The Debate

What was I expecting from a debate featuring seven party leaders not has much as ITV who broadcasted the election event. They spent the day cranking it up has the biggest event since Moses came down from the mountain but I was not overly impressed.

 

Was this the head-to-head people were waiting for when most wanted it to be only Tory leader David Cameron and Labours Ed Miliband. Cameron dodged that bullet of a head-to-head with Miliband who are the only two at the end of the day who can be Prime Minster.

 

The only reason Lib Dem Nick Clegg, Ukip's Nigel Farage, SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon, the Green Party's Natalie Bennett and Plaid Cymru's Leanne Wood are on the platform is one or more of them could be a king maker if there is a hung Parliament. The two-hour showdown, broadcast on ITV from 8pm, and with a handy ‘Rate app’ would have to do the job. I doubted we would learn anything new we know their policies and what they stand for or the lack of it if they have to sell-out their principles to form a Government. The pundits and broadcasters are hoping for someone to slip up are a have an argumentative meltdown.

 

So the event

 

Opening statement from the Greens followed by the other six leaders with no excitement but fingers cross for a fight, fight that everyone wants well the broadcasters anyway. How I rated the opening statements.

Greens 6/10, Lib Dem 3/10, UKIP 4/10, Lab 7/10, PC 2/10, SNP 5/10, Cons 5/10

 

Standing there it looked like a scene from ‘The Weakest Link’ minus Anne Robinson with plenty of nervous smiles. Overall, none of the seven did themselves any harm the questions were what you would expect with the economy, the NHS, immigration, and Europe but there was no fatal killer blow in any of the answers. It got a bit heated but never over stepped the mark. Someone in the audience hackled the Prime Minister over homelessness, which looked to throw him off balance momentarily but standing so close to the SNP leader Sturgeon would worry me more.

 

Farage, UKIP leader clashed with Plaid Cymru's Leanne Wood on the subject of 'health tourism', saying 60% of patients diagnosed with HIV in NHS were foreign nationals. Leanne Wood tells him he should be ashamed of himself for 'scaremongering'. The queen of Plaid Cymru focused purely on Wales in the debate a country she doesn’t lead but would like to one day.

 

Lib Dem Nick Clegg tried but is more or less a dead man walking with an attack on is playmate for the last five years David Cameron and try to cajole a sorry out of the Labour leader for the bank meltdown during the last Labour government. Green party leader Natalie Bennett nervous and was a bit of a nonentity really.

 

Much to my annoyance, the SNP leader picked up the most plaudits for her performance and she was a hit on social media especially. Has for the only two that can be Prime Minister it was a score draw either got the upper hand which I think Cameron will be the happiest having dodged one on two show down with Miliband and Cameron’s pet poodle Nick Clegg.

 

There were four snap polls after the debate they gave the night to four different winners, puzzled I am. The poll of polls of the four gave Cameron the narrowest of wins over Miliband with Farage and Sturgeon in third and fourth respectively.