Strikes me there are some thinking people on this forum. What have people made of the TV debates?
Personally, I'm shocked at the post debate coverage. It's been all about the popularity of the candidates and not the policies they are discussing.
I'll admit to being biased but I think Gordon Brown won at least two of the three debates politically but we all know he comes across very awkwardly.
I'll be voting Labour and I just hope other people make a voting decision on their personal appraisal of the issues and not be lead by the media and their infotainment.
TV Debates
I think the debates were good in that they got people talking and gave the 3 main parties an equal platform. They got people interested in politics again and people were talking about it in the street. It made people question who they were voting for and opened up the campaign like never before.
I think the debates were bad in that they were a series of pre-rehearsed soundbites on various subjects, so each of the 3 debates had pretty much exactly the same answers. If you listen, rather than watch each debate it is VERY difficult to tell them apart. Cameron especially actually used exactly the same stock answers, almost word for word in all three 'debates'.
I think they took over the campaign and too many people were concerned about who won the debate rather than focusing on the actual policies.
I don't think they were really 'debates' and in the future I think they need to change the format. I don't think there should be 3 as they were all the same. I preferred the dignity of the BBC one rather than the x factor glitz of the first one on ITV which looked like a cheap game show.
I think the debates were bad in that they were a series of pre-rehearsed soundbites on various subjects, so each of the 3 debates had pretty much exactly the same answers. If you listen, rather than watch each debate it is VERY difficult to tell them apart. Cameron especially actually used exactly the same stock answers, almost word for word in all three 'debates'.
I think they took over the campaign and too many people were concerned about who won the debate rather than focusing on the actual policies.
I don't think they were really 'debates' and in the future I think they need to change the format. I don't think there should be 3 as they were all the same. I preferred the dignity of the BBC one rather than the x factor glitz of the first one on ITV which looked like a cheap game show.