Nick Clegg on Mumsnet this Thursday (16th Sept) evening between 8 and 9 pm

[JustineMumsnet]

We're delighted that the Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg, will be joining us for a webchat this Thursday evening 8 and 9pm.

Next week the Deputy PM will be joining other world leaders, celebrities and business leaders who are gathering in New York for the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDG) Summit. He will be aiming for global action to reduce the shocking number of women who die during pregnancy and childbirth in the world's poorest countries.

Nick is happy to answer your questions on the UN summit as well as on his role as Deputy Prime Minster. Join us on Thursday evening or if you can't make it along then post your question (one each only please) here.

Thanks.

Dear Mr Clegg (I don't feel sufficiently well-disposed to you to call you Nick)

In your role as Deputy Prime Minister, i note from today's Guardian that you support the idea of radical benefit cuts, presumably because you believe the Chancellor's views that there are large numbers of people who make it a lifestyle choice to be on benefits.

Can you please let me know the number of adults who have made this lifestyle choice, where these figures come from and what savings will be made by cutting their benefits?

I think that counts as one question.

Dear Nick

Are you going to close the legal loophole that allows formula companies to advertise Follow-on milk in this country? This would bring the UK more in line with most countries in Europe where all formula advertising is banned.

Hello Nick,

DFID is recognised globally as being a leader on MNH issues. Would you like to pay tribute to your Labour predecessors for the work they did in this field, particularly in the area of free healthcare for the people who need it most?

CheekyLittleSox

This is from the OP:

"Next week the Deputy PM will be joining other world leaders, celebrities and business leaders who are gathering in New York for the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDG) Summit. He will be aiming for global action to reduce the shocking number of women who die during pregnancy and childbirth in the world's poorest countries.

Nick is happy to answer your questions on the UN summit as well as on his role as Deputy Prime Minster."

He's here primarily because of the UN summit, but will also talk about his UK DPM role.

Dear Mr Clegg

Shame on you for penalising the poor in society further whilst not penalising the bankers, tax evaders and fat cats.

I voted LibDem last time mainy due our wonderful MP - Simon Hughes.

I am a middle income earner, in the HE sector and struggle to survive in London as a single parent living in private rental.

My CB, minimal WTC and the small amount of housing benefit I receive are critical.

I despair at the widening gap between rich and poor and have no faith that the coalition has any understanding or true desire to address it.

I welcome Nick Clegg's announcement and commitment yesterday to doubling the number of lives of women and babies saved through UK aid by 2015, aiming to ensure that at least 50,000 more women and 250,000 babies will survive pregnancy and childbirth and 10 million more couples will get access to family planning. I would like to know what support the UK government is going to pledge to the UN Global Strategy on Women and Children?s Health at next week?s MDG Summit in New York. Thank you.

How do you rationalise meeting with Pope Ratzinger given your statements at the BOND meeting yesterday regarding your personal belief in the importance of, and the Coalition?s dedication to, maternal health, female empowerment and good sexual health practices? Thank you.

Dear Mr Clegg

Perhaps while discussing pregnancy and childbirth, you could raise the related subject of the ongoing horror of female genital mutilation. According to the website of the charity FORWARD, FGM continues to be inflicted upon approximately 100-140 million African women worldwide, and each year, a further 3 million girls are estimated to be at risk of the practice in Africa alone.

Even more appallingly, this practice is carried out right here in the UK, where an estimated 6,500 girls are at risk of FGM every year.

While the practice is illegal under UK law, no-one has ever been successfully prosecuted for this crime, so among communites where FGM is practiced, this law is no deterrant.

I would like to know where the current government stands on the issue of FGM, how it intends to raise awareness of the issue, how it intends to make sure that no UK citizen ever has this horror inflicted uopon her, and how it intends to raise the issue with other world governments to eliminate FGM worldwide.

Cheeky - I just got a phone call from the job centre about someone I interviewed last week, checking that I did exist and had interviewed him. Dh has just, thankfully, found work but while unemployed he had to take evidence of searching for work every time he signed on. Dunno where you get the idea claimants are lying from but it's very unfair.

Women bear and bring up each new generation - in countries with high mortality, particularly high AIDS-related mortality - one generation of women is raising two generations of children. Thinking about the MDGs, how important do you think women's health is? Do you think its importance is reflected in the way the aid budget is spent?

Hello Nick

I live in a marginal constituency (Lib/Con) and voted Liberal in the last election rather than vote for (my preferred choice) Labour in an attempt to stop the Tory bastards party getting in and to keep the government more to the left than the right. I didn't mind doing this as your election manifestos and pre-election debates hinted that if a coalition government would be formed it would be with Labour.

What can you say to me and many thousands of other similar voters who feel utterly betrayed by your choice of a Con-Lib Coalition Government? Particularly in the light of the swingeing social cuts this new Government is already implementing. Can you persuade me otherwise in my declaration to never vote for the Liberal Party again as I do not want my tactical vote to be used to justify a support of your new policies and proposed "boundary mongering"?

echo duckydoo's question

Nick -this morning you shook the had of the pope, a man who is responsible for enforcing maternal pain and suffering worldwide. what do you hope to achieve at a UN conferenchen when you are willing to smile at a man like that?

Hi Nick,

My question is about the impact on the MDGs of the government's plans to securitise the UK aid budget.

I'm really worried about how the MDGs will be achieved if priority is given to projects on the basis of British national security, rather than need. A recent article in the Guardian here warns that the British aid budget is being securitised.

There is also a big fear that although the government said before the election that aid is ringfenced, in actual fact the government plans to shift some of the functions of the Foreign Office and Ministry of Defence into DFID, meaning that less will be available to spend on international development.

Do you think the MDGs can be achieved if aid is spent on protecting Britain's national security, rather than helping the poorest and most vulnerable people?

And ... sorry, even if you were a guest at my house, I would have to politely tell you how disappointed I was that you 'sold out' to the Tories. I've been a lifelong Libdem voter, but never again.

Could I ask Nick Clegg whether the coalition government is as committed to mainstream inclusion for the education of special needs children as was the previous government? And could I also ask that he look into the education of autistic children in this country, as I think the behavioural methods - which are now standard in the US - are proven to have far more success than the rather wishy washy system which our autistic schools espouse in this country. I think we could do a lot better for our autistic children. Thanks.

180,000 qualified nurse retire within 10 yrs.(see nursing times)As there will be a chronic shortage are there any concerns re making nursing degree level?

Q2.I heard Home Secretary say at the TUC conference that frontline staff would not be affected. So why are nurse on wards being asked to re-apply for jobs due to ward closures?

Sorry, meant nurses and meant Police
Conference not TUC!

Dear Nick

Do you think the public is stupid or something?

Love, mamalino

Hi Nick

The UN announced yesterday that global hunger has reduced from just over a billion people, to just under a billion. As the majority of this near-billion people are children and women, what will the UK be doing at the summit to promote progressive and decisive action on the first MDG, particularly in light of Brazil proving it is possible by reducing child hunger by 73%?

Look forward to your response Nick.

James

This isn't specific to the conference that you are attending, but is pertinent.
As Ruthie48 mentioned, in my NHS trust and my department specifically, many members of staff are being asked to reapply for jobs with three times the workload for the same pay and some people will be made redundant. How will this improve care for women and children if there are fewer experienced and specialist staff left to care for them and those that are left are exhausted and time starved?

Dear Nick, I was so close to voting for you, I only made my final decision once I was in the polling booth, my husband actually did. He is devastated that his vote has been so misrepresented.

I have so many questions, all of which involve the unfair vilification of the poorest and most vulnerable in our society. But I'll stick to just one for now.

VAT has always hit the poor hardest as it is a proportionally higher tax upon the lowest earners. Given this, and the need for encouraging spending, how can you justify the increase in vat?

Hi Mr Clegg
1)As a community midwife, I would like to hear whether you support the gradual withdrawl of home visits by midwives in the postnatal period. This is happening as a direct response to Trusts restricting funding to the maternity services as a time when the demands on them are increasing
2)How will your party ensure that the supposedly ring-fenced monies for the maternity services are truely ring-fenced?

Hi Nick
I don't feel that I can miss this opportunity so I hope that you don't miss an opportunity to address the issues that people are worried about. Cuts are coming - we all know that, they have to be made - we know that to, most of us mums manage a budget on a daily basis and understand that. however, the private sector hasn't recovered enough to support the cuts being proposed in the public sector. Were do the government propose to get the money from when workers are made redundant, I'm not just talking about JSA but housing benefit, council tax benefit, free school meals, tax credits, incapacity benefit, courses to re-train when unemployed, college courses, etc etc etc I, like 100's and 1000's of others only ask you to fight for jobs in this country, if parents (one or both) work then this helps our children grow up knowing what it expected of them in the future.

Q2 - can you please take a closer look at schools - schools are using qualifications such as OCR Nationals and btec firsts which can be equivalent to 2, 3 or 4 GCSE's to get them up the league tables, they are becoming increasingly less and less interested in the welfare of children. Some universities have recently stated that they won't accept these qualifications so what's the point of the schools doing them if the qualification is not going to work for our kids in the future? They 'direct' parents in yr 9 to the qualifications which will get them up the tables rather than allowing students and parents making this decision. Year 11's do not leave school with the ability to write a CV or complete an application form, never mind understand the tax system (not that HMRC do either (sorry couldn't resist the dig)) if this country is to compete at a global level then surely this is where we start. In the school which I work in by the time a student gets to year 11 they have had a grand total of 3 hours of careers education and if they are sick on the day or out of school for whatever reason then it's tough. Fund the education system properly rather than as a token gesture. feel free to come to one of our team meetings in work if you need any more evidence - i'm sure my colleagues have plenty

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