Who Won the First British Election Debate?!
Prime Minster Gordon Brown and his main political rival David Cameron from the Conservatives met at a debate over the television just weeks before the parliamentary elections in UK. They were accompanied by a relatively newcomer named Nick Clegg of the Liberal Democrats. Though the Labour party and the Conservative party seemed to be major heavyweights, the debate was surprisingly seemingly won by the newcomer Nick Clegg. He is a great orator and won the heart of the people more by style than by substance.
A poll conducted by MORI, the Liberal Democrats have increased their pool standings by 11 points over the previous month and are currently running in a tie with the Conservatives who command some 32% of the possible votes. In fact, they are ahead of the Labour Party, who are likely to receive close to 28% of the votes.
The debate reflected more the each leader’s personality, rather than the policies they are going to adopt if elected. They discussed in details policies related to Afghanistan wars, gas oil prices, nuclear weapons and many more. Though many people are not supportive of the policies adopted by Liberal Democrats, they have really fallen in love of their leader. There is a huge desire for change so any person who can convince the electorate that he can be the architect of that change, is bound to win. It seems Nick Clegg has somehow filled up that slot.
Chances are also there that the UK may go for a hung parliament and Clegg can become the kingmaker in that case. As a human face, he is opposed to the war on Iraq and Afghanistan. He has got a Dutch mother, a Spanish wife and a Russian grandparent. This combination has given him a perfect blend of a European leader.
This is however just one of the debating series involving the leaders so it is difficult to say what will happen in the rest of them. The question really is how much does the public listen to during these debates and how do they affect their decisions on Election Day. People are likely to vote for the party which will bring about the change they so desperately want.