Alo Presidente: Get ready for the Nick Clegg show
Nick Clegg will host a new weekly phone-in show, in a move with worrying echoes of Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez.
The deputy prime minister will appear for half an hour every Thursday morning on London's LBC 97.3 radio station with presenter Nick Ferrari, according to an announcement today.
"I'm doing this because I don't think politicians get to hear enough from people directly," Clegg said.
"You can't do the right thing in government unless you keep in touch with how people are thinking and feeling."
The choice of LBC for the programme is somewhat perplexing. Partnering up with a station which only broadcasts in the capital will fuel accusations of a London-centric attitude from Westminster, although LBC can be access nationwide online.
The programmes listenership is considered broadly right-wing and Clegg can expect a barrage of hostile questions about crime, immigration and benefits during his phone-ins.
The decision to hold a weekly programme prompted unfavourable comparisons with Chavez' Alo Presidente show in Venezuela.
The programme is broadcast on state television and radio every Sunday at 11:00.
It is known for its extraordinary length, with the president often staying on until 17:00 or longer as he offers his opinions on politics and interrogates his own ministers live on air.
