You’d have thought Nick Clegg might have had enough of everyone thinking he is a massive hypocrite, apparently not. Clegg has just been in front of a Lords committee to slag off high pay for Special Advisers. He’s outraged, apparently:
“We’ve now got the almost loopy situation where the Chancellor is whacking up the pay of his Special Advisers an astronomical amount. Special Advisers in government are now being paid far, far, much more money than they were in the past… Double standards doesn’t even scratch the surface.”
Is he serious?
Clegg is so outraged about SpAd pay that he bunged his aide Ryan Coetzee £110,000-a-year out of the public purse.
He also ordered the taxpayer to pay his SpAd Jonny Oates £98,500-a-year.
Three more Clegg SpAds were on £80,000.
This was the 2013 FoI request revealing Clegg had a total of 15 SpAds costing the taxpayer an “astronomical” £1 million a year.
“Double standards doesn’t even scratch the surface…”
Those concerned for the fate of Nick Clegg will be pleased to hear that the former Lib Dem leader has netted a cool £22,500 giving a keynote speech for Goldman Sachs. Clearly the company have forgiven him then for slamming them as a reminder of the banking industry’s “recklessness and greed” back in 2010.
Clegg was also tasked with moderating a Q&A session, with the entire engagement lasting a total of 2½ hours, meaning the Sheffield Hallam MP was earning exactly £150 a minute. Well that’s a living wage…
Jokes aside, Guido extends his congratulations to Nick, who would make his millionaire investment banker father Nicholas proud…
Nick Clegg is clearly as masochist. Not content with the beating he took from Farage the last time they debated, he has agreed to take part in Round 2 at the Oxford Union on Monday. Clegg will be arguing that “This House believes Britain and the EU are better together” alongside Jose Manuel Barroso, and it will be the first time that the UKIP leader and the former European Commission president have debated face to face. Farage will be backed up by Bill Cash. Get your popcorn ready…
Guido is sure the Patchwork Foundation are having us on with their MP of the Year awards announced in parliament this afternoon. The winner of Labour MP of the parliamentary term is… Ed Miliband!
Winner of the parliamentary term certificate? Diane Abbott?
Nick Clegg bagged the amusingly titled “Other Parties Winner of the Parliamentary Term”. Zac Goldsmith won the overall award, which is just about believable. Were they winding us up with the rest?
One politically-confused co-conspirator took it upon themselves to join the Liberal Democrats this month. The charitable reader was however surprised to receive a slightly nostalgic membership card:
The back reads like an obituary:
A LibDem source confirms it is one of several current membership cards available, along the theme of “liberal people from history“:
“We do a range of about 11 or 12, and new members can choose whichever one they want… it’s a variety of liberal images/people from history. Lloyd George, Gladstone, Paddy, Kirsty Williams, a pair of sandals, Charles Kennedy, Shirley Williams etc. We’re launching a Tim Farron one at conference”.
Don’t all rush at once…
Next time the LibDems tell us how the House of Lords is an antiquated, corrupt body that needs reform, remember who they chose to give honours to today:
Duncan Greenland CBE: Has donated a total of £316,858.95 to the LibDems since 2004, £31,000 of which went to Clegg’s constituency.
Richard Duncalf OBE: Donated £216,000 to the party since 2007, including an individual £10,000 donation to Clegg.
Sir Anthony Ullman: Given the party £108,000 in total, including £30,000 directly to Clegg four days before he visited Ullmann’s firm in 2013.
Ian Wright CBE: Given £32,807.79 in addition to £9,000 to Clegg directly.
It stinks.
