Nick Clegg talks politics at Off The Shelf

19th September 2016

Sheffield MP Nick Clegg spoke candidly about Brexit, his time in Government and tuition fees at the opening event for this year's Off The Shelf Festival of Words.

Talking to Sheffield Hallam University's head of politics Dr Andy Price, the Sheffield Hallam MP offered an honest account of his rise in the 2010 general election, through his tumultuous years as Deputy Prime Minister, to defeat in 2015, whilst also reflecting on the future of British politics. Mr Clegg relayed his frank account of his experiences through his new book Politics: Between the Extremes in front of more than 350 people at Sheffield Hallam's Pennine Theatre. In an interview before the event, Mr Clegg said: "To be talking about my book and answering questions from the audience - here in Sheffield where I've been an MP for 11 years - is great. "It's certainly not a conventional political memoir. The book is a reflection on why politics has become so volatile, not just in the UK, but across the developed world, and what that means for the politics of compromise and balance that I really believe in." Mr Clegg also took the time to talk about the current political environment, including the Northern Powerhouse. He said: "Northern Powerhouse is a nice label - but the key is to walk-the-walk now. That partly means building new things like railways and housing developments, but it's also about giving more power back to cities like Sheffield - and there is a long way to go. "There are some quite particular deep-seated problems in the North which require political consensus, not just for a few years, but for a generation or two." Dr Price said: "It was a really thought-provoking talk with the former Deputy Prime Minister - and I believe he will have surprised a few people with how open he was. "His insights in to front-line politics and the business of Government were fascinating - but equally interesting was his illumination of the day-to-day elements of being a politician that the general public are often not privy to." Celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, Off The Shelf is now one of the largest literary festivals in the UK, attracting some of the best known names in literature and media to Sheffield every year. For more information on Off the Shelf, including the full programme of 200 events across the city, visit http://offtheshelf.org.uk/.