The first debate is over with and it certainly represents a major step forward for democracy in this country. It was shameful that we were the only major democracy without a televised debate and it is a relief that we have, at long last, caught up with the rest of the Western world.
Some immediate observations. Firstly, Brown clearly hasn’t read Drew Westen’s excellent ‘The Political Brain’ about debates in the US. Westen makes the case, based upon analysis of numerous US Presidential debates, and an understanding of social psychology and how the brain works, that voters do not respond well to lists of numbers or facts and figures. What voters do respond well to is real life examples, which bring a subject to life and David Cameron was very good at giving such examples throughout the debate. It was something that people like Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan were masters at.
Secondly, it was interesting to note how Twitter seemed to pull down the tribal shutters as soon as the debate began. Most people commenting on Twitter during the debate would have been hailing a great rhetorical triumph if their candidate had been reading out sections of the telephone directory. Social media is a great levelling tool but, for occasions such as the debates, tribalism and excessive partisanship can be both tiresome and predictable.
So – an interesting start to a new chapter of political history. I look forward to the next two debates over the next two weeks.
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It was a fascinating debate. The winner was the electorate. Each leader gave an accurate impression of what they are about. Different people will judge them differently. The main negative is the media’s obsession with who won ect, when instead they should be talking about the issues raised. Many of the pundits predicted that Clegg would ‘win’ before the event and surprise surprise as soon as the debate finished they were quick to assert their wiseness.
The one way in which Cameron could improve his performance is by having a clearer narrative around why some cuts are needed. Cameron needs to show that he can successfully prune the economy, and explain why this is necessary. A little pain now is better than a whole lot of pain later. This also involves holding Gordon Brown to account for getting us into this mess. At the moment Brown is not engaging in a responsible debate about the need for fiscal control. He is obsessed with portraying Cameron as a crude hacker, while not explaining how he would make tough decisions.