Photo By Nick Clegg. Photo: Getty. Coming to you daily during COP Log In Register now My account. By Rhiannon Williams Technology Correspondent. October 4, pm Updated pm. The freshest exclusives and sharpest analysis, curated for your inbox Email address is invalid Thank you for subscribing!
Sorry, there was a problem. Few weeks pass without some new story of nefarious behavior by hacking gangs on Russian soil. The group was previously blamed for the "SolarWinds" hack on US federal agencies. Microsoft says the latest assault is a sign that Russia is trying to gain long-term, systemic access to the technology supply chain.
The goal is to "impersonate an organization's trusted technology partner to gain access to their downstream customers," said Tom Burt, a Microsoft corporate vice president. Russia previously denied US accusations that it was behind the SolarWinds hack and online interference in the last two presidential elections. The latest revelations suggest US sanctions have done little to deter Russian hackers. And given the Biden's personal investment in talks with Putin in Geneva, the resumed attacks seem like a direct challenge.
The White House said the latest attacks were typical of surveillance conducted every day by Russia and other foreign governments, and called on tech firms to thwart such activity by improving cyber security practices. All attention for Clegg and the Lib Dems is now turning to "super Thursday" on 5 May, the day of local elections and the referendum on a switch to the alternative vote. Clegg knows that his party is likely to be hammered in the elections because they are down in the polls and are unpopular, but will hold out hope that the public might still back AV, delivering a central Lib Dem objective.
But even if they do not, he is in reasonably optimistic spirits. He and his aides can reel off the achievements of the Lib Dems in government without thinking. They list the pupil premium for children from poorer families, income tax breaks for those on low incomes, the scrapping of identity cards, progress on civil liberties, the referendum on electoral reform and more.
Recently a group of aides met to think up lines for the next TV election debate. One MP colleague said: "If Nick can survive what he has survived so far, then he has got what it takes to go the course.
In fact I think the good British public will see, over time, that he is a basically a good guy in a hell of a difficult position who is doing a decent job for the country. ITV News presenter and moderator of the first party leaders' television debate.
Nick Clegg's aide, Danny Alexander, towered over me in Granada's reception and told me all was well with his man. Rules understood; no need for a pre-Debate chat; all well. The home of Coronation Street was abuzz — from studio to green-room to smoking area in the car park, there was a palpable sense of excitement ahead of the first ever leader's debate. I didn't see Nick, or the other two, until three minutes to on-air when they joined me, backstage. There was much patting of hair, lots of cufflink fiddling, and nervous smiles to the audience when eye contact was made.
But they were all focused. Nick went first with his opening statement. I knew, within minutes, this was an outsider on top of his game. The relative amateur eyeballed the camera; he smiled; he stressed he wasn't "them"; and he said we couldn't go on with the old ways. His pitch was that he was "an honest straight guy, above the fray".
That's for you to judge. Above the fray? No way. He was calmly possessed with his purpose. David Cameron looked frit; Gordon Brown in self-confident denial. I felt it was "game, set and match" to Clegg very early on.
As the 90 minutes charged by, he did little to change my view. The others stumbled from "I agree with Nick" to caustic barbs which only made it worse for them. My view was confirmed in the spin-room. On that night, the Lib Dems successfully and unexpectedly defended Torbay, Bath, Chippenham and Lewes but still managed to end the fray with four fewer seats than they went to war with. From leaders saying "I agree with Nick" to not enough voters agreeing with Nick.
It was an amazing event but may have left Clegg wondering "what was that all about? In the list of most stupid political decisions, the Tories' agreement to TV debates should rank near the top. When you are ahead in the polls you don't agree to a potential game changer. Unfortunately, anxious to please Rupert Murdoch's Sky News and with an exaggerated confidence in David Cameron's message, the Tories gambled.
At that first debate Nick Clegg channelled the anti-politics mood of the post expenses scandal era. On the sidelines, I watched the colour drain from Tory spin-doctors' faces. The Clegg bubble did enough to disrupt the Tory campaign and produce a hung parliament. But the man who promised a new politics was guilty of the worst kind of politics when he broke his promise on tuition fees.
I doubt he'll ever recover. An optician from Burnley, Lancashire, who pressed the party leaders on crime during the first TV debate. I went along to the first debate because I wanted to speak to all the politicians about the problem of crime in northern towns. I was impressed with Nick Clegg's answer — I think he connected far better with the audience. He used names quite a lot which the other two didn't. I didn't know much about him before that night, but I was impressed and I definitely got caught up in "Cleggmania".
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