Nick Clegg is an old Westminster school boy

[Kafka9]

And well that is it really. A non story. As is Tony Blair went to Fettes and DC Eton. So contrary to what Gordy is banking on totally irrelevant

I stand corrected

It occurred to me reading this, old Tony Benn was surely a 'toff' ... guess where he went to school?

Yup. Westminster. Obviously a hotbed of lefties.

Clegg the schoolboy may have been a drip, but he's dared to dss SWMNBN so he must have grown a backbone since

Actually I think it's probably true that Westminster's turned out a fair few left-wingers over the years. But then George Orwell went to Eton . Going to public school doesn't preclude you from being human...

Regarding Clegg dissing SWMNBN, I think there was a quite specific reason he did that; for the benefit of MN-ers. But I'm cynical & I think there's a calculated reason behind just about everything politicians say, except when they speak off the cuff and put their feet in it.

Who or what is SWMNBN?

Margaret Thatcher was state educated and you don't seem to love her for it ...

Good point mumsnut.

I wish i'd been to a terribly good public school rather than the dating agency for underage drinkers, smokers and shaggers.

Difference between Clegg and Cameron is AFAIK Clegg hasn't handpicked a front bench team almost entirely composed of old boys from a handful of the most elite public schools. I don't think Cameron's own background would matter so much if he made it clear he had done his best to understand the lives of most ordinary voters AND found some state-school educated people that he considers fit to help him run the country. And some women.

Shane McGowan went to Westminster. So did a lot of my friends.

I think there is a huge difference between a public school which is boarding only - it does breed a particularly rarified atmosphere

swmnbm is gina ford.donkeys ago mn and ms ford had a wee spat.summit about bombs,babies and methods.

swmnbm said oi stop that
mn said aye,mebbe,naw,asked posters to cool it
swmnbm said oi i'll make ye pay
mn gulped and all the faces were shut for fear of arses skelped and purses emptied

since then she bacame swmnbm.and think nick clegg said he found her methods questionable

thanks scottishmummy, just looked Gina Ford up and now understand what it was all about and the Nick Clegg link

Joe Strummer went to Westminster

All the people I've met who went to Westminster have been very interesting...on the other hand, girls from St Pauls made me shudder whilst at Uni. (Apologies to any of you who went to St Pauls...I'm sure you're very nice!)

It's been said that you can tell a Westminster boy because he has terrible handwriting and can't walk properly. That's certainly DH

Builde, had same ghastly experience of Paul's girls, but the people I've met from Westminster were all rather dull.

Of course it doesn't matter in and of itself where the parties' leaders went to school. But it does matter to me that, as Edam says, Cameron's inner circle and his proposed govt seem to be drawn from a very narrow range.

I was feeling sad yesterday that there don't seem to be many powerful female voices like Clare Short and Mo Mowlam any more. Heigh ho.

sorry bob I meant to say that I'm sure your dh is delightful! but that NC is a drip didn't come as a huge surprise

my dh hates Clegg, I cannot quite work out why - it's not cos of his politics

My DH is indeed delightful. But I will qualify that by saying he is also an opinionated bugger and sometimes somewhat irrational. So while I take on board his opinion of Nick Clegg & the fact that he's completely outraged by the plaudits he's getting (and he did watch the first debate while I didn't) I will qualify it by saying they were in different houses at school and DH could be wrong. It has been known

..but he is definitely not dull!

Call me sheltered but something in an article about NC yesterday confused me, they said NC had a 'fag' at school who would rub him down when he got up, WTF does that mean?

Apparently so, though it was 'fagging lite' by then - DH says you had to wake up the older boys in the morning and make them toast.

Quote from DH...'I never rubbed no-one down. No how. That's just titillation'

I cannot speak for Louis Theroux, who was apparently Clegg's fag....

"Apparently so, though it was 'fagging lite' by then - DH says you had to wake up the older boys in the morning and make them toast. "

Ahhhh, ok, sounds more reasonable than other things that came to mind (no get your minds out of the gutter) I thought dressing or something.

Thanks for the enlightenment.

Son at westminster currently but not boarding. 5th Form boys still wake up the older ones, though no toast making involved and no refernce to fagging anymore.

I couldn't care less where Nick Clegg and his colleagues went to school but his efforts on PM just now were embarrassing.

He can't think on his feet ie ' off message' overmuch - I could almost hear the cogs cranking round every time he was asked a slightly unexpected question.

Oh dear.