On 26 May, Nick Clegg's home in north-west London became the unexpected host to a street party brimming with hundreds of protesters. Armed with banjos, picnic baskets and party poppers, UK Uncut used the street party to protest against government cut-backs and advance its alternatives to austerity.
The whole event was part of a much wider campaign. Nick Clegg's house was only one of eleven planned hot-spots for the protesters to camp outside. Nottingham, Manchester and Sheffield, the home to Nick Clegg's constituency, were also targeted.
It seems, for the majority of people involved, the street party was a success. Admittedly, it did not signal any change to the government's agenda, but that was not expected. The street party aimed to promote UK Uncut in an innovative, fun, and more importantly, peaceful way.
Some may say, as Conservative MP Louise Mensch did, that the street party was not as friendly as UK Uncut reckoned it would be. ‘An attack on people's families’, lambasted the Conservative backbencher, ‘which only frightened the neighbours and local children’.
But this doesn't seem to be the case. Ellie Mae O'Hagan, writing her riposte to Mensch in The Guardian, reported that not only did the street party remain friendly to local residents, but some of Nick Clegg's neighbours were welcoming enough to join in the festivities. That coupled with the fact that Nick Clegg's family was not even home, somewhat dampening the critique that this was an attack on his family.
But all this does flag up an important issue: is it okay to protest against individual politicians? Arguably, the coalition agreement was set up by individuals, not the voters, and Nick Clegg in particular was the key player in setting up the Con-Lib government. Is that in itself enough reason to bring the campaign to the Deputy Prime Minister's doorstep?
It seems that this is just the beginning. Despite the protests springing up over the country, it all appears to be falling on deaf ears. As the government charges through public spending cuts, it might just be inevitable that protesters will use more and more innovative ways to get politicians' attention.
As one of Nick Clegg's neighbours said himself: "I'm surprised someone didn't do this sooner."