Between the Extremes

Politics

A cautionary tale. An exposé. A defence of the centre ground. An appeal to reason. A call to arms. An honest account from the top and bottom of British politics.

A compelling account from the inside of the strange, sad death of liberal Britain. This is a passionate plea for the centre ground, which has never seemed so remote (or precious) in our current political dispensation

This engrossing account is written with a warmth and generosity that can’t have been easy to sustain given the trials and tribulations he recounts so entertainingly

Essential reading for anyone fearful of the rise of populist extremism or who thinks coalitions are the future of British politics

This is an important book: a revealing analysis of British politics today and why it urgently needs reform

People of all political persuasions owe Nick Clegg a debt that I have no doubt history will acknowledge

It’s impossible not to warm to Clegg on the basis of this book. He’s human and humane, honest about his faults but insistent that liberalism still has everything to offer in a fractured culture

This isn’t just a memoir of government … lots of considered and rational observations on how we run our society and economy … good ideas about how the civil service and the British constitution might be improved … Clegg does have qualities that are admirable, both in a politician and in a human being. He’s honest about his mistakes, and examines in detail how his failures to understand the political game made his Liberal Democrats so horribly vulnerable at last year’s election … fluent and chatty … thoughtful

An honest, likeable, rueful account … Clegg writes with charm and humour about political life

Engagingly frank and wry … still as upbeat about the future of liberal politics as he was in 2009 … Political memoirs are often used to settle scores. Clegg’s is subtly different … He takes full and rueful responsibility … good, helpful and public-spirited … This book isn’t an attack on his coalition partners, it is about ensuring the Liberal Democrats get the recognition they deserve when the second draft of history is written … Clegg was undoubtedly right to believe that in agreeing to be alongside the Tories in a government that would implement three-quarters of the Lib Dem’s manifesto, he was doing a rational, noble thing … Clegg analyses without rancour

This is not a doleful book … soul-baring and commendably candid about his mistakes, but also a spirited defence … Despite his own battering experience, Clegg remakes the case for multi-party governments and pragmatic compromise in an age of populists preaching ideological purities … If he is correct, this honest and thoughtful book has some useful advice

Fascinating and readable ... writes with candour and insight about the human cost of high office ... a stark and salutary reminder of the ruthlessness of the Conservatives in seeking and retaining power and their certainty about the entitlement to rule ... This is a lesson [Labour] - amid its present tribulations - would do well to reflect on

Perhaps [Cameron and Osborne] might admit it now, but their government was more stable and socially just with Nick Clegg at their side. Having to consult the Liberal Democrats produced better, more considered government

This thoughtful memoir is also an analysis of the future of progressive politics.

In retrospect, Cleggmania, fuelled by a pent-up hunger for change, was the benign early forerunner of what would become the Trump, Brexit and Corbyn movements, and Clegg's account of how unnerving it was to experience that from the inside is fascinating. His take on the futility of trying to reason with voters in the grip of powerful emotions ... feels prescient too. If you only have time for two political books this year, this and [Aaron] Banks's together catch the zeitgeist

Sir Nick Clegg is President of Global Affairs at Meta, its chief policy decision-maker. Between 2010 and 2015 he was Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. He was elected to the UK Parliament in 2005 and became leader of the Liberal Democrat party in 2007. He has written two best-selling books, Politics: Between the Extremes and How to Stop Brexit. He speaks five languages.

'Beautifully written' Rory Stewart 'Compelling' Ian McEwan 'Engrossing' Alan Johnson 'Essential' Robert Peston 
 
*THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER* 
 
Politics has changed. For decades Britain was divided between Left and Right but united in its belief in a two-party state. Now, with nationalism resurgent and mainstream parties in turmoil, stark new divisions define the country and the centre ground is deserted. 
 
Nick Clegg witnessed this change from the inside. Here he offers a frank account of his experiences and puts the case for a new politics based on reason and compromise. 
 
He writes candidly about the tense stand-offs within government and the decision to enter coalition with the Conservatives in the first place. He also lifts the lid on the arcane worlds of Westminster and Brussels, the vested interests that suffocate reform, as well as the achievements his party made despite them. 
 
Whatever your political persuasion, if you wish to understand politics in Britain today you cannot afford to ignore this book.

The Threat to Global Connection in the Age of AI and Political Conflict

How to Save the Internet

Nick Clegg recently stepped down as President, Global Affairs at Meta, the company’s chief policy decision-maker and its principal interlocutor with world leaders, governments and policymakers around the globe. Previously he was Deputy Prime Minister of the UK. At Meta, he shifted the company toward engagement with regulation, created an independent Oversight Board and opened it up to rigorous academic research. He managed some of the most complex issues the company faces, including content policy and elections, and took key decisions on the suspension (and later reinstatement) of President Trump, the handling of misinformation during the Covid-19 pandemic, and the company’s response to Russian state media and covert operations following the invasion of Ukraine. He is the author of two bestselling books and speaks five languages.

The global, open internet is fragmenting. 
 
As democracies seek to rein in the power of Big Tech, as Silicon Valley pivots to an America-first agenda, as authoritarian regimes such as China and Russia segregate their populations from the rest of the internet, the most powerful tool ever created for bringing the world together risks being dismantled. 
 
Taking us behind the scenes at Meta and his interactions with world leaders, Nick Clegg, Meta’s former President, Global Affairs, sets out where Big Tech has gone wrong, how Silicon Valley’s insularity has blinded it to its missteps, and the radical reforms of the global platforms that are now needed if they are to secure a long-term future. 
 
But he also makes the case that many of the charges against them – including that their algorithms polarise, manipulate and harm – are vastly overstated or simply untrue. And while new laws that regulate these corporations are essential, imposing national borders on the internet cannot be the answer. That will fatally undermine its capacity for knowledge-sharing, collaboration, education, trade, medical and scientific research, and ultimately for the improvement and empowerment of billions of lives. 
 
Radical, reasonable, deeply felt and disarmingly honest, How To Save the Internet sets out a blueprint for the global cooperation we need in order to reform Big Tech while preserving the fundamental openness of the internet on which our future so depends.

Nick Clegg

Nick Clegg knows the solution to Brexit ... For any Remainers feeling as gloomy as Philip Hammond looks, I can prescribe [his] short, sweet book

A cracking good read ... Never let it be said that centrist politicians lack passion. Nick Clegg oozes it on every page

Nick Clegg seeks to dispel the belief that Brexit is inevitable. He is right

*THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER* 
Keep calm – but do not carry on. There is nothing remotely inevitable about Brexit – except that it will be deeply damaging if it happens. Extricating Britain from Europe will be the greatest challenge this country has faced since the Second World War. And as negotiations with the EU expose the promises of the Brexit campaign to have been hollow, even some Brexit-voters now wish to exercise their democratic right to change their mind, seeing that the most pragmatic option is to … stop. It would certainly be the best thing for Britain. But how can it be done? Haven’t the people spoken? 
 
No. In this indispensable handbook, Nick Clegg categorically debunks the various myths that have been used to force Brexit on Britain, not by ‘the people’ but by a small, extremely rich, self-serving elite, and explains precisely how this historic mistake can be reversed – and what you can do to make sure that it is.

Nick Clegg

Praise for How To Stop Brexit (And Make Britain Great Again)

Nick Clegg knows the solution to Brexit ... For any Remainers feeling as gloomy as Philip Hammond looks, I can prescribe [his] short, sweet book

A cracking good read ... Never let it be said that centrist politicians lack passion. Nick Clegg oozes it on every page

Nick Clegg seeks to dispel the belief that Brexit is inevitable. He is right

Nick Clegg knows the solution to Brexit ... For any Remainers feeling as gloomy as Philip Hammond looks, I can prescribe [his] short, sweet book

A cracking good read ... Never let it be said that centrist politicians lack passion. Nick Clegg oozes it on every page

Nick Clegg seeks to dispel the belief that Brexit is inevitable. He is right

Nick Clegg knows the solution to Brexit ... For any Remainers feeling as gloomy as Philip Hammond looks, I can prescribe [his] short, sweet book

A cracking good read ... Never let it be said that centrist politicians lack passion. Nick Clegg oozes it on every page

Nick Clegg seeks to dispel the belief that Brexit is inevitable. He is right

Books by Nick Clegg

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