UK Leaders Debate

So my fellow UK ATS members, who watched the leaders debate this evening?

My opinion is there was no need to have 7 parties represented. That being said I think Nicola (SNP) done very well and if she was a leader of a UK party, I believe she would have a good shot at PM!

Ed Milliband made my skin crawl every time he looked down the camera and spoke "to the people at home" with his sneer!

I thought all of them other than Farage and Nicola were over coached and came across very fake and insincere.

I thought Megabland was going to cry at one point, he reminds me of a cartoon character, I'm not sure which one, but I keep thinking cheese for some reason.

The SNP and Plaid Cymru reps seemed more focused on their own countries (which one can't really blame them for), which was bad for the debate I think...being the UNITED Kingdom and all.

Spoonfyace and Cleggers just seemed to enjoyed having a pop at each other, although Nick did raise some good points.

The green party lady, well, a well educated hippy who wants to save the world (nothing wrong with that, just pointing it out), but I felt she didn't present herself as well as she could have.

And Farage......that guy never fails to bring a smile to my face, his arguments were good, he presented himself well, and got the odd joke/dig in wherever he could....just like at the EU.

I saw bits of it just out of curiosity.

This televised debate idea doesn't really work on British audiences; I'd be surprised if many people sat through it all.

Predictably, NF was the only one worth listening to.

The rest was the usual "We're gonna do this, we're gonna do that" scripted yawnfest.

Yeah right.

If they were legally bound to stick to their promises, I might listen with half an ear.

a reply to: woogleuk

I don't like the new leader for the Greens. I liked their previous leader, she had more charisma.

I agree with your comments about Farage, he does not give a monkeys and tells it as it is.

Having Ed "Millapead" as Labour leader is the reason Labour will not win. His brother would have bought an election victory.

a reply to: CJCrawley

It was better in 2010 with the three leaders but I would have also included Farage as he keeps them on their toes!

Got to admit I missed the first half hour or so and will refrain from making any final judgement on who won the debate etc until I watch it all, probably some time tomorrow or Saturday.

I thought the Green Party leader was hesitant and far less self-assured than the others and as something of a hippy, (not necessarily a bad thing but not what most people want to see in a leader).

The Scottish and Welsh nationalists were pursuing obvious agendas, and that's exactly what their supporters would have wanted from them, and rightly so. Trying to look at it from a detached viewpoint, not sure I succeeded in that, I thought they made some perfectly valid points etc. Sturgeon was annoyingly impressive - I've always had a particular dislike of her.
If I was Scottish then, despite being fervently pro-Union, I'd definitely vote SNP.

I thought at times Cameron looked ill at ease and displayed a bit of a personal weakness there.
My distaste for the man and the majority of his policies are well known.
I saw nothing tonight that makes me alter my opinion of him in any way whatsoever - he's a loathsome creature.

I have pretty much a similar level of contempt for Miliband.
But after the recent Cameron - Miliband Show, on which Jeremy Paxman was the undisputed winner, and tonights showing I have the smallest smidgen of respect for him.

Farage did what Farage does best - he's a populist and very much a one, or perhaps two, trick pony.

My overall opinion of our politicians hasn't changed one little bit and still firmly believe that until we see the abolition of the party political system we will never see the best interests of the British people being put first and foremost on the political agenda.

Did anyone else have the blackout when the green lady was speaking? I want to know what she said during that plug pulling!

I object to this idea of "leaders debates" based solely on the fact that we're not voting for a PM, or even for a Party. On 5th May, we're supposed to be voting for who we think would best represent our constituency and that is it.

I also think this silly idea of a TV "debate" (it was anything but - it was just soundbites) as it seems to want to Americanise our politics, which is the worst thing in the world.

As it stands, I was too busy dealing with the fire in London to watch much of it, but Millband pissed me off by not saying anything concrete and bleating on about crap that doesn't actually mean anything in the long run.

a reply to: VoidHawk

I never experienced a black out Voidhawk!

a reply to: stumason

Fire in London?

originally posted by: flammadraco
a reply to: VoidHawk

I never experienced a black out Voidhawk!

Yep! She started to speak and the screen went black and the sound died, lasted about four seconds, then the picture came up followed by the sound but the sound was obviously from different mikes because it had an echo, then the screen flickered and all was normal again.

originally posted by: flammadraco
a reply to: stumason

Fire in London?

LOL I had to go check that out too

Nasty looking smoke! I predict lung cancers

a reply to: VoidHawk

I must have blinked and never noticed!

I missed it but I'm glad Nicola Sturgeon done well, she's probably the most honest out of them all

OP:

I thought all of them other than Farage and Nicola were over coached and came across very fake and insincere.

That's because they probably are, well Cameron definitely is as the U.K. well knows, the Labour party are in limbo land & Nigel Farage is nothing but a right wing moron, dangerous game giving him a vote. Outwith that, I'm glad things are getting shaken up a bit on the political landscape, it's needed.

a reply to: stumason

I agree with you about the 'Americanisation' of our politics etc.
There seems to be a growing belief in the myth that we vote for party's and / or their leaders - and no-one in the media seems to want to dispel that myth......I wonder why that is?
It was a media show and the only real winners were UKIP, The Nationalists and The Green Party as they were offered an equal footing with the three 'main' parties.

On a bit of a side note; I'd be a bit pissed off if I was Northern Irish - why were they the only part of the UK excluded from having any representation?

As for Miliband not saying anything of substance - I think the same accusation can be levelled at all of them.

And I honestly thought Cameron at times was the most uncomfortable I've ever seen him.

I don't suppose it will have much bearing on which way I vote, but I will watch it again in its entirety.
And I've got to say it seems as if more people I know watched this than I would have thought and it seems to have provoked quite a bit of reaction.
If it helps stimulate interest in the election then it may well have been a good thing.

originally posted by: flammadraco
a reply to: stumason

Fire in London?

Yeah, this one - a good chunk of our central London network has melted.

ATS Thread here

originally posted by: Freeborn
a reply to: stumason

I agree with you about the 'Americanisation' of our politics etc.
There seems to be a growing belief in the myth that we vote for party's and / or their leaders - and no-one in the media seems to want to dispel that myth......I wonder why that is?
It was a media show and the only real winners were UKIP, The Nationalists and The Green Party as they were offered an equal footing with the three 'main' parties.

I don't object to the "smaller" parties getting equal air time, but the idea of these debates is nonsensical and, as you said, just a media show. I can't believe Cameron has got so much stick for not wanting to take part in an endless stream of TV soundbite shows.

originally posted by: Freeborn
On a bit of a side note; I'd be a bit pissed off if I was Northern Irish - why were they the only part of the UK excluded from having any representation?

I think that is understandable - the way the parties from NI (and NI itself operate) makes them a bit of special case. They really have a local appeal, more so than PC or SNP.

originally posted by: Freeborn
As for Miliband not saying anything of substance - I think the same accusation can be levelled at all of them.

Probably, but I seemed to only look up from my desk when he was flapping his lips. Cameron seemed very quiet but the consensus in the NOC is that all he had to do was let the left tear chunks out of each other and that seemed to work well for him.

originally posted by: Freeborn
And I honestly thought Cameron at times was the most uncomfortable I've ever seen him.

He seemed to me to be happy to stay at the back - he is the only one up there with a track record, whereas the others all have to something to prove.

originally posted by: Freeborn
I don't suppose it will have much bearing on which way I vote, but I will watch it again in its entirety.

Indeed - I said to a mate the other day that if you haven't already made up your mind by now, you haven't been paying attention and really shouldn't be voting. If people are going to base their votes of tonight's show, that is a bit disappointing.

originally posted by: Freeborn
And I've got to say it seems as if more people I know watched this than I would have thought and it seems to have provoked quite a bit of reaction.
If it helps stimulate interest in the election then it may well have been a good thing.

Definitely, even if we both think the method is a bit crap.

Yes I got the black out I`m in the south west. I wasnt to impressed with any of them, well that scotch lass sounded alright. As some one said Nigel did his thing, lol We all know the 3 main parties are all in it together. So the only question to ask is who is in it with us we the people.

What's scary is that millions think Nigel Farage has all the right answers. I can't imagine where the UK would be if UKIP were in charge.

If UKIP end up winning the show, I can't imagine anyone who's not White and English would feel safe, anywhere in the country. It would be time to get out while you can.

I weep for Britain if this happens.

The really scary part is that these nationalist tendency parties are on the rise all over the world, trying to disguise themselves as "Patriots" and "doing what's right in the National interest". In the USA, it's the far right TEA Party. UKIP is basically the TEA Party without the religious lunacy.

a reply to: babybunnies

Why do you think UKIP would go after anyone who is "not White or English".

Whilst not a UKIP supporter myself, it does grate me that they are always being accused of being "Nazis" or "racists" when they are anything but. I am sat next to a guy originally from Ghana (and darker than the night) who is a UKIP supporter...