Opinion of Nick Clegg

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

Option 3 (normal)

[Lief 🗽]

terrible of course, but not as terrible as living in a world where he wins re-election and ed balls does not.

[TNF]

More like Nick Kek amirite

[morgieb]

terrible of course, but as not terrible as living in a world where he wins re-election and ed balls does not.

[Oakvale]

FF, gutted for him.

[Lief 🗽]

FF, gutted for him.

don't worry, give him a month or two, he'll switch parties, and finally achieve his dream of becoming a Tory backbencher

[Dr. Cynic]

He singlehandedly help destroy several parliamentary careers, including the last two members of his party who were in parliament before the merger. I feel bad for a lot of the good LibDems, but not for him.

[Attorney General, LGC Speaker, and Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

HP

[Phony Moderate]

At least he's ensured that the concept of coalition government (something which I quite despise) in the UK is dead in the water for the time being.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

I was honestly amazed that he held on.

[Sumner 1868]

HP, though sinking the LibDems was an FF move.

[World politics is up Schmitt creek]

While Torie's analysis of him as somebody who took a principled stand for the good of the country regardless of political expedience may be in some ways a reasonable account of his intentions, it doesn't do away with the simple fact that he broke his party's most basic promises to cravenly prop up a terrible government for an entire term and led his own pathetic but not entirely terrible party to ruin in the process. HP but voted for the third option.

[Marokai Backbeat]

A complete joke. Nothing about the LibDems has been appealing for several years now and he is squarely to blame.

I feel like Franzl did when he apologized for ever supporting Mark Kirk, as something that haunts him as an incredibly stupid choice in retrospect. I feel embarassed I ever liked the LibDems. If the polls are any indication, it seems many others agree.

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

A complete failure even in the few things he was given agency over. Constitutional reform was a disaster, with the House of Lords remaining a failed chamber (and in fact becoming worse) and an insanely incompetent referendum campaign on a subpar voting system. Any radical perspective the party had on foreign affairs and civil liberties was sidelined, as Iraq faded into the distance. His 2014 debate stunt with Farage bordered on desperate lunacy that essentially thew his party under a bus for attention.

The one thing I will say in his favour, is he has made the London-Sheffield train faster. Which is pretty good, as far as pork-barrelling is concerned. (I take that route all the time)

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

lmao

[Dr. Cynic]

While Torie's analysis of him as somebody who took a principled stand for the good of the country regardless of political expedience may be in some ways a reasonable account of his intentions, it doesn't do away with the simple fact that he broke his party's most basic promises to cravenly prop up a terrible government for an entire term and led his own pathetic but not entirely terrible party to ruin in the process. HP but voted for the third option.

The LibDems are going to have to do a soul search. They've lost virtually their entire talent pool. Who's left? Tim Farron will end up the leader by default, probably. There's really no one else for them to put forward. They're in a far worse position than Labour.

[Brewer]

Option 3 (normal)

[© tweed]

his peacemaker act at the 2010 debates were classic.  good times

[politicallefty]

HP. His fate was well-deserved. The only real shame is that he held on to his own seat.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

He got clegged.

[Bleeding heart conservative, HTMLdon]

Massive FF.

I don't know exactly what people expected him to do.  If the LibDems should never agree to be in a coalition where they can assist in the governing of the country, then why should they exist?  They did the right thing and paid a tremendous price for it.  Good for them for giving it a go.

[SATW]

Mild FF.

[Peter]

Super FF, possibly moreso than PD or migrendel.

I agree that its a shame he didn't lose his seat because then he'd be the truest Freedom Fighting martyr.

Gave his life for his country. The markets would have rounded on the UK had he not. Whilst he didn't get a lot of his social welfare policy, nor did the Tories (and if you don't believe that, watch the next 5 years go by); Economic policy was a fundamental implementation of Orange Book liberalism which the Tories were more than happy to go along with as they generally lack the brains to have come up with half of it. Much lower income taxes for the lower/middle income workers, pension freedom for those with private pensions, and a better state pension. Pumped money into the schools system to help disadvantaged kids.

[Velasco]

The very definition of failure, as CrabCake said. Unlike Madeleine, I don't think the party was "pathetic but not entirely terrible" before him. My impression is that LibDems were necessary during the Blair era because of that "radical perspective" they had on civil liberties and foreign affairs. I'm not a fan of two-party systems and had certain sympathy for that liberal-progressive third party, even though they weren't my ideal match. After Clegg's devastation, they deserve pity at most. Even conceding that Nick's intent was working for "the good of the country", maybe the UK will leave the EU and Scotland will depart from the UK as a result. I don't think that's the outcome he was looking for. Clegg has proven to be fantastic for Cameron, though. 

[IceSpear]

Cameron toady. HP.