on the plight of many Scottish people, including Scottish First Minister and SNP leader Alex Salmond, who wish to secure the total independence of Scotland from the rest of the UK? Would a Liberal Democrat Government, which aims to take decisions at the “lowest possible level”, grant steps towards independence or seek to maintain / reinvent the current state of devolution?
I’ve always been impressed with your ability to engage ordinary people and bring different opinions together to one conclusion. You explain your ideas and principles in such a manner that rarely fails to impress the listener, including the case for decentralisation and the increased powers of local government in England and the rest of the UK.
Kindest Regards
Steve
Dear Mr Clegg,
As you maybe aware within the United Nations there is a Committee on the Rights of the child, who produced the ‘Convention of the rights of the child’ as of yet this convention is not part of UK law, therefore many young people are not getting the best chance in life which affects their ability and status in later life (adulthood!).
If (and when) the Lib Dems come to power, would you put the UNCRC into UK Law? if yes, would you suport young people and Childrens Rights organisations in campaigning for the better/full implentation of the UNCRC? … but if no, why not?
Thank you!
Hi Nick
What policies should we (Lib Dems) talk about to connect with Conservative voters in the south east of England?
Dear Mr Clegg
With our country in such dire financial straights, which will undoubtedly last for some nightmare years to come. Would you honestly want to be elected as Prime Minister at the next election?
Dear Nick,
1. What do you think about the growing authoritarianism of our Government and the relentless erosion of our civil rights?
2. Why is Gordon Brown “working towards global governance” when the electorate has not voted for it or him?