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Not what we wanted to talk about, Nick

May 13th, 2009 Posted in UK Politics by

party-election-broadcastI received an email  from Chris Rennard a short while ago notifying me (and every other Lib Dem) of the Party Election broadcast this evening that you can watch now on You Tube ..

 

What a wonderful opportunity this was for Nick to address the nation, respond to Norman Tebbit’s urge to voters to boycott the main parties at the upcoming elections, and demonstrate that he really is “clean up Clegg”.

What we got was “Conversations with Nick Clegg – Part 2”. The second part of a broadcast that should never have made it past part 1. What a waste.

There was one point of interest … Nick Clegg’s illustration of how a local Lib Dem Council took a radical route to tackling youth crime (oh the irony). They gave criminals a choice…. 

” You can either go to the police and get snarled up in this criminal justice system or you will come before a community justice panel  and you will face your victim, and your victim’s family, and members of the community and you will have to say sorry , and you will have to explain why you did what you did, and then together you are going to decide how you are going to make up for the harm you created.”

I wonder how many MPs would choose the community justice panel. I simply love the idea of them telling their local communitities WHY THEY DID what they did.

10 Responses to “Not what we wanted to talk about, Nick”

  1. Charlotte Gore Says:

    Hmm… would they have had the capacity to throw together another film that quickly? How soon before broadcast do the tapes/discs/files need to be delivered?

    I mean, if it was technically possible for us to break from this particular ‘grid’ we really, really should have. Wasted opportunity :(


  2. Simon Says:

    I watched this in a pub. When he got to the bit saying “Do you beleive we are safer, more prosperous” etc there was a sudden chorus of “No!” followed by hoots of laughter as everyone realised they had replied in unison.

    So much for him and his referndum denying anti free speech trouser press fiddling cohorts then.


  3. Angela Harbutt Says:

    Charlotte , Technically very simple to do a straight piece to camera – no frills – straight talk – I could turn it round for broadcast in two hours with half decent cameraman. Possible Standards checks to be run – but this issue was on their radar since Sunday so these could be covered in the time.

    Even without the expenses row this was a pretty poor effort from who ever was responsible for making it in my view.


  4. Chris Says:

    Too heavy on issues, in my opinion. Your average voter just wants a message not a policy lecture.

    This is a fantastic opportunity for the Lib Dems. People don’t want Cameron, they just want to get rid of Labour. Cast the party as a positive vote for change, a new option lead by respectable, well-known and wise figures such as Cable and Kennedy as well as the more energetic, dynamic Clegg (and some more young talent).


  5. Niklas Smith Says:

    I beg to disagree. I am impressed by both of the broadcasts, and I like the town hall meeting format. One man talking to camera while sitting in an armchair turns me off. Surely the fact that Nick Clegg goes to meet people, listen to them and explain himself is a powerful message in itself?

    I actually think Part 2 was better than Part 1, for two reasons: firstly, we could hear the questions being asked by members of the audience, and secondly he actually focused on Europe and local government this time (the elections people will be voting in).

    I’m not quite sure what Ms Harbutt would like him to do instead. SuperClegg with a cape jumping off Big Ben? Or back to the old one-man-gives-us-a-short-lecture format? Or Jim Hacker’s Ministerial Broadcast (a hilarious episode of Yes, Prime Minister)?

    P.S. I’m glad to see this blog up and running, I think it’s a good initiative. I’m adding it to my regular reading.


  6. On the EU at Charlotte Gore Says:

    […] 2 “Conversations with Clegg” went out last night and, shock horror, Nick actually defended Britain’s membership of […]


  7. Angela Harbutt Says:

    Niklas – of course there will be as many views on any Party election broadcast as there are people – its a personal choice. I thought they were too over-produced personally. And NO! i do not want super-clegg in a cape (though it made me chuckle at the thought). As i said in my post I thought a straight-talking head and shoulders, serious piece to camera would have been the appropriate route – addressing Lord Tebbits comments and how he was doing his part to restore peoples faith in politics. I fear a huge back-lash at the up-coming elections.


  8. Julian Harris Says:

    I want Super Clegg in a cape.


  9. Sara Scarlett Says:

    In all fairness Father’s for Justice have done just that and have got a quite a lot of media attention.


  10. Keith Elliott Says:

    What a waste. Leadership is required on the expenses issue. I hate to say this, but so far Cameron is powering ahead and yet his MP’s are mired far more deeply than the Lib Dems.

    I’m worried about Norman Baker, who has always stuck me as the perfect example of an outstanding MP. He’s getting some serious negative coverage on Iain Dale and in his local press.