I finally got round to watching the BBC Debate on EU Membership pitching Nick against Nigel, Lib Dems against UKIP! For those that don’t already know, Labour and Conservatives were sent invites for Ed and David respectively, but they declined.
Now I have some fairly strong political views, a very particular view on right and wrong, and an appreciation of the grey ground in the middle. I have done my own independent research, using multiple sources with vast knowledge and experience in their respective fields, and have my own feelings on Britain’s membership of the European Union, and of the EU irrespective of Britain’s part in it. These views and opinions lead me to hope for one of the Mass Debaters to shine (Mass Debaters is the family safe way of saying it, right?).
I had hoped the debate would be a chance for the facts to come out, an education for the viewers and a chance for the British people to engage in politics, something that’s increasingly difficult!
I had hoped for these things but I didn’t get them!
The take away message from the debate was not on immigration, on financial security, national security, employment, crime, community cohesion… No, the take away message was far more personal!
I should point out at this stage that these are my opinions alone, and are based on my interpretation of the debate, not on any in depth knowledge of the debaters or personal interactions with said individuals… I think that covers my arse sufficiently!
Nick Clegg
This is a man that wow’d the nation in the pre-general election leaders debate… A man so adept at Mass Debating, he could have won the General Election had the vote been done X-Factor style during the shows. We can expect great things then, right?
So how did he come across as a disconnected career politician with five bullet points he had to stretch out over an hour? He didn’t answer the questions, he didn’t exude trustworthiness, and he seemed to be flapping under the pressure of Farage’s Barrage!
Nigel Garage
Many had mocked Nick Clegg for taking on Nigel, a man that can think on his feet and Mass Debate with the best of them… A brave man would take him on, so we should expect to see great things from him, right?
So how did he pull off smug, punchable, incurable p….lonker? The papers say he’s the kind of bloke you’d want to go to the pub with, but all I’d want to do in that situation is bottle him. His forced laugh was infuriating, his comments seemed desperate and unresearched, his Debating style was basically rude… And worst of all, from a guy that denigrates career politicians for not giving a straight answer, he avoided the questions as much as Nick!
So what was the take away message? Four leaders were invited, two couldn’t be bothered and the other two can’t be trusted!
What hope have we got when this is the best we can do… Let us never mock George Dubya again, what we have is no better!
Something needs to change, and fast!
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