April 16: Clegg edges first debate
Comments |
DID it live up to the advance hype? Was it a game changer?
Who won? The last of these is pretty straightforward theres no
doubt Nick Clegg edged the first of the three
televised debates between the leaders with ease.
Of course, he was a fresh face
and unknown to a lot of people but he really turned in a very
shrewd and well-judged performance. His position on the platform,
to the left of the other two, meant that he was able to turn
on them both and lump them together as figureheads of the 'old
'politics. Very effective.
It was a nice touch at the end
when he remembered the names of all the questioners.
He was more confident than I
expected and more relaxed too he certainly wasn't as stiff as
David Cameron, who struck me as
uncharacteristically nervous at times and rather too sombre in his
efforts to present himself as Prime Ministerial material. He was
safe and made no gaffes but I'd expected him to be
better.
And was it me or was his suit
rather too dark? It made him look a bit like an
undertaker.
As for Brown,
he was competent rather than compelling but his jokes were awfully
wooden and could be seen a mile off as careful plants ("It's answer
time, not question time, David")
Its not an environment in which
he thrives but if he doesn't up his game and Clegg turns in another
two solid performances, the repercussions on May 6 could be
far-reaching.
All three went out of their way
to mention 'ordinary people' they'd met which came across as rather
hollow.
The big question is whether any
of this has any fundamental impact on how votes are cast. However
good Clegg might have been and may be in the next two debates, when
it comes to the ballot box, people will not be making their
judgements on how well each of the three acquitted themselves over
four and a half hours of TV.
S, it wasn't necessarily a
game changer in terms of the eventual outcome but it certainly has
changed the dynamic of the rest of the campaign.
It may have been over-hyped and
now over analysed but I think it was a genuinely
absorbing event.
Local
parties give their reaction to the debate: read our story
here>>>
Friday, April 16 2010
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