Live chat with Nick Clegg, Tues Dec 11th from 2-3pm

[CarrieMumsnet]

Hi all

Nick Clegg, one of the contenders for the leadership of the Lib Dems, will be answering your questions on Mumsnet on Tues Dec 11th from 2-3pm.

If you can't make Tuesday's chat, please post your advance questions here.

For those of you who haven't perhaps followed Nick's career as closely as you should have, here's a short biog courtesy of his office:

Nick is MP for Sheffield Hallam (majority of 8,682) and the Liberal Democrat Shadow Home Secretary. He was born in 1967 and studied at Cambridge, Minnesota and College D?Europe. He's married to Miriam Gonzalez Durantez and has two young sons. He takes his parenting duties seriously; his working day usually starts by taking his sons to school and when Miriam returned to work after the birth of their first son, Nick stayed at home to look after their child.

Before entering Parliament, Nick worked as a journalist and then as a development aid and trade expert in the European Union, including managing aid projects in the poorest parts of the former Soviet Union and overseeing the EU?s side in negotiations for China and Russia to join the World Trade Organisation.

His political interests include the defence of civil liberties, campaigning against Identity Cards and proposing a Freedom Bill to repeal unnecessary legislation.

See you all for a late-lunch-at-the-computer on the 11th.

Do you reckon he's really there, or is it gaggle of researchers typing slowly...?

Not that I wouldn't mind being a researcher!

I think I have blown this interview.

Monkeytrousers, in answer to your question about the politics of families, I have always been annoyed at the assumption that the family is only a subject for the Right. I think that there is huge scope for a political party to campaign on the needs of all families, in all their different shapes and sizes, not just the traditional nuclear family which the Conservatives think can be promoted through minor tax bribes. I fully intend to return to this theme if I become leader of the Lib Dems.

beggers can't be choosers, as they say round these parts!

His researcher didn't pass on my request for a job, obviously

Nettie, in answer to your question about work-life balance I hope you've seen the first answer I posted earlier. I passionately believe that greater flexibility in the workplace, an end to abusive long hours working culture, and a better work-life balance help rather than hinder our overall economic productivity. This is certainly the experience of other countries. As such, I hope such changes would not lead to resentment amongst those people who don't have kids.

There are an increasing number of binge drinking teens on the streets. How do you think this should be tackled?

Tae-kwon-do works for me

SenoraPostrophe, thanks for your question about Lib Dem policies. As it happens, we have volumes of policies of our own which we bang on about all the time. For instance, I've been promoting new, radical, ideas for the reform of our dismal prison system for ages. Sometimes our ideas get through. But as an opposition party whose constitutional duty it is to keep Ministers on their toes, I guess it is true that our reactions to government policies are often covered more fully by the media.

Nick, Can you give my love to Dan Alexander.

Nursery pickup pending...still no chance as a job as a reseacrher in the Gateshead area?? I am a grad!

Swedes2Turnips1, thanks for your question about honesty in politics. I have been pretty straight forward in stating my ambition for the Liberal Democrats: I want us to grow so that we break the stifling grip of two party politics in Westminster for good in two elections.

Edam, thanks for your question about civil liberties etc. If I was running the government I would repeal a whole host of illiberal laws which have undermined our cherished British freedoms. I would also completely overhaul the excessive use of databases by this government. We are sleepwalking into a surveillance society, and it needs to be stopped before it is too late. If you want to find more details on what is often a technical subject please look at the Lib Dem party website.

Nick, what are you getting for Christmas?

martianbishop, I would be seriously worried if answers from a politician were more popular than answers on Kinky Sex. I may be an MP, but I'm not naive about most people's priorities in life!

Nick - Is kinky sex a priority in your house?

Thanks to Mumsnet for having me on and thanks to everybody for their questions. I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to answer more - but hopefully I'll get a chance to come back on another time.

perhaps he just remembered its a higher priority than faffing abiout on mn

Hi all
We're coming close to the end of our alloted time with Nick and we want to thank him again for stopping by.
Many thanks for all your questions and sorry about the false start
As he said, we're hoping he'll be back to reply to all his unanswered questions at a later date, though we doubt this will be before the leadership election.
thanks again MNHQ

lol