Protest ‘Scared Neighbours’ Children’ Says Nick Clegg
Nick Clegg has said the anti-cuts protest outside his London home had scared some neighbours’ young children.
The deputy prime minister and family were away during Saturday’s protest.
Mr Clegg said he respected the right to protest, and noted it was peaceful, but said it showed how difficult trying to live “a normal life” could be.
He told the BBC he and his wife Miriam had rejected the idea of moving into a flat “behind the Whitehall battlements” when he entered government in 2010.
He said the protest meant they were now in “new territory” but he hoped his family would not have to “retreat” to official government accommodation.
Mr Clegg told the Andrew Marr Show: “We have lots of neighbours who like us have small children and some of those small children were quite scared so that’s not, on a human level, very nice.
“But I have to say on the other hand the protesters, by the sounds of it, were entirely peaceful.”
He said that they “didn’t take up the offer to move into a flat behind the Whitehall battlements after the Government was formed because we wanted out children – still want our children – to lead as normal a life as possible”.
“At the same time I accept if you’re deputy prime minister in a Government doing difficult things people want to make their views known,” he added.
On Saturday hundreds of anti-cuts campaigners staged a “street party” protest, with disabled activists from UK Uncut chaining their wheelchairs at both ends of the street in Putney, south west London, where he lives.
The group said it targeted Mr Clegg as he was “one of the architects of austerity”.
Protesters put up bunting along the street and some were joined by their children. Some played music while others shared a picnic and the mood was described as relaxed.
Police said there were no arrests at the protest, which ended peacefully.
Louise Mensch, the Conservative MP for Corby and East Northamptonshire, took to Twitter to describe the demonstration as “intolerable bullying”.
Activists also gathered outside Mr Clegg’s constituency office in Fulwood in Sheffield where they were holding a 1940s-themed street party to “evoke the spirit of 1948” when the welfare state was created.
Same Difference 
Bullying? Perhaps the Honourable Member for Corby and Northamptonshire should reflect on how the present government are bulling disabled, older people and those who are out of work through no fault of their own. Perhaps she thinks the outbursts of Iain Duncan Smith, are not bullying? Well let me tell you this madam, your cronies are nothing short of bullies and your party is alienating half the population of this country.
Clegg has the audacity to say the peaceful protesters outside his house are bullies…well look in the bloody mirror Mr Clegg, the reflection of you is that of another Bully, who is helping to destroy the lives of many people across the UK, by assisting this government pass it’s awful policies. Just remember Clegg, the worm will turn, another general election will come one day and you, your party and your cronies will be deemed unelectable by the honest citizens of the country.
LikeLike
I hate to point it out but Clegg has not ‘had the audacity’ to say that the protesters were bullies. Those were Louise Mensch’s words. Clegg thanked the protesters for being peaceful, accepted that people have a right to voice their opinion and informed protesters that they frightened some of his neighbours children. I think he has handled it very fairly considering a load of people turned up outside his personal address and scared innocent residents just because of some decisions he has made in his job.
I’d hate to think that if I made a mistake at work it would have a negative affect on my family and neighbours. I don’t think I would have handled it so fairly.
If we’re to win this, we need integrity, and that means looking at all the facts.
LikeLike