It’s been announced that in the period before the next General Election there will be 3 debates on TV between Gordon Brown, David Cameron and Nick Clegg. These will be shown across Britain in turn on ITV, Sky and BBC.
Can’t say I’m sure what this will add. Surely we’ll see and hear these 3 too often during the campaign. Don’t they appear on TV and in Parliament making the same points week after week. Don’t GB and DC keep making the same barbed comments about ‘he wouldn’t have done anything’ and ‘he banished boom and bust’. Doesn’t Prime Ministers Question Time every week in Parliament exercise a good deal of competitive verbal jousting. Party Political Broadcasts as well.
Add to that the other parties who are unhappy about being omitted. The SNP, PC, Greens and UKIP have a valid claim to be heard as loudly as anyone else. Surely if a party is qualified to have a Party Political Broadcast they are qualified to debate.
It most likely is that this is really a journalists feast. Probably reading about it will be more interesting than actually hearing it unless one of the leaders takes on a nasty side or maybe develops a new and interesting tick. Or perhaps one of the debaters has been doing something sleezy or will come out as gay during the debate. Unlikely, so what sort of compelling TV is this for most of the population?
It’ll be hyped as unmissable, and after all I think I’ll have to take a look for that golden nugget one of them might have. Then if it’s 1-0-0 after the first perhaps it’ll be worth looking in for the equaliser. Maybe only the last one will count for much. The campaign in swing everything looking great for one party, then can it be turned round in one moment in a debate. Bring on Gary Lineker.