Brown bamboozled and Cameron got Nicked!!!
One clear winner on the first leaders debate tonight…Nick Clegg.
The talk will now be of David Cameron being “Clegg-lite” rather than the other way round.
Nick was an easy winner. The ITV news poll of 4000 people put Nick not just ahead – but a country mile ahead (and am told that You Gov poll for Sun also gives it unreservedly to Nick).
Nick had some wonderful touches – simply excellent eye contact with the viewer – talking into the camera time and again – oooh that was good, relaxed attitude (so relaxed he was positively laid back – and er hmmm had his hands in his pockets most of the evening), a grasp of the facts and figures, constantly distancing himself from the other two parties … oh and lets not forget the name-checking those that asked the questions at the end (buy the person that thought of that one a bottle of something bubbly)… A very polished performance.
Brown was, well Brown – fish out of water- this is not his natural environment (still not quite sure why he agreed to do this). Perhaps it is a result of his physical disability but if you cant look people in the eye they will be disinclined to believe you – and Brown never once looked down the barrel of the gun – into the camera – to talk directly to the viewers. His disability should not prevent that, that’s surely the disfunctionality of the personality. It was also funny that Gordon insisted on calling Nick into his defence on several occasions ….”I know Nick agrees with me”…. (Nick largely looking bemused!!)
Cameron will be bitterly disappointed- the programme exposed yet again his lack of detail – but perhaps more importantly – he is supposed to be the man of style over substance – well tonight there was no style or substance….. He looked first uncomfortable – then increasingly deflated and defeated. His insistence on name-checking a place or person he had visited in recent weeks on every question started out sound phony and ended up just down right ridiculous…methinks he protested too much about being in touch with the ordinary bloke. Give it a rest Dave..