TV Leadership Debates

SmallTown said:
Hate these debates. So many people get confused between our politics and the US, and think we are electing a prime minister. Not a local MP. These things help fuel that confusion
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Howey, that ship had sailed, very few people could name their local MP, much fewer be bothered to vote for them specifically.

Unfortunately, UK general elections are now pretty much a presidential race like the US. It is what it is.
 
Colgates_shaving_foam said:
Howey, that ship had sailed, very few people could name their local MP, much fewer be bothered to vote for them specifically.

Unfortunately, UK general elections are now pretty much a presidential race like the US. It is what it is.
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It isn't what it is though. I can name my local MP, and everyone who votes has to tick their name on the ballot box. Our system is literally that. You vote for an MP that represents a party. The choice of leader is nothing to do with you. Maybe if we educated people on this it wouldn't get so confused. I would never defend the Infosys contract grabbing, multi millionaire out of touch omnishambles that is Sunak but I hear so many say he's an "unelected" PM. When he isn't.
 
SmallTown said:
It isn't what it is though. I can name my local MP, and everyone who votes has to tick their name on the ballot box. Our system is literally that. You vote for an MP that represents a party. The choice of leader is nothing to do with you. Maybe if we educated people on this it wouldn't get so confused. I would never defend the Infosys contract grabbing, multi millionaire out of touch omnishambles that is Sunak but I hear so many say he's an "unelected" PM. When he isn't.
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I would love people to be politically educated but they are not.

I know who my local MP is and I am probably too interested in politics but my Wife and vast majority of friends and people at work have no idea about politics other than what they see on social media.

Yes the name of the MP is on the ballot paper but most people look for the party logo I think.
 
The dates and timings of any debates will be interesting, as they'll likely be up against the Euros
 
You’d think Starmer would do a couple of debates but that will be about it.

Strangely Sunak’s personal poll ratings drop when the public see him so one a week might have been good, but that was only made to try and say Starmer is running scared. If that’s all Sunak has got he’s really in trouble.
 
Right decision. Surprised Sunak’s handlers even pressed it. Their man endures torture at Starmer’s hands every week at PMQ’s.
Avoid any chance of the odd misspeak. Sit back and watch them drown
 
Colgates_shaving_foam said:
Yes the name of the MP is on the ballot paper but most people look for the party logo I think.
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Agreed.

Like many things in UK politics the current system doesn't make sense.

If we are voting for the person to be our MP & the party is irrelevent, they should remove party names & logos off the ballot paper.
If the party is important, when the MP loses the whip or crosses the floor there should be an automatic recall petition.
 
Starmer will do at least one debate because it is the right thing to do.

I expect he will do several long one on one Andrew Neil type conversation type interviews because he is frustrated at the silly combative points scoring antics of Westminster and would much prefer to be able to go in to more detail. Starmer is a details person because he knows details matter.
 
Colgates_shaving_foam said:
I really want to believe that but I do think there are so so many shy tories out there who will go out and vote.

I worry the potential labour voters won't bother and we end up with a re run of what happened in the brexit referendum.

I think it will be much closer than predicted.
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many labour voters voted leave - they turned out

unfortunately - due to the 4th July election date - I can imagine a disproportionate number of younger voters not bothering to vote as they've 'better' things to do or 'don't see the point' & - that - could, imho be more decisive esp in marginal seats..

older people, who may be more inclined to vote blue will almost certainly make the effort..
 
BobUpnDown said:
many labour voters voted leave - they turned out

unfortunately - due to the 4th July election date - I can imagine a disproportionate number of younger voters not bothering to vote as they've 'better' things to do or 'don't see the point' & - that - could, imho be more decisive esp in marginal seats..

older people, who may be more inclined to vote blue will almost certainly make the effort..
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Sorry, I meant in the sense that people assumed remain would win so lots of would have voted remain people didn't bother.

It is in that sense that I am worried that people think labour have already won so might not bother to vote.

All the miserable owld loons will be sure to get out and vote tory, although hopefully Reform will hoover up some of this far right racist cohort, fingers crossed anyway. I really hope Reform don't do what they did last time as the brexit party I think? And withdraw from competing with the Tory candidates.
 
The worst thing that could happen to the man who lost debates to...er... actual Liz Truss would be for Starmer to call his bluff. Talk about a one legged man at an ar$e kicking contest.
 
Starmer had more important things to do in the run up to the electing than have a weekly TV debate that won't cover new ground.

He will want to get to as much of the country as he can and engage with the public.

Sunak, on the other hand, loathes the public and has no idea how to engage with them. That's why he would be happy doing staged events.
 
Laughing said:
Starmer had more important things to do in the run up to the electing than have a weekly TV debate that won't cover new ground.

He will want to get to as much of the country as he can and engage with the public.

Sunak, on the other hand, loathes the public and has no idea how to engage with them. That's why he would be happy doing staged events.
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That doesn't make sense. You can engage with far more people via TV than you can meeting people in person for photo ops. Those things are always preaching to the choir events and achieve nothing.

He's going to win comfortably. He doesn't need to do more, probably benefits from doing less because he won't put himself in a position to be trapped into doing/saying something the Tories can weaponise.

What you say about Sunak is bang on though. He never looks comfortable. It's like he's never met people before, not even other people like him. He has the charisma of a soggy biscuit.
 
Nano said:
That doesn't make sense. You can engage with far more people via TV than you can meeting people in person for photo ops. Those things are always preaching to the choir events and achieve nothing.

He's going to win comfortably. He doesn't need to do more, probably benefits from doing less because he won't put himself in a position to be trapped into doing/saying something the Tories can weaponise.

What you say about Sunak is bang on though. He never looks comfortable. It's like he's never met people before, not even other people like him. He has the charisma of a soggy biscuit.
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He won't do more because he wants to visit as much of the country as possible to bolster labours chances.

Don't see much controversial in that. Furthermore starmer has said as much himself.

Going to constituencies and talking to people, I assume, achieves a great deal otherwise they wouldn't do it.
 
Starmer likes to go out and meet people. He has been doing it a lot ever since he became an prospective MP, but he doesn't like cameras following him, so it's not widely known.

Starmer is thorough, organised, extremely hard working, a details person and, when it comes down to it, ruthless. He has two weeks final preparation time before the campaign proper. He has nothing to do to finish off and discredit the Tories. The people no longer need any help coming to a view on them, that is formed. I think his campaign will actually be primarily focused on positives about Labour and it's visions and plans for the future, though tempered with realism about the size of the tasks ahead and what is achievable. His solutions will be pragmatic, not ideological and so they should be.

The debates can make a small difference, but Starmer has some time to prepare and he will do that. He is not comfortable 'performing' but he is not up against a Johnson, or a Blair, but a goddam Sunak. If I was Sunak I would be the worried one. Sunak has been so concerned for years about assassins knives in the back and only amateurs around him to help, he should focus on the guy in front of him as he stands alone in front of the public, with no-one to protect him. Then he might just see the deadly killer who put his predecessor out of the Party when he was getting in the way, has took down governments, multinationals and organised crime groups in the courtroom and didn't hesitate at the September 2018 Labour Party conference to act boldly to stop Corbyns brexiter inner circle betraying the wishes of the members and reverse an agreed position of the Party on Brexit. I can't see him hesitating if Sunak presents any opening, which let's face it, he is so useless he will.
 
Teesste said:
A structured Q&A would destroy Sunak.. in a more casual interview he has the annoying habit of just talking and talking and talking, reciting a pre written speech and moving so far away from the original question which he obviously doesn't want to answer. He did this with Nick Ferrari on LBC yesterday and you could hear Ferrari becoming more and more exasperated as he couldn't get a word in edge ways to ask another question!

They would need a strong host to make sure questions are answered and it doesn't just become a party political broadcast.
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Fiona Bruce 🤷🏻‍♂️
 
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