Voters still angry with me, Clegg says
Deputy PM says he had to "swallow pretty hard" when he realised what needed to be done
London: Nick Clegg claims that voters angry about government spending cuts have pushed dog mess through his letterbox and spat at him in the street.
In a candid interview, the Deputy Prime Minister says he had to "swallow pretty hard" when he realised what needed to be done to bring down the budget deficit left behind by Labour.
Asked if he felt bilious at making a deal with the Tories, Clegg replies: "Of course, of course, of course!"
But he insists it would not have been right to allow "tribalism" and "visceral animosity" to stand in the way of a stable government in the national interest.
Unexpected pressures
In remarks likely to irritate right-wing Conservatives, the Deputy Prime Minister claims that his party's presence in government is shifting Tory ministers to the left.
"In a strange way, maybe having Liberal Democrats [around] helps them express their inner Liberals," Clegg says.
In the interview with Esquire magazine, the Deputy Prime Minister speaks candidly about the pressures of a job he never expected to find himself in, saying he is sometimes working from 6am to 11pm.
"There are huge pressures, people say unpleasant things," he adds.
"I think I'm more resilient, thick-skinned. I'm incredibly lucky. I'm besotted with my children."
"My hinterland is my family. We are incredibly strong, intimate, quite private." The Deputy Prime Minister says that the Government's cancellation of an £80 million (Dh470.7 million) taxpayer-funded loan to steel manufacturer Sheffield Forgemasters has brought him face to face with voters' anger over spending cuts.
No money
"It was announced [by Labour] 11 days before the election was called, with money from the Bis [business] Department which, we discovered, didn't have any money," he explains.
"Yes, people are very angry. You don't have to tell me. I'm getting dog excrement through my letterbox. People are spitting at me. But this loan was one of the biggest commitments, the money has to be borrowed and the risk borne by taxpayers. It's not a free lollipop."
Last night neighbours of Clegg's home in Putney, south-west London, said they had never seen any harassment or vandalism.
