- Nick Clegg's party political broadcast admitting he was wrong to promise to block an increase in fees gets a musical makeover
- Deputy PM agrees for it to be sold as a single with proceeds going to Sheffield children's Hospital
- Labour says nobody will be fooled by the 'phoney apology'
By Jason Groves
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Never in the Liberal Democrats' wildest dreams would one of their party political broadcasts have gone viral to a global audience.
But then, never in their wildest dreams would it have involved Nick Clegg singing 'I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry', over and over again.
The Deputy Prime Minister's attempt to apologise for his tuition fees U-turn backfired spectacularly yesterday, after his sombre televised address ended up in the hands of internet satirists.
Scroll down to watch the video remix
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg filmed his apology video at his home in Putney, West London
#CLEGGBOYBANDS
The autotune remix of Nick Clegg's speech got some people thinking that if it all goes wrong in 2015 he could always try a career in music.
A rash of Twitter hashtags including #CleggBoybands and #CleggSongs made hilarious suggestions for band names and lyrics:
@OwenJones84: Whatever I said, whatever I did, I didn't mean it
@reporterboy: Let's Stick to Teather
@Markfergusonuk Don't blame it on the sunshine, don't blame it on the moonlight, don't blame it on the good times, blame it on the Tories
@PatJHennessy: Mings Can Only Get Better
@guywalters: 'No Direction'
@PaulGoodmanCH: I fought the Laws and the Laws won.
@curseofham: I Believe In A Man Called Gove
@BarryWhiteStuff: Oh Danny Boy
@DavidMills73 Return to Grender
@RichardLucas3: Uncomfortably Glum
@grvlx001: Marilyn Mansion Tax
@1968bonner: Depressed Mode
@Samuelsdale: The Charlatans
They turned his apology into a music video, setting his words to an up-tempo beat, and using autotune software to alter his voice so it appeared as though he were singing.
The spoof, made by satirical website The Poke, rapidly went viral, with thousands of viewers watching it around the world.
Many took the opportunity to mock the Liberal Democrat leader by leaving comments on YouTube. One wrote: 'When I make a promise I keep to it, and I promise I will never vote for you'.
Another posted: 'Clegg could be the founder member of a new boy band – you could call it No Direction.' Activists on grassroots website LibDemVoice were equally hostile.
One branded the video 'utterly cringe-making', while another said: 'All in all a dreadful mess. The web is already full of videos of Nick's speech set to music.
'The problem is – and I voted Lib Dem – they are funny and make Nick look silly. He looks like a lost little boy.'
With the spoof video rapidly threatening to overshadow his apology completely, Mr Clegg tried to salvage something from the situation by agreeing to let The Poke release the song as a charity single.
Responding to the website's request on Twitter, Mr Clegg said 'permission granted', as long as the proceeds went to Sheffield Children's Hospital, of which his wife Miriam is a patron.
Bookmakers now believe the single could top the charts.
In the video, made for a party political broadcast to be screened on Monday, Mr Clegg says the Lib Dems were wrong to sign a pre-election pledge that they would oppose any rise in tuition fees, only to break it a few months later by backing a Coalition move to treble fees to 9,000 a year. Mr Clegg's belated apology was widely seen as an attempt to reassert his grip on the party, amid mounting unease about his dire personal poll ratings.
But it also reopened the row over the decision, which many Lib Dems saw as a betrayal by the leadership.
Nick Clegg used Twitter to confirm the song could be released as a single
Business Secretary Vince Cable appeared to undermine Mr Clegg by saying he had been 'personally sceptical' about the 'unaffordable' pledge, even before the election.
Mr Cable, widely tipped as the party's next leader if Mr Clegg is forced out before the election, denied the pledge had been a pre-election stunt.
He said the party had been 'badly punished' for breaking it and had 'lost a lot trust'.
'It has been damaging – that is why Nick is speaking in such heartfelt terms,' he said.
He confirmed that Treasury chief secretary Danny Alexander had also warned Mr Clegg to abandon the commitment on tuition fees before the election.
But Mr Cable acknowledged that he and other senior Lib Dems had to take 'collective responsibility' for going into the election with an 'unaffordable' policy.
Right behind you: Vince Cable (right) said he supported Nick Clegg's apology, admitting he was 'sceptical' about the Lib Dems' tuition fees pledge
There were angry protests in Westminster at the move to increase tuition fees to 9,000 a year
Last year Mr Clegg told his conference the party had 'nothing to apologise for'.
But pensions minister Steve Webb yesterday said it had become clear that a public apology was essential.
'Over the summer we found that although we have got loads of things we want to talk about on tax and the environment sometimes that is landing on deaf ears, because people say, "hang on, what about tuition fees?",' he said.
Aides to Mr Clegg last night insisted that his decision to issue an apology had been 'vindicated', with a senior source saying he had been amused by the spoof video.
'Nick saw it and he thought that it was very funny,' the source said. 'But he also thinks it is an – admittedly unusual – way of getting the message out to more people.
'That was the idea of doing the apology in the first place.'
Mike, Portsmouth. Good one, thanks for starting my day with a laugh. x
- Amber , Woking, United Kingdom, 21/9/2012 06:20
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