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politicalbetting.com » Blog Archive » Is this going to backfire for Dave as the one and only debate could be in three weeks time?
Downing Street has issued a “final offer” to broadcasters over the election television debates, declaring in a pointed email that David Cameron will take part in just one debate featuring seven party leaders before the formal campaign begins next month…..
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The debates last time were just low-grade show business.
Much more interested in the news about the SFO investigating the Bank of England.
And having Farage debate the others live on TV could be well worth buying popcorn for.
The debates are sterile, unless questions are selected at random on topics without any limits from the broadcasters and parties.
No one outside Westminster is that bothered or interested.
The main problem with the debates for Dave is that they present a golden opportunity for opponents to skewer him on promises made during the previous debates, notably in respect of immigration and the budget deficit. If his opponents can nail him on these, they don't need the debates and his decision to avoid them will have backfired. If in addition they can make the charge of 'running scared' stick, it's a double whammy.
Otoh if he can manages play down those issues and avoid the risk which debates undoubtedly present, he's scored a win.
And of course if he avoids the 'running scared' charge too, it's a double win.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-31744282
Tick tick tick...
Treat with caution. Apparently connected to One World Action, founded by Glenys Kinnock, political neutrality possible, but unlikely
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/4262768/Im-v.-Right-wing-says-the-BBC-but-its-not-that-simple.html
Greens in the 'very libertarian' area is laughable. It's hard to imagine a more directive authoritarian bunch. Their whole manifesto is 'we'll force you to ruin your living standards for the sake of the warblers'.
"It is being reported" - in the Guardian.
BTW: The 67% link is broken.
http://t.co/yTJ04B2Wwi
If the Tories are going to major on Ed, though, and make him a central part of their campaign, a very natural question is: "If Ed is so crap and it would be dangerous to let him close to Downing Street, why is the PM scared to debate with him?" They'll need a good answer to that one.
The political commentators who want their bread and circuses might bitch. Tough. They can have their one debate - when the leaders get about ten minutes each in a chaotic whirl that will leave most voters going "Huh? I like Plaid Cymru best. How do I vote for them?". Or they can have no debate.
If Labour expect us to believe that they have been keeping their Deadly Ed Super-weapon under wraps for five years, just waiting his moment to spring forth in a one-to-one with Cameron and show us he's The Most Formidable Politician Of All Time.... well A) really? paint me sceptical and B ) well you fecked up with that strategy didn't you. Hur hur hur.
Cameron will do what it takes to get re-elected. Those who can't see his determination to get re-elected seriously underestimate the guy.
Yes
Thats that one dealt with
New Thread again..?
I am not too bothered by a debate. The 7 leader one will be a circus. A circus with half a dozen varieties of clown, none of whom is very funny.
The head to head would be more interesting, but ED is a better tactitian than Dave, who doesn't do detail, so worth dodging. Dave is pretty slippery so can probably get away with it.
The British public will not be bothered. They would rather watch Celebrity Bake Off Come Dancing anyway!
Apart from yesterday
and er last Wednesday
Etc Etc Etc
Oh dear Oh dear Oh dear
I bloody predicted this. That arse Clegg wants Cornwall to have its own assembly, paving the way for carving England up into pieces:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-31739267
I said this, the moment that perfidious weasel threw an unasked for minority status at Cornwall.
http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=5yo1AAAAIBAJ&sjid=u6ULAAAAIBAJ&pg=3230,5279144 (Maybe NSFW, not family friendly)
What will @SeanT say?
It has an assembly anyway, its a county, so it has a County Council. With a population of around half a million is rather less populous than even a medium sized city as well, in fact about the same as, oddly enough, as Sheffield. Idiot.
The angrier Bad Al Campbell is (he's got a book out by the way, he doesn't like to mention it) the better a move by Cammo.
If Cornwall gets an assembly, Yorkshire won't be far behind, and then the rest of England.
With that, an English Parliament becomes nigh on impossible despite being the obvious counterpart to a Scottish Parliament and the most desired option by the English people. The lack of an English Parliament makes the UK unsustainable and lopsided, with greater advantage to the Scots [not saying it's entirely one-way, though] and equality for the English impossible.
@BBCNormanS: Ed Miliband met BBC boss Tony Hall last night to urge broadcasters to stand firm over #tvdebates
The smell of desperation from Labour is overpowering
Aside from that, do you notice how he has suddenly dictated the terms of the campaign? It's going to be short and begin on 30th March which is news to me.
He looks and sounds a lot like a Prime Minister.
Or when he shopped at Morrisons and had to resign?
Or when he refused to debate Salmond and had to resign?
Nigel Farage: Fruitcake topped with nuts
Nick Clegg: A flopped souffle with a soggy bottom.
Ed Milliband: A bacon sandwich. He never learns...
Natalie Bennett: Organic Lentil bake.
Nicola Sturgeon : Battered Haggis with plenty of oil.
David Cameron: An Eton mess!
Sky now control football in this country, not the FA or Premier League, do we want them controlling politics as well?
The BBC try hard enough as it is.
There's not much point listening to promises from people you consider liars.
https://d25d2506sfb94s.cloudfront.net/cumulus_uploads/document/aqvfvjn8ot/YG-Archives-Pol-Trackers-Leaders-Perceptions-250215.pdf
I do not want our next leader decided on the whims of a short TV programme. I suspect I am not alone in that thought.
@BBCJLandale: Lord Ashdown says Nick Clegg would replace David Cameron in head to head debate with Ed Miliband if the PM refuses to turn up
ROFLMAO
I don't blame Cameron. It's beginning to look (to me) like his election to lose. A nice big juicy generous budget should see the Conservatives go 5% clear and with it the momentum.
Cameron is certainly playing high stakes dictating to not only the BBC, but Sky, ITV and C4, all of whom will miss out on a nice pay day if the debates don't go ahead. Given Cameron has marched up to the top of the hill, he can't back down now. Very high risk strategy.
I wonder if the Tories have focused group the cr#p out of this or just winging it?
That said....Osborne is doing some long term thinking in the North to undermine Labour's fortresses.......
Without debates the attention on the news would be the usual photo-stunts, and we know how good Ed is with those. Look forward to lots of politicos pointing at squid...
"A look at wage figures for different professions from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) illustrates that by paying MPs more we would actually get a worse quality of MPs.
Higher pay would tempt to parliament the low performers of high paying professions (bankers; lawyers; lobbyists) thus pushing out high performers of lower paying professions (teachers; IT managers; nurses…).
b) The statistics show the vast majority are sheep, voting according to the party line."
http://leftfootforward.org/2015/03/would-paying-mps-more-attract-a-better-calibre-of-mp-the-evidence-suggests-not/
His line should be: I'll debate anyone, anywhere, on anything, no matter who is on the other side of the table to me or how many of them there are.
Clever man!
The wording is disingenuous as well, ONS didn't say anything of the sort, LeftFootForward did using their reading of ONS wage data.
But otherwise you are totally correct.
Don't like it? Stop paying the effing sub.
[I'm wondering whether this is just Clegg colluding in Cameron's debate-wrecking by paving the ground for insisting that the leader of Mebyon Kernow must be added to the One Debate)
@paulwaugh: In fact Lab brinkmanship with SNP is more imp that Cam brinkmanship re TV debates. If Lab rules out working with SNP, Cam cd return to No.10
Can I stop paying my licence fee?
Equalizing the age of consent was in the nineties as I recall.
The only remotely memorable thing from yesterday's PMQ's was who will have Ed on their leaflets? The Tories. The SNP. Labour? Not so much...
Ed is a dud. Who says? Those Labour MPs who don't want to be associated with him. We'll be counting up who those are from their leaflets....
Personally I am happy to see so many Scots rejoicing in the Union by eagerly campaigning for seats in Westminster!
Thanks for the link about Proctor being fined £1450.
And from Wiki ... "In June 1986, The People newspaper published claims that Proctor had taken part in spanking and cane beating of male prostitutes, aged between 17 and 21, in his London flat. The age of consent for homosexuals was still 21 in 1986, and the following year Proctor was charged with gross indecency and resigned his candidature."
But surely, Ed wants 'gross indecency' offences to be expunged (or whatever the legal term is).
Will Proctor get his £1450 back?
However, he still stands guilty of a far worse crime ... that of being a Tory?
If all politicians had agreed not to have debates this time, I don't think the wider public would notice there hadn't been any... They aren't that interested. But if there is a big song and dance created over the lack of debates by the other parties then the general public will notice the argument and take sides, and I think they will blame/criticise Dave for being cowardly and evasive
LOL
Is there any evidence that this is a problem? Even Brown (or his henchmen), who had many faults, never seemed to suffer for being bullies and ruthless operators.
One between Cameron and Miliband may get me to tune in, but it's no sure thing. The fuss volume about it is hilariously OTT.
So far, bar the prospect of the SNP/No Voters splattering SLAB on May 7th, this election campaign is doing almost nothing for me.
Looking at his predicted UKIP strongholds, I was interested to note that the area around Merthry Tydfil was very strong. We've not heard much about Welsh kippers as far as I am aware. Obviously this is Lab heartland territory, but could an upset be in the works?