Starting on Thursday 10th January at 9.00am, Call Clegg will be the first time a senior member of Government has agreed to be challenged by listeners every week about the big decisions being made in Downing Street.
Every Thursday morning for half-an-hour, the Deputy Prime Minister will go head-to-head with LBC 97.3 breakfast host Nick Ferrari and his listeners, who will be able to call, email, text or tweet Nick Clegg directly with their questions.
Mr Clegg said: “I’m doing this because I don’t think politicians get to hear enough from people directly. You can’t do the right thing in Government unless you keep in touch with how people are thinking and feeling.
“Nick Ferrari is known as the interviewer that all politicians fear. He can be very tough but he’s generally fair, very well informed and I hope we’ll make a good combination for the show we’re doing together.
LBC broadcasts in London on 97.3FM but you can download their shows wherever you are, by visiting the LBC website.
Listen to Nicks Clegg and Ferrari announcing the phone-ins, on this morning’s show, and find out how Nick Clegg will be celebrating his 46th birthday today:
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31 Comments
Nick Clegg – the new Silvio Berlusconi of the airwaves 🙂 http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2013/01/clegg-has-nothing-lose-and-much-gain-his-phone-show
He will not be challenged as all the calls will be filtered and time delayed. Does he think we are fools?
@Anne
“He will not be challenged as all the calls will be filtered and time delayed. Does he think we are fools?”
I don’t think everybody is a fool, Anne.
Maybe just people who make a judgement before the first programme has even aired.
I have to agree with the New Statesman’s pundit, when he says “Clegg has nothing to lose and much to gain from his phone-in show”. I think this is an astute move on the part of Nick.
Seriously, who is going to bother tuning into a station that predominantly is a) very right-wing and b) is broadcast miles from where one lives and therefore in the grand scheme of things, is totally irrelevant to the things happening in ones own environment.
Having heard Ferrari on Press Preview with his vile opinions on the poor, the very last thing I am prepared to do is offend my ears by tuning in to his radio show.
Anne 7th Jan ’13 – 5:08pm
He will not be challenged as all the calls will be filtered and time delayed. Does he think we are fools?
Spot on, Anne! Clegg will have negotiated the terms very carefully. But, as with everything to do with this accident-prone DPM, it will not go according to plan. See also Clegg’s apology which was supposed to wipe the slate clean and only succeeding in making him a laughing stock and reminding people how utterly they were betrayed by the LD parliamentarians.
.Nick Ferrari…………………….. A friend of former The Sun editor Kelvin MacKenzie, Ferrari joined him at L!VE TV where he devised such programmes as Topless Darts, the News Bunny and the weather presented by a dwarf on a trampoline.
In 1989, Ferrari was instrumental in setting up the Sky News channel, as the second person to be hired by Rupert Murdoch. Initially he was editor and then he was promoted to Vice President of News and Programming, of Fox TV in New York………….
I’m reminded of the old poem…..
One night in late October,
When I was far from sober,
Returning with my load with manly pride,
My poor feet began to stutter,
So I lay down in the gutter,
And a pig came near and lay down by my side;
Then we sang “It’s all fair weather when good fellows get together”,
Till a lady passing by was heard to say:
“You can tell a man who boozes,
By the company he chooses”,
And the pig got up and slowly walked away…..
@Phyllis
Someone else who knows what the programme is going to be like before the first edition has even been aired.
And I suppose Parliamentary Questions to the DPM are “filtered and time delayed”.
“Spot on, Anne! Clegg will have negotiated the terms very carefully. But, as with everything to do with this accident-prone DPM, it will not go according to plan.”
So he’s both a Machiavellian manipulator AND
*both a Machiavellian manipulator AND
Anne – where has that been said?
Tony Livesey was the editor of the Daily Sport – should we avoid his R5L show (which is excellent BTW) on the same basis?
I find myself it he strange position as agreeing with @Simon Shaw let’s wait until the show starts. I am all for more engagement between senior politicians and the public and the media tend to force answers which nevers happens in Parliament..
If people bother to phone in there will be a lot of abuse, are you all deaf and do none of you read what people call Clegg? If there is no filtering, he will be torn to shreds.
Anne 7th Jan ’13 – 6:22pm
“If people bother to phone in there will be a lot of abuse, are you all deaf and do none of you read what people call Clegg? If there is no filtering, he will be torn to shreds.”
Exactly!!!
Training to be the next Jimmy Young?
It sounds like a few Labour hacks on here area bit upset that Nick’s going on this programme, I don’t always agree with Nick Clegg however I think he is more capable of handling himself even with the likes of Ann who promote abuse.
@Anne
“Simon Shaw ‘ I don’t think everybody is a fool, Anne’
Just everyone who disagrees with you.”
No, but I do think that someone who says quite categorically (before a single programme has been on air): “he will not be challenged as all the calls will be filtered” is exceedingly foolish.
Of course he will be challenged – if for no other reason than that makes good radio.
I remember the days (just a couple of years ago) when we Lib Dems used to complain we could get enough coverage for our views. Now we have people complaining at half an hour a week on radio.
Truly there is nothing that Clegg can do that people won’t complain about.
Simon McGrath “Truly there is nothing that Clegg can do that people won’t complain about.”
Yes unfortunately Clegg is toxic now.
@Phyllis
“Simon McGrath “Truly there is nothing that Clegg can do that people won’t complain about.”
Yes unfortunately Clegg is toxic now.”
She doth protest too much!
If you really believe what you say, surely you should just keep quiet and let what you claim will be a disaster unfold.
@Phyllis
“http://conservativehome.blogs.com/leftwatch/2013/01/im-nick-clegg-and-im-listening.html”
Yes, a very interesting article. In particular, the further reference is well worth looking at:
http://www.commucan.com/2013/01/07/why-cleggs-weekly-phone-in-is-a-good-call/
“Why Clegg’s weekly phone-in is a good call
Our director David Prescott, a former BBC and GMTV Producer, on why Nick Clegg’s weekly phone-in on LBC is actually a smart move.”
I can’t help being reminded of Clegg’s “£30 quid” gaffe about the state pension.
It’s certainly a very high-risk strategy, and it surely does reflect a perception that Clegg has “nothing to lose” now.
Simon Shaw ” you should just keep quiet”
Hehe I certainly don’t intend to do that.
“let what you claim will be a disaster unfold.” I never said that.
“Our director David Prescott, a former BBC and GMTV Producer, on why Nick Clegg’s weekly phone-in on LBC is actually a smart move”
Yeah, he says it’s a smart move because Clegg ‘s approval rating is -33 , so low in fact that he has nothing to lose! Not exactly a ringing endorsement.
@Phyllis
“Not exactly a ringing endorsement.”
It’s not meant to be an endorsement. It’s meant to be an assessment by an industry insider as to whether this is a “smart move” on the part of Nick. I agree with David Prescott and the New Statesman that it is, and that must irk you.
Simon Shaw ” I agree with David Prescott and the New Statesman that it is, and that must irk you.”
Haha I am not ‘irked’ by what you think at all, lol! Why would I be? It’s your opinion and you’re perfectly entitled to it,
I must say I usually feel reassured when Simon Shaw disagrees with me!
I don’t think it matter whether it is a smart or dumb move. My best guess is that to be good radio it will have a range of views from supporters of all parties and none. Anyone who has seen my comments on here regarding Clegg will know that I am very far from a supporter of his. However, I applaud any politician who is willing to take questions outside of the sterile conference / town hall meeting environment. I wouldn’t mind betting Boris and Millibland will be wishing they had thought of it…
Watch out David Starkey, you’ve got competition!
Clegg is reputedly very good at town hall meetings – in fact he does them every week. So I’d say that this is an astute move which will let him play up to his strengths in front of a wider audience.
Two things worth pointing out here.
1/ Boris Johnson does do a pretty regular (not once a week though!) hour long ‘phone in on LBC with Nick Ferrari. Of course calls are on a 20 second time delay to stop profanties being aired, but the Mayor doesn’t get it all his own way and is challenged by both presenter and the callers. Boris finds it far tougher – you can tell because he never answers the questions (!) on LBC than on Vansessa Feltz’s BBC London show where he also does a regular ‘phone in and where Vanessa Feltz often defends the Mayor to callers and asks the most benign questions you can imagine!
2/ LBC radio is owned by Global who also own a number of other radio stations arouund the country. I think LBC is the only ‘regional’ speech broadcaster (excluding BBC local radio stations) in England, but I am guessing any good soundbites that come from Nick Clegg’s appearance on the LBC show could be broadcast on the other Global stations news bits.
Of course I am sure Nick Clegg would be happy to do a regular ‘phone in, in other areas of England that was also broadcast via the airwaves, but as there aren’t any such stations its a bit difficult. BBC local radio might like to have him, but I bet their rules are such that they have to offer other parties the opportunity too. One advantage for commercial radio.
This whole idea could be a disaster, but lets listen first and then comment.
This is a brilliant idea & I very much doubt either Cameron or Milliband will be following in Cleggs footsteps.
On the other comments, we might do better as a party if we werent continually undermined by a tiny minority of our own members who constantly whinge & moan & like to beleive they represent some sort of “silent majority”.
Wow – such a great way to connect with the 90% of the population who live outside the LBC area!