UK Prime Ministerial candidate debate

[superheavyrhun]

Anyone else drop in on the TV debate between the three hopefuls this evening?

Thought it was a positive thing for British politics, and gave all three of them a fair crack of the whip, although putting David Cameron in the middle and letting him have the last statement seemed to list towards the Tory.

David Cameron and Gordon Brown treated it as an extension of their usual PMQ sparring (for sparring read bickering), and I think the real loser of this was Gordon Brown who was battering at Cameron with belligerent questions, and cosying up to the Lib Dems, who wanted none of him.

Cameron did alright, but he told everyone who asked a question, whatever job they did that they were brilliant.

Nick Clegg came off best I think, spoke eloquently, though addressing his comments to the camera instead of the audience was odd, and asserting fixed policies such as abandoning trident will have won some admiration for honesty, though unlikely to convert the hardcore of either of the main parties.

If any of you stuck it out, what did you think?

[HattonTheHammer]

So unfortunate to think nick clegg has 0% chance of being PM in a months time

Conducted himself brilliantly throughout as the other 2 fell into the same old trap of trying to appeal to as many different societys as they can without offending anyone.

Cameron did nothing to suggest he isnt just your standard public school boy tory looking after his own, brown actually seemed very heart warming and conducted himself a lot better than expected.

My heart wants to vote libdem but come polling time i will naturally vote labour

[Howlin Mad Missy]

didn't watch it all. Clegg came off best IMO. Will be voting lib dem.

[X]

Who are these three people ..... and is there an election coming up?

[Kirkland Laing]

According to the polls Clegg walked it, Brown came second and Cameron third. Or maybe it was Cameron second and Brown third. That's how interested I am, I won't watch it. I'm interested to know the viewing figures though. I's guess closer to ten million than twenty, people are disgusted by them and rightly so. Maybe there'll be a novelty factor in the viewing figures but I'd guess the second and third debates will be closer to ten than twenty for sure.

[Dark Lord Al]

I wouldnt have liked to be one of the studio cleaners , after the show there must have been at least a foot of bullshit on the floor , I mean it had be dropping out of the three amigo's mouths from the start.

[Jimanuel Boogustus]

This show was a complete let down. No phone in vote?

Much prefer Britain's Got Talent.

[Jimanuel Boogustus]

I wouldnt have liked to be one of the studio cleaners , after the show there must have been at least a foot of bullshit on the floor , I mean it had be dropping out of the three amigo's mouths from the start.

HAHA!

http://i42.tinypic.com/zk63nk.jpg

[BIG H]

If Clegg performs like that in the next 2 debates, I could see Lib Dems getting up towards 25% of the National vote. Would put them in a strong position in a hung parliament. For once it may not be a wasted vote

[superheavyrhun]

If Clegg performs like that in the next 2 debates, I could see Lib Dems getting up towards 25% of the National vote. Would put them in a strong position in a hung parliament. For once it may not be a wasted vote

If they get 25% that probably puts them in front of Labour....but probably means that Cameron would be in the hot seat.... I would love to see a situation where the Lib Dems maybe nudge up towards 30%, but form a coalition with Labour in which Clegg becomes PM, and Gordon Brown has to swallow his pride, and take a demotion and move back to No 11 as the Chancellor. Then he can go back to actually dealing with the mess he's left.

And as for the bullshit Al, they had people in straight away as it's being used for fertiliser in farms across the north.

[ono]

So unfortunate to think nick clegg has 0% chance of being PM in a months time

Conducted himself brilliantly throughout as the other 2 fell into the same old trap of trying to appeal to as many different societys as they can without offending anyone.

Cameron did nothing to suggest he isnt just your standard public school boy tory looking after his own, brown actually seemed very heart warming and conducted himself a lot better than expected.

My heart wants to vote libdem but come polling time i will naturally vote labour

Oddly enough i actually agree with you. Plus he mentioned Man City aswell.

[ryanman]

I felt Brown actually did best given the respective situations of the three of them. He was in the difficult position of having something to defend. Clegg was always on to a winner and so it proved. I thought Cameron looked uncomfortable and was intellectually hammered by Brown. Brown was the only one that actually laid out clear plans. Everything Cameron said, and has ever said, is just populist bullshit. 'Immigration is too high'. Well what are you going to do about it? The only thing he says is they will put a cap in place. But as Clegg and Brown both said that is such crap. Cameron trys to appeal to the common man but in doing so just patronises them. Plus he totally failed to respond to the uncomfortable (for him) fact that immigration has actually fallen for 3 consecutive years and that it was the Tories that did away with any exit controls. The only place Brown didn;t do so well was the closing speeches.

[El Kabong]

...by all means you can take our President and his fucking idiot sidekick VP

[HattonTheHammer]

I felt Brown actually did best given the respective situations of the three of them. He was in the difficult position of having something to defend. Clegg was always on to a winner and so it proved. I thought Cameron looked uncomfortable and was intellectually hammered by Brown. Brown was the only one that actually laid out clear plans. Everything Cameron said, and has ever said, is just populist bullshit. 'Immigration is too high'. Well what are you going to do about it? The only thing he says is they will put a cap in place. But as Clegg and Brown both said that is such crap. Cameron trys to appeal to the common man but in doing so just patronises them. Plus he totally failed to respond to the uncomfortable (for him) fact that immigration has actually fallen for 3 consecutive years and that it was the Tories that did away with any exit controls. The only place Brown didn;t do so well was the closing speeches.

couldnt agree more with that

And what an extrodinary coincidence that his wife just so happens to announce she is pregnant on the eve of labour calling an election

[Gandalf]

didn't watch it all. Clegg came off best IMO. Will be voting lib dem.

I haven't seen it in full, but by all accounts it appears that Clegg was the only one saying anything remotely interesting. He is trying to set the Lib Dems apart as somewhat anti-establishment and I think it is the correct approach. People are not happy with Brown who represents the party of war and who was chancellor whilst the economic bubble was brewing. He is not a responsible leader and to try and paint himself as being so is false. Cameron provides no real alternative and TBH I see little distinction between Labour and Tory right now. The Lib Dems aren't massively different, but they are realistic about things and Clegg seems to have his head screwed on straight. I hope a lot of people do become swayed by him. Hung parliament or not, I want to see as many votes go to the Lib Dems as possible. It's time for a sea change in British politics. The main two parties have been too cosy for too long and it's time for the people to wake up and vote for real change. We all know what the Tories are and now Labour has shown us for too long what it is now about.