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You Heard It On the Lectern: Reaction To First TV Leaders’ Debate

Around 10 million viewers tuned in for the first televised leader’s debate in British political history. The strict rule-ridden format critics feared would hamper any sound discussion perhaps affected proceedings less than first feared. Party leaders however, were often prone to give well-rehearsed, structured answers, addressing topics such as taxation health and nuclear weapons and drawing largely on information already present in their respective manifestos.

Once the lengthy 1Hr30mins debate came to a close, no fewer than three terrestrial channels focused on the reaction. BBC Two treated audiences to a Newsnight special, and viewers also had their choice of Dimbleby, with Jonathan hosting a follow up programme on ITV and David presenting a Question Time special on BBC One.

In the post-debate programming, Politicians from each of the parties played teacher’s pet, loyally hailing their leader as the winner of the debate. Shadow Chancellor George Osborne championed the notion that Cameron showed “he is ready to be the prime minister of this country,” Home Secretary Alan Johnson claimed “Gordon took the prize on substance,” while former Lib-Dem leader Lord Ashdown, told those audiences that Clegg had “walked away with it.”

Newspapers were equally prejudiced in declaring a winner. In conventional support for the Labour party, The Daily Mirror told its readers in big bold lettering it was “Man vs. Boys” as “Brown crushes naïve Cameron.” The Guardian, for the Left, said Mr. Clegg “seizes his moment in the TV spotlight,” while for the Right, the Sun were keen to point out that “ten million Brits tuned in to watch Prime Minister Gordon Brown finish last.” Some traditionally Conservative papers however, like the Daily Mail and the Daily Telegraph acknowledged Clegg as the pick of the bunch. Meanwhile, in uncharacteristic fashion, the Daily Star sat on the fence and called it a draw.

So, how did the big guns perform for electorate?

Nick Clegg

Widely regarded as the best performer on the night, Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg showed that he belonged on the same stage as the other two party leaders. Polls from ITN, Sky News and Guardian/ICM show Clegg as the winner of the debate by significant margins, but does the Lib Dem leader stand a genuine chance of becoming the next Prime Minister?

A Facebook group with over 50,000 members certainly encourages disrupting the political pendulum by giving “the underdog party a crack at the whip,” in a page titled “We got Rage Against the Machine to #1, we can get the Lib Dems into office!”

Gordon Brown

Labour leader, Gordon Brown, seems to have come off worst from the debate, with polls consistently ranking him as the worst performer. Though it wasn’t all doom and gloom for the slack jawed Scot, after all, he drew first blood by getting the only laugh of the evening for a quip about non-dom Tory donor Lord Ashcroft. Unlike the other party leaders, the Prime Minister did not sport his party colours in his choice of tie, instead settling on a fetching pink number. Given that Brown and Labour have overseen the economic downturn, can you trust our current Prime Minister to lead Britain out of the recession?

Do you trust Gordon Brown?

David Cameron

Witney M.P and Conservative party leader David Cameron was believed to be the strongest competitor in the lead up to the televised debates. But did everything go to plan for the former P.R man? In a seemingly tactical move, he chose not to ‘do the dirty’ on Gordon Brown, focussing more on Tory policies and supporting his argument with real life examples. When asked about immigration for example, he told the carefully selected audience that he had spoken to a “black man” who had told him that current immigration policy was crazy – it is since believed that some of the Etonian’s best friends are black. Joking aside, do not be surprised if Cameron’s placid approach may turn terrier-like by the next debate, as he seeks to improve on a performance that did not appear to live up to expectations. Luckily for the Tory leader, YouGov’s ‘Best P.M?’ poll, still sees Cameron ahead, though his lead as been cut considerably from 45% before the first debate, to 37% after the debate. During the same period, Nick Clegg’s popularity soared from just 19% to 35%. The Opposition leader chose not to respond to the Prime Minister’s skit about Lord Ashcroft, a move which is believed to have harmed him in the polls.

Would you trust David Cameron as the next Prime Minister?

TV Debates: The Significance

ITV’s coverage of the first ever televised leaders’ debate certainly drew in the crowds. The structured format worked considerably better than many had hoped, though questions may be raised whether the drawn out coverage, an hour and a half in total, covered too much information in too long a period. It is thought Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg may not have such a smooth ride at the next debate, as his opponents are likely to take the Sheffield based M.P more seriously at the next debate.

But just how significant are the TV debates? Will the performance of party leaders in the televised debates strongly influence your vote? Follow the election and make your opinion count at QuickVox.com!