"I'm a husband and father before a politician"

[SebbysMum]

So said Nick Clegg in an interview with Red magazine this month. Is this what he thought we wanted to hear? I think that might be okay for a back bencher but it inspires no confidence in a want to be prime minister. Some jobs are bigger than family. What does that statement even mean? Family holidays before summits?

I don't see why being prime minister means you can't still put your family first tbh

Sebbysmum, you are right, it is what he thought we wanted to hear. It is the usual patronising stuff that all politicians come out with. He thinks we are stupid and he doesn't believe a word of it. Clegg has also been told by his advisors to tell us that we "are the bosses". They all do and say anything that their advisors and spin doctors tell them. It is similar to when GBH and Cameron told us that their favourite pop group was the 'Arctic Monkeys'.

Cameron and Brown would probably say the same. They all love their families according to yesterday's Independent. I think this is a good thing for those of us with young children. Whichever of the three is PM they will be focused on education as their own children will be going through it so they all have a vested interest in state schools. They will probably all see the benefit of flexible working for parents etc.

I would find it scarier if they were all so focused on their job that they had no time to unwind/have any normal family life. I think Gordon Brown works too hard and needs a few good nights sleep.

I would never trust someone who said their job came before their family.

No matter how important that job was.

Presumably a party leaders spouse and family are behind their choice of career and the impact it has will be accepted and they will fit their lives sround the demands of their position...but if his wife said she couldn't cope with it any more and was destroying their family, then of course he should choose his family.

I couldn't relate to someone who would choose their career over their family (in this sort of situation btw- where there must be immense pressure on the family) and therefore wouldn't want them leading a party, or indeed the country.

That statement made more sense to me when i read that he has used private health care in the past for his children and also refused to rule out private schooling. I would like to think that a prime minister would have faith in and be principled enough to use the national health service and a state school .God even David Cameron does that.