Clegg butt of Twitter jokes
Clegg butt of Twitter jokes Reuters

Oh dear, Cleggo.

Just when Deputy Prime Minister leader Nick Clegg looked set to repair his battered image via Twitter, he has fallen victim to viral jokes on the social network.

Clegg's fall, rise and then fresh fall into fresh ridicule unfolded fast on the super-heated micro-blogging site.

Users have been cracking jokes and making puns on the #cleggboyband.

Most gags centre on the Liberal Democrat policy U-turns since gaining power at the 2010 election and poor opinion poll ratings.

The trend was triggered by a video spoof of Clegg's apology for hiking up tuition fees.

Tragically for Clegg that image was precisely the one he wanted to shed by saying sorry.

He appeared on camera to apologise for breaking a 2010 election vow by raising tuition fees to £9,000 a year.

But this being the web, it was not long before the Lib Dem leader was given the Autotune treatment.

Jokers at satricial website The Poke gave the clip a slick R&B makeover - with amusing results.

That lampooning could easily have wounded Clegg.

However he then won praise for by granting The Poke permission to sell the single for charity.

But now that uplift from plaudits is under threat from #cleggboyband.

A few examples include;

Users changed the names of well-known bands or songs to match a negative image of his party.

So it seems his effort may have served to perpetuate the problem, not banish it.

Clegg will hope the substance behind the gags is not a problem that remains stubbornly until the next election.

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