‘A Million Jobs’, Nick Clegg’s new campaign to create a million more private sector jobs, particularly focusing on young people, launched today:

And ‘Million Jobs’, the campaign launched six months ago by 23-year-old Lottie Dexter, aiming to find jobs for the one million young unemployed adults in Britain:

Where could Nick have possibly got his inspiration?

Fight…

Via LBC.

Can the government’s new social mobility tsar manage a piece of breathtaking hypocrisy on very his first day? Yes he Caan. Appointed by Clegg, James Caan of Dragons’ Den fame, says parents should not help their children get a job. Apparently they should “let the child stand on his own two feet” as “you don’t want them to feel as though they don’t have to make the effort”. Meet Hannah Caan, James’ daughter, employee at his private equity firm Hamilton Bradshaw and on the board of trustees at his charity.

Don’t help your kids get a job, help them get two…

Clegg’s strategy in coalition has been to promote the LibDems as the party of fairness. Apparently with no sense of irony, he has attacked the Tories for failing to “adopt the politics of fairness”, told Martha Kearney he is the “voice of fairness” in government, and dreamt up that catchy-as-it-is-believable slogan “Building a fairer Britain”. Unfortunately for Nick, repeating something over and over doesn’t mean the public will believe him.

A YouGov poll out this morning finds only 6% think Clegg would be the most effective leader at making Britain a fairer place. Nearly double that, 11%, choose Nigel Farage as the fairest party leader. There’s bad news for Ed too, he comes second to Dave by 21% to 19%. Topping the poll is public apathy: 29% said no leader could deliver a fairer society. People might disagree about what fairness means, but nearly everyone agrees Clegg won’t deliver it…

One moment of amusement during today’s extremely dull, long, Deputy PMQs was Edward Leigh thoroughly embarrassing Clegg over that in/out referendum leaflet.

Painful.

The other bit of good news that has gone under the radar this morning is Clegg appearing to veto the snooper’s charter. He told LBC:

Let’s hope he stays true to his word…

The Tory manifesto for 2010 was crystal clear: “Conservatives will empower local people to cast a vote of no confidence in their elected representative and bring an end to the concept of the ‘safe seat’.” As was the LibDem promise to “give people the power to sack corrupt MPs”. And, above all, the power of recall is enshrined in the Coalition Agreement:

“We will bring forward early legislation to introduce a power of recall, allowing voters to force a by-election where an MP is found to have engaged in serious wrongdoing and having had a petition calling for a by-election signed by 10% of his or her constituents.”

And still nothing. A point Zac Goldsmith made on Call Clegg this morning:

Clegg feebly “assures” us he will seek assurances that a debate will be had. No time frame, no realistic prospect of the public being given the power of recall any time soon. In the meantime, our MPs know we can’t touch them until 2015…

See also:

• Parliament Can’t Recall Promising to Sack Corrupt MPs

Via LBC.

As Guido reported in his Sun column on Sunday and Chris Heaton Harris just pointed out in the House, it was Nick Clegg who had the harshest words for EU Budget negotiations, which he called “dishonest” and “hypocritical”. In a speech last November, the Deputy Prime Minister scaremongered against “pushing a completely unrealistic position on the EU budget. One that is miles away from any other country’s position”. Twisting the knife further, Clegg claimed “there was no hope of getting a budget deal agreed”. With even Ed giving lukewarm praise, it looks like Clegg is the only isolated one now.

Asked by Dennis Skinner on whether he would accept a seat in the Lords, Nick Clegg at first tried to joke that he would not be very welcome given what he has said about the upper chamber, but was pinned down and confirmed that it would “stick in the throat” for him to accept the honour having apparently campaigned against it all his life. Presumably a nice job in the unelected EU will suit his democratic outlook though…

Clegg did leave himself some wriggle room by  saying he would not accept the seat in an “unreformed House of Lords.” Such caveats never worried Prezza, Clegg’s predecessor as Deputy Prime Minister, though. We’ll hold him to this one…