I watched the first UK Leaders' Debate on youtube (thanks for not streaming outside the UK, ITV) and I am not surprised Nick Clegg was the surprise audience's favorite.
Gordon Brown is clearly being coached by Karl Rove's British twin, Alistair Campbell. He was aggressive, disrespectful, snide and cocky. So unlike him that you'd be excused for thinking it was actually a robot in the studio resembling the PM.
Cameron, on the other hand, spoke well when making statements but completely lost the plot when rebutting Brown's points. Brown kept chasing him with the "how cn you guarantee funding for good thing X" mantra. Instead of putting the PM in his rightful place, Cameron waffled.
"Of course we can guarantee funding for the Police and the NHS. Your government has thrown money at every problem and wasted it. When we cut the useless management, pen-pushers, paperwork, hot air and QUANGOs we will have enough money to fulfil our promises and then some."
Such poetry was nowhere to be heard, and Clegg had a field day ravishing the main parties and watching them suck up to him, the essential partner in a hung parliament.
I hoped to see some passion from Cameron and I hardly saw any. He seemed utterly offended by Brown's interruptions and insistence, as if he wasn't used to defending his own points. I know this not to be true. So the Notting Hill yes-men surrounding him must have had a very negative influence.
If I were running for anything, I'd probably surround myself with smart friends I disagree most with. Not because I am crazy, but because I'd know the combined intelligence of my entourage would outnumber the opposition's by a mile.
Cameron didn't hold Brown to account and gave Clegg the PR limelight he was hoping for. Way to go, Tories.
1 comment:
Too bad the BNP and the UKIP and Greens could not have had the opportunity to take part.
Post a Comment