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Bollitics: VT General Election Poll #6 - Leaders Debate 3


Gringo

Which party gets your X  

132 members have voted

  1. 1. Which party gets your X

    • Labour
      23
    • Conservative (and UUP alliance)
      37
    • Liberal Democrat
      50
    • Green
      2
    • SNP
      1
    • Plaid Cymru
      1
    • UKIP
      3
    • Jury Team (Coallition of Independents)
      0
    • BNP
      2
    • Spoil Ballot
      3
    • Not Voting
      8
    • The Party for the reintroduction of the European Beaver
      3


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Its Burnley

TV debate: 'We're done for,' said Campbell. But did he mean Labour or Burnley?

All sides give it to their man as Conservatives make mischief in the spin room

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Nicholas Watt and Allegra Stratton

The Guardian, Friday 30 April 2010

Article history

David Cameron, Nick Clegg and Gordon Brown during the final live leaders' election debate, hosted by the BBC from Birmingham University. Photograph: Jeff Overs/BBC

After the two previous TV debates, in which Nick Clegg deservedly stole the show, the third and last of the broadcasts seemed somehow to revert to type.

Not completely – the political landscape has changed. But for anyone who had actually rather missed the combative dingdongs between Gordon Brown and David Cameron, last night was your night.

It was characterised by clashes between the two on inheritance tax and spending cuts. Brown was aggressive and bruising, even more so than usual. Cameron attempted to be calm and dismissive. Prime ministerial, even.

Clegg, meanwhile, was caught between them - and unlike in previous debates, he struggled to project himself as the pragmatist. He could not impose himself, particularly in the early exchanges. And then the other two goaded him over immigration.

As the debate moved off the economy in the second half, the Lib Dem leader came back into it, and gave, perhaps, the strongest of the final statements.

But the instant polls said Brown simply had not done enough to counter the damage inflicted by the Gillian Duffy gaffe and a lacklustre campaign.

In the spin room, the Tories were already making mischief, spreading a story that Alastair Campbell had been heard saying: "That's it, we're done for". Campbell denied it, via Twitter, of course. "Tories desperate. Some lowly spin doc heard me telling security man Burnley had had it. Now saying it was about election. Plonker."

The Lib Dems were more pointed. "Brown is a dead man walking", said one. "He was trying to defend the indefensible and he didn't even do that very well."

Lord Mandelson did his best, saying the Prime Minister had given a barnstorming performance. "Look at the sweat appearing on David Cameron's chin," he said. "And upper lip. Under pressure. He's under pressure."

The Tories were targeting Clegg – texting that he had been exposed during a section on the euro and immigration.

They were certainly among the sharpest exchanges last night, but the main focus was the economy – Brown's strongest suit, and his best chance to claw back some of the voters who appear to have deserted him during the course of the campaign.

And when he got a chance to talk about his specialist subject, he did so passionately. He had a plan – to insist that Cameron's Conservatives are the "same old Tories" of the 1980s, and that his two rivals are too shallow and inexperienced to lead the country. And he stuck to it.

He taunted Cameron over his economic plans, which involve using £6bn of efficiency savings to make early spending cuts. "That will sink the economy at a time when we need to support the economy. We must maintain the recovery. "

Cameron used the same argument he has used in all three debates. There is waste in government, so why wait to make the savings? Everyone else has had to, so why not Whitehall?

"That means saving £1 out of every £100 that the government spends. That is the glossy leaflets that come through your door from the local council. The risk to the recovery is not cutting waste. It is putting up national insurance on every job in the country which is what Labour propose."

The second question, about the rise in taxes, prompted more lively exchanges over Tory plans to raise the inheritance tax threshold to £2m for married couples.

Brown said: "The biggest beneficiary of the Conservative manifesto is, as always, the richest estates in the country and not the ordinary hard-working people."

Cameron said that Brown's attitude showed he did not understand the Tories' principle philosophy. "I believe that if you work hard and you save money and you pay down your mortgage on a family home you shouldn't have to sell that and give it to the taxman when you die. You should be able to pass it on to your children. It is the most natural human instinct of all."

Clegg jumped in. "I have to say to David Cameron it is the most creative justification I have ever heard for giving tax breaks to double millionaires. Taxes are unfair on millions of people on ordinary incomes, not the double millionaires David Cameron wants to help."

If Cameron was uncomfortable, it was Clegg's turn next. In a rare pincer movement, he came under pressure from Cameron and Brown when asked about Lib Dem plans to incorporate illegal immigrants who have been in Britain for more than a decade.

"That could mean that some 600,000 people who are here illegally would actually be allowed to stay here and be given full citizenship and could bring a relative each into our country," said Cameron. "

Brown, unusually, sided with Cameron. "I agree with David on this," he said. "Because I can't see how you send out anything other than the worst possible message if you give an amnesty to people that come here illegally."

Clegg was exasperated.

"The only politician in Britain who is advocating a blanket amnesty is Boris Johnson, the Conservative mayor of London. We do need to do something about the fact that there are lots of people living in the shadows of our economy. Gordon Brown and David Cameron just want to deny it as a problem and pretend that it will go away. It won't."

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The Telegraph is just an upmarket Mail. I remember it was once a newspaper

Elvis appearance opposite Gordon Brown sparks investigation

An official investgation has begun into whether an Elvis impersonator's performance for Gordon Brown broke the law.

By Tim Walker

Published: 10:00PM BST 27 Apr 2010

Elvis impersonator Mark Wright greets Gordon Brown in Corby Photo: PA

He was hailed by Alastair Campbell as the "megastar" who would boost Gordon Brown's flagging election campaign, but an Elvis impersonator has left Labour feeling all shook up.

Mandrake learns that Corby borough council is investigating whether the performance at the weekend breached the Licensing Act.

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Lodge Park Technology College, where Mark Wright sang for the Prime Minister, is not allowed to permit performances of live music before 6pm.

Damian Wilkins, the health protection manager at Corby council, has contacted Tom Waterworth, the head teacher, to demand an explanation.

Under the Act, Campbell, the organiser of the event, and Waterworth, the licence holder, could face criminal prosecution resulting in six months in prison or a £20,000 fine.

The college was unable to get a Temporary Event Notice authorising the performance of music, as plans to allow last-minute event notices were withdrawn by the Government this month.

Wright, who is from Corby, had entered the building as the Prime Minister concluded his speech. The impersonator serenaded the Labour Party supporters with A Little Less Conversation.

No flies on Gordon Brown

Mandrake has an inkling why Gordon Brown was never very enthusiastic about jumping into bed with Nick Clegg.

North of the border, Clegg is the word to describe a large blood-sucking fly.

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Some think tanks has said we will need a 6p increase in the basic rate of income tax to pay for all this.

No wonder Tony **** off after he had beat Maggies stay in power. Gordon Brown was obviously so hungry for power he couldnt see what a state the country was in, or maybe he felt responsible and did the decent thing.

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Some think tanks has said we will need a 6p increase in the basic rate of income tax to pay for all this.

No wonder Tony **** off after he had beat Maggies stay in power. Gordon Brown was obviously so hungry for power he couldnt see what a state the country was in, or maybe he felt responsible and did the decent thing.

heard this on the radio this morning. We really are screwed if that think wank is correct.

Problem is if we raise taxes too much, we could lose quite a bit of business and result in less money coming in in taxes anyway.

apparently after greece hiked up their taxes, loads of businessmen/companies just started toodle pipping out of there. we don't want that at all.

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Problem is if we raise taxes too much, we could lose quite a bit of business and result in less money coming in in taxes anyway.

apparently after greece hiked up their taxes, loads of businessmen/companies just started toodle pipping out of there. we don't want that at all.

we could really do without fecking off the city traders too, and the banking industry, however much i find them distasteful.

we will have to cut spending in big ways, which should alleviate the need for ridiculous tax rises. There will be some tax rises obviously, but lets not kill the economy before it's really started to recover.

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Labour again means more Mandelson. That alone should be enough surely? Pillock.

We already have a PM we didn't vote for, and lots of laws made by a twice disgraced politician we didn't vote in either....

:bang:

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Problem is if we raise taxes too much, we could lose quite a bit of business and result in less money coming in in taxes anyway.

apparently after greece hiked up their taxes, loads of businessmen/companies just started toodle pipping out of there. we don't want that at all.

we could really do without fecking off the city traders too, and the banking industry, however much i find them distasteful.

we will have to cut spending in big ways, which should alleviate the need for ridiculous tax rises. There will be some tax rises obviously, but lets not kill the economy before it's really started to recover.

As per normal Jon, I agree with you.

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BROWN AND CLEGG IN SYNCHRONISED LARRY GRAYSON TRIBUTE

leaders.jpg

DAVID Cameron moved a step closer to Downing Street last night after Gordon Brown and Nick Clegg's ill-judged tribute to Larry Grayson.

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Labour again means more Mandelson. That alone should be enough surely? Pillock.

We already have a PM we didn't vote for, and lots of laws made by a twice disgraced politician we didn't vote in either....

:bang:

Jez

- You DONT vote for a PM

- Mandelson has "made" lots of laws? - If you are going to make a accusation like that you really need to follow it up with evidence of the laws that he has "made" and implemented.

- You DONT vote for a particular cabinet

I suppose "Lord" Ashcroft and his billions will have no influence in any Tory regime?

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Anyone got an animated gif of Gordo's hilarious forced smile at the end?

Why? - is this a perfect example of the stupidity and dumbing down of politics? It's a beauty pageant? Maybe we can have a gif of Cameron squirming while being pressed on why he would reward the rich with inheritance tax rises? maybe one of Clegg when trying to explain his immigration policy?

I don't like him because he smiles funny - says a lot about the UK

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your defence of Labour and Brown is very stout Ian, even against the tide of opinion that is flowing the other way.

What did you make of Brown's bizzare euphoric smile outside of that woman's home the other day?

The guy just looked crazed, IMHO.

I'd day he's close to unelectable, and should there be an hung parliament, i don'rt think the lib deams would be rishing to do business with him.

With others in the labour party maybe, but not him.

and they don't need him either. A coalition govt can be formed without Brown, even if he is still the "leader" of the labour party.

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