Tonight's televised debate

[Boris]

The term middle-class, as brown uses it, refers to middle income in the american understanding of the word. Fair enough, you'll have your own conception of the word and the system but brown merely means middle income.

 

Why not just say middle income then? Surely that would be the most understandable to the electorate?

[The Mighty Thor]

Brown stumbling over the finishing line.......he's blown it IMO.

[Danny Wilde]

Was meant to be the most important debate - to me it was the worst one.

[Boris]

well that was underwhelming.

 

A no score draw for me.

 

 

Predictably - and wrongly - Cameron will be given the percentage win.

 

Middle England likes that shiny slippery smoothness of his.

 

I thought Clegg more than held his own, again.

 

Cameron didn;t really say much, imo.

[Danny Wilde]

Not the fecking "worm" again...

 

I HATE the fecking worm !

[The Mighty Thor]

I thought Clegg more than held his own, again.

 

Cameron didn;t really say much, imo.

 

Over the 3 Clegg has been the most polished performer without doubt.

 

Cameron speaks in soundbites and disappointingly there was not more debate on the economy as I felt Cameron was floundering. He probably heaved a huge sigh of relief when they moved onto other topics.

[2NaFish]

Why not just say middle income then? Surely that would be the most understandable to the electorate?

 

 

You give far too much credit to the prol....average person.

 

Middle income makes him sound like an accountant. Saying middle class instead is only objectionable to a small percentage of people.

[The Mighty Thor]

You give far too much credit to the prol....average person.

 

Middle income makes him sound like an accountant. Saying middle class instead is only objectionable to a small percentage of people.

 

Weren't you paying attention man??????

 

Chartered accountants can't even get on the property ladder according to one of the questions!!

[Cade]

Cameron is a smarmy, shiney heided upper class twonk.

 

Brown is a boring auld fart who's de-regulation of the banks is partly to blame for the **** we are all in.

 

Clegg won that simply by the virtue of not being either of the other two.

[2NaFish]

Weren't you paying attention man??????

 

Chartered accountants can't even get on the property ladder according to one of the questions!!

 

I guess if he had thought outside the box he could've tapped in to the pity of the disgruntled chartered accounts of the UK.

 

You don't wanna **** with the accountants, they'll come get you.

[P-Dizzle]

Didn't watch it tonight. How did they all do? Did anyone make a big ******-up?

[Danny Wilde]

Weren't you paying attention man??????

 

Chartered accountants can't even get on the property ladder according to one of the questions!!

 

I knew this country was fecked but I had no idea it was as bad as this until tonight. I actually wept for that woman.

[The Mighty Thor]

I knew this country was fecked but I had no idea it was as bad as this until tonight. I actually wept for that woman.

She's had to switch from Waitrose to Tesco the poor poppet. It's social injustice at it's most stark.

[kitster]

How can 2 CAs not afford their own house? OK they have kids are they only looking in Belgravia?

 

If you really want your own house and can't afford in the areas you want to live in..you have social mobility in that career to get a job in the rest of the UK and are also in demand overseas as well. I know what I'd do.

[Danny Wilde]

The zombie panel and the freeking worm.

 

Feck I hate this approach to politics.

[The Mighty Thor]

Ooooh President Salmond on QT

[Pistol1874]

Ooooh President Salmond on QT

Happy to have Mr Cameron and Mr Clegg as TV presenters.

 

Very polished delivery and plenty of style.

 

Brown for PM though.

 

Shock as Salmond says he doesn't know who won but Brown definately lost. Slating the only party which is real opposition to him in Scotland.

 

Blowhard.

[2NaFish]

george osborne was meant to be on and they sent liam fox instead. i'm gutted. i want to shout at the telly and unleash some vitriol on oik osborne.

[Big D]

Dimbleby stopping Alex telling the truth about Unionist lies on the economy. Pathetic from the BBC again.

[neilnunb]

That is some triple chin Salmond has developed http://alexplorer.net/guitar/text/guitar/boss-nass.jpg

[The People's Chimp]

...and then we have to listen to that haggard cretin massacring the English language. She sounds like she is eternally rolling gobstoppers around her slack estuary jawed gob.

[The Mighty Thor]

Dimbleby stopping Alex telling the truth about Unionist lies on the economy. Pathetic from the BBC again.

 

El Presidente showing his class again. The first time he gets a chance to speak on QT and he throws in the 'we coudn't get on the debate' routine. Rightly and roundly booed by the audience.

 

Parochial and small minded and most of all bitter.

[2NaFish]

...and then we have to listen to that haggard cretin massacring the English language. She sounds like she is eternally rolling gobstoppers around her slack estuary jawed gob.

 

She's not even good at what she's doing once you get past the voice. She's a second rate Ulrika Johnson.

[Patrick Bateman]

El Presidente showing his class again. The first time he gets a chance to speak on QT and he throws in the 'we coudn't get on the debate' routine. Rightly and roundly booed by the audience.

 

Parochial and small minded and most of all bitter.

 

 

He has since received several rounds of applause for pointing out that the London parties have refused to disclose the extent of their cuts and that it was poor that the moderators were prevented from intervening during the debates. Scotland's First Minister and Hearts best known supporter is doing well, as he often does.

[Big D]

El Presidente showing his class again. The first time he gets a chance to speak on QT and he throws in the 'we coudn't get on the debate' routine. Rightly and roundly booed by the audience.

 

Parochial and small minded and most of all bitter.

 

Roundly would suggest the whole audience booed? Must get the sound fixed on my telly. Audience seems to be on his side now that he has silenced the Unionists over their hidden cuts. I'm sure I heard him being roundly (sic) applauded by a middle England audience.

[The Mighty Thor]

Roundly would suggest the whole audience booed? Must get the sound fixed on my telly. Audience seems to be on his side now that he has silenced the Unionists over their hidden cuts. I'm sure I heard him being roundly (sic) applauded by a middle England audience.

 

I wouldn't go that far. He's playing up (playing devils advocate)to the audience because he's not one of the major 3. In fact in the context of this particular debate he carries as much relevance as Janet Street Porter. Has he contributed any policy suggestion of his party?

[The People's Chimp]

Who's the little tory roaster in the audience, what a fecking gimp. Hope he's laid off asap and then he can greet about taxes on jobs.

[The Mighty Thor]

Who's the little tory roaster in the audience, what a fecking gimp. Hope he's laid off asap and then he can greet about taxes on jobs.

[Danny Wilde]

El Presidente showing his class again. The first time he gets a chance to speak on QT and he throws in the 'we coudn't get on the debate' routine. Rightly and roundly booed by the audience.

 

Parochial and small minded and most of all bitter.

 

Bigoted English audience IMO

[Big D]

I wouldn't go that far. He's playing up (playing devils advocate)to the audience because he's not one of the major 3. In fact in the context of this particular debate he carries as much relevance as Janet Street Porter. Has he contributed any policy suggestion of his party?

Why should he when the BBC have deemed the SNP manifesto irrelevant to the U.K. public as a whole? Like JSP his opinion is valid as an intelligent, informed and politically savvy member of the panel.

[The Mighty Thor]

The big unit quite rightly laying into the panelists.

[Moriarty]

Scotland's First Minister and Hearts best known supporter is doing well, as he often does.

 

 

 

whilst verifying this fact I found out old RC had a trial at hearts when he was 15. never knew that!

[Gorgiewave]

...and then we have to listen to that haggard cretin massacring the English language. She sounds like she is eternally rolling gobstoppers around her slack estuary jawed gob.

 

 

Who is this?

[leginten]

Now that The X-Factor has finished, would anyone care to hazard a guess at how many seats the Lib Dems will gain at this election?

[The Mighty Thor]

Why should he when the BBC have deemed the SNP manifesto irrelevant to the U.K. public as a whole? Like JSP his opinion is valid as an intelligent, informed and politically savvy member of the panel.

 

Hang on a minute mate, i thought President Salmond wanted to beat the drum of the SNP on national TV?

 

So far i've heard nothing but snidey wind ups.

 

I would expect more from our country's leading politician.

[The People's Chimp]

Who is this?

 

Janet Street Porter.

 

Horrific.

[2NaFish]

Hahahaha, DR FOX!!

 

[Gorgiewave]

Janet Street Porter.

 

Horrific.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlUb8jt0WP0

 

Aye, she's that.

[Big D]

Hang on a minute mate, i thought President Salmond wanted to beat the drum of the SNP on national TV?

 

So far i've heard nothing but snidey wind ups.

 

I would expect more from our country's leading politician.

 

I would have expected our country's leading politician to be given more respect by our leading broadcaster. Something wrong with your telly's sound too if all you've heard is "snidey wind ups". He was for example very complementary of Dumbleby's chairing of debates. Still, let's not let facts ruin a rant. That's the U.K. election way.

[Mr Romanov Saviour of HMFC]

Missed it. Did anyone mention the nonsense from yesterday?

 

Overall I reckon these debates have been pretty good. They have certainly increased the profile of politics in with younger generations and as a result, we may see a pretty high turn out on May 6th.

 

Still can't make up my mind though!

[Danny Wilde]

Seen better Question Times than tonight, bit of politics fatigue kicking in I think.

[The Mighty Thor]

I would have expected our country's leading politician to be given more respect by our leading broadcaster. Something wrong with your telly's sound too if all you've heard is "snidey wind ups". He was for example very complementary of Dumbleby's chairing of debates. Still, let's not let facts ruin a rant. That's the U.K. election way.

 

A bit of obsequious toadying up to David Dimbleby is hardly manifesto stuff chief is it? As i've said on previous threads, 3 weeks into the campaign and we've heard nada from your man in terms of policy.

 

EDIT Furthermore El Presidente has been given the opportunity to appear on the Scottish debate this weekend. Has he taken it up yet? Does he want to face the Scottish electorate?

[Danny Wilde]

Feck me Ed Balls is a trumpet. Scary that either he or one of the Millibands are going to be the next likely Labour leader.

[Patrick Bateman]

Dimbleby is another Bullingdon club alumi. Can't you picture him sitting in a top hat, puffing on a cigar whilst discussing the merits of the Gold Standard and what to do about the peasantry?

[Big D]

A bit of obsequious toadying up to David Dimbleby is hardly manifesto stuff chief is it? As i've said on previous threads, 3 weeks into the campaign and we've heard nada from your man in terms of policy.

 

EDIT Furthermore El Presidente has been given the opportunity to appear on the Scottish debate this weekend. Has he taken it up yet? Does he want to face the Scottish electorate?

 

Now that was a proper boo. Hope your telly isn't still playing up. You must have missed Alex mentioning the scrapping of Trident.

[I P Knightley]

Crash dodges his light touch regulation on the banks (check the Mansion House 2007 speech)!

 

 

2006, Geoff.

 

"Many who advised me, including not a few newspapers, favoured a regulatory crackdown. I believe we were right not to go down that road."

 

Smug, arrogant, bumptious tosser.

 

Why does Brown say "Transpayrent" and "Pleecing"? Some strange pronunciation going on there.

 

"Finn-ants"

 

 

 

I watched up to the bit where Clegg came out with what he'd do to the banks. He hasn't a clue on that one. Maximum bonuses of ?2500??? As Brown pointed out - we'd then see a drain of any banking talent we have left who'll all bugger off to Germany, Switzerland, USA etc leaving the City of London as a ghost town.

 

(Ach I've got to be allowed a dramatic exaggeration once in a while!!)

 

If Clegg's come out on top, it's purely by virtue of not being Brown or Cameron. Quite rightly, neither of them can be arsed getting humpty with Clegg & have it out between themselves, leaving Clegg smugly standing in the middle becoming the housewive's favourite smoothy. The whole TV debate has, in my view, been a disaster for the electoral process. Complete and utter dumbing down to the point that a man who leads a party with cookie policies is seriously being considered the king-maker.

[Johanes de Silentio]

Happy to have Mr Cameron and Mr Clegg as TV presenters.

 

Very polished delivery and plenty of style.

 

Brown for PM though.

 

Shock as Salmond says he doesn't know who won but Brown definately lost. Slating the only party which is real opposition to him in Scotland.

 

Blowhard.

 

That's all they have - coat hangers in suits with no actual substance - Tony Blair clones, in fact - career politicians are not to be trusted - **** them, the chinless *****!

[shaun.lawson]

I watched the debate in an Islington flat with the local Lib Dem team. Unfortunately, I thought Cameron won it. If I were scoring the three debates, I'd suggest they panned out as follows:

 

Debate 1

 

1. Clegg

2. Cameron

3. Brown

 

Debate 2

 

=1. Brown

=1. Clegg

=1. Cameron

 

Debate 3

 

1. Cameron

2. Clegg

3. Brown

 

I now fully expect the Tories to be the largest party and to top the share of the vote; and there remains a danger they secure a slim majority. More likely, though, is they fall short - and while I think the only electorally credible coalition would be between the Tories and Lib Dems (because a coalition between the parties finishing second and third would be ridiculed by the public), the trouble is that Cameron would never concede electoral reform, and the Lib Dem membership would hate a coalition with the Conservatives. Meaning, when all's said and done, my best bet is Cameron ends up forming a minority government, sees how long it lasts, then we have another election when it falls, at which he'll blame the Lib Dems in particular and opposition in general for denying the country the stability it needs. The trouble is, I think such a strategy could well work.

 

Clegg essentially did fine last night - but there was something of how the Lib Dems used to be seen in his performance. Sometimes you can seem too much of a maverick, too much "none of the above"; and his message has maybe lost a bit of impact over the last couple of weeks. That said, the Lib Dems still have an excellent chance of finishing 2nd on share of the vote: largely because Brown is a joke, and heading for humiliation. I felt sorry for him after his nightmare gaffe on Wednesday - but the man looks ill, and as for that forced grin... eesh. Quite why he listens to his advisors so much and is so afraid of being himself, I really don't know - but last night was his last chance, and it's gone.

[stevie]

I enjoyed the debates but found it infuriating that once again politicians cant/wont answer simple questions,David Campbells refusal to answer any questions regarding the tory manifesto showed him up for the imposter he is.God help us all if Campbell is the next PM.

[rossthejambo]

I watched the first 45 minutes of the debate and from what I seen, Clegg and Brown were arguably the better performers.

 

I thought Cameron sidestepped more or less every single question he was asked about his policies and then jumped straight into his favourite "job tax is bad, the bosses of M&S & Sainsburys agree" speech. I'm astonished that most papers are suggesting that he won the debate, really goes to show how easily swayed some people are.

 

I thought Clegg was very assured and some of his points were, IMO, great ideas.

 

I thought Brown, overlooking his uncomfortable posture and general look, gave a decent account. However most people won't look past the fact that he looked uncomfortable which is unfortunate because I think he's got it in him to get the economy back on track, I'd certainly prefer him to the slimy buggers Cameron & Osborne.