2010: My reflection on the big stories

WE MAY be five days already into the new year and whilst 2011 offers most the chance of a fresh start, the year 2010 gave us some dramatic stories in one of the most spectacular years of recent modern times.  Here are my own personal reflections of ten of the top stories that made the headlines last year.

The Chilean miners’ miracle

For me, the story of the year was the miraculous rescue of the Chilean miners.  When the 33 miners were first reported missing on August 6, there seemed to be little hope of survival.  However, they sent messages at the end of the month which confirmed they were still alive, and on one emotional October day, the 33 men were bought to surface for the first time since the mine they were working on collapsed.  Mining is a dangerous business, as was tragically shown by the events in New Zealand at the end of the year, but this was the miracle of all miracles.  All the miners seem to be relatively uninjured, despite being underground for over two months and now are experiencing fame for the outcome.  The whole rescue was amazing and gave me such a positive vibe, to have a happy story dominate the headlines, rather than the usual depressing gloom of political strife or our brave soldiers perishing in conflicts abroad.

Haiti’s devastating earthquake

In the late hours of Tuesday January 12, the lives of thousands of people in Haiti changed forever, when a devastating earthquake hit the country.  Measuring 7.0 on the Richter scale, it bought scenes of tragedy, carnage and devastation to a nation already suffering as one of the poorest in the world.  With the cholera outbreak at the end of the year, the people of Haiti will want to forget 2010 in a hurry.  If you weren’t moved by this story, then you have serious mental issues!  The pictures on the news shook me up totally.  Seeing the stories of broken families, tales of staggering survival brought tears to my eyes.  The aid appeal was unbelievable, something not seen around for over 25 years.  I donated some of my own money and it makes you stop and think ‘How lucky we are,’ when others are so less fortunate.

 

The General Election

DEBATE: The leadership televised contests were intriguing

Traditionally, the General Election has been nothing more than a damp squib, certainly in my generation.  It was so different in 2010, with a stuttering Gordon Brown, a confident David Cameron and the underdog, Nick Clegg all fighting for supremacy.  The televised leadership debates put a new dimension on the election campaign and when Brown uttered his ‘bigoted woman’ comment after a confrontation with Gillian Duffy in Rochdale, his fate was sealed.  A ‘hung parliament’ for the first time since the 1970’s put the country on tenterhooks.  Eventually, Brown did the dignified thing and stepped down and a new coalition government was formed, with Cameron at the head of it.  The election campaign was spectacular and 2010 was the most interesting race for a long time.  Even though I’m not a politics fan, it was a great campaign and I enjoyed every minute of it. 

England’s superstars flop in South Africa

FLOP: Gerrard was one of many to under-perform in South Africa

The World Cup went to Africa for the first time ever last summer, and whilst the ‘vuvuzela’ took a lot of the colourful atmosphere, England’s failure to perform was maybe not a total surprise, but certainly, an unexpected shock.  Once Robert Green made his catastrophic mistake against the United States in Rustenberg, England’s campaign went downhill from there.  Fabio Capello failed to manage the players, former captain John Terry led a player rebellion which went nowhere and Wayne Rooney’s lack of performance was startling.  Forget the ‘goal’ in Bloemfontein against the younger and stronger German side; we still would have lost the game anyway.  England arrived in South Africa full of pride of confidence.  When they left, that had turned into shattered dreams of epic failure.  It was a crushing disappointment and made me ashamed to support the national team, so much so, I’m not interested in their Euro 2012 campaign.  The superstars flopped in spectacular fashion.

Cheryl Cole’s miserable year

If any celebrity had the worst year in 2010, it had to be Cheryl Cole.  The Girls Aloud singer and X-Factor judge broke up from Chelsea footballer Ashley Cole, after allegations of Ashley sleeping around with women were published in the tabloids again.  In the summer, a mosquito bite she picked up whilst on holiday with good friend Derek Hough in Tanzania led to Cheryl picking up a deadly case of malaria.  She was close to death, but pulled through and began work on the X-Factor.  Her judging decisions in not selecting Gamu Nhengu for the final stages and for not choosing between her acts Treyc Cohen and Katie Waissel during a live elimination also led to a barrage of criticism in her direction.  For me, Cheryl is the nation’s sweetheart and she had no choice to end her marriage and the malaria was a real shock to many in general.  She didn’t have the greatest X-Factor ever, but I’m confident that Cheryl will be back to her best this year.

Tragic mass shootings in Cumbria

The tragic mass shootings in Cumbria bought a community together and placed a nation into grieving shock.  The actions of taxi driver Derrick Bird were despicable and left twelve innocent people dead and twenty-five seriously wounded.  Whitehaven may be able to recover in the future, but it will sadly have a place in the history books for being Britain’s biggest massacre since the Dunblane tragedy of 1996.  Like everyone else, thoughts were with the friends and family of the dead and I was at a loss to sum it all up.

Volcanic ash cloud

Air travel was left in shutdown mode by the massive volcanic eruption in Iceland.  Large amounts of ash were thrown into the skyline, which left many passengers stranded across airports in Europe for safety reasons.  Organisation could have been improved, but what can you do when Mother Nature decides to take control?  It was a unique event, as I can’t remember a time when air travel had completely been shut for this kind of reason and for those close to the volcano, made for a lovely picture sight.  

The travel chaos & the BA cabin crew strikes

TOUGH: It was a year to forget for the travel industry.

The Icelandic volcanic eruption added to the troubles for the travel industry, which endured a bleak 2010.  Chaos by snow in the UK throughout January and December created misery for many and the British Airways cabin crew strikes of the spring were to me, seen as poor, unnecessary and silly.  BA’s fortunes recovered slightly in the second half of the year, but their reputation took some daft knocks at the start of the year.

The hunt for Raoul Moat

Less than a month after the Cumbria shootings, news headlines were dominated by more shootings, this time the hunt of Raoul Moat.  Moat was released from prison after an 18-week sentence and ended up shooting his ex-girlfriend, killed her new lover and blinded an innocent police officer.  After a tense six hour stand-off with police in Rothbury on Friday July 9, Moat shot himself dead, bringing an unsavoury conclusion to a drama that gripped the nation.  My feelings were of a mixed feeling.  Moat’s actions can’t be condoned and the police were placed in a very difficult position when it came to the final stand-off.

Tuition fees violence

UNSAVOURY: The tuition fees violence bought dark days back

The decision to raise tuition fees at University for upto £9,000 a year from 2012 onwards was a drastic measure by the coalition government, and bought scenes of violence in the capital that hadn’t been seen since the Poll Tax Riots of 1990.  The actions of those who decided just to destroy things, such as smash windows in the Treasury, throw a fire extinguisher off Tory HQ and attack the car of the Prince of Wales bought the good name in ‘student’ down.  However, Nick Clegg’s u-turn couldn’t be ignored and he was a deserved target for students who felt that their promises had been broken and vote in the election wasted.  Although the rise has gone through in both the House of Commons and House of Lords, there are many unhappy with the situation and I don’t predict an end to the unsavoury scenes we saw in the final two months of 2010.

2010: A year in politics

CHANGING times in politics and 2010 has been a very busy and chaotic year.  Demonstrations, recriminations, ramifications, blunders – it has had as much drama as a typical episode of Holby City.  A new coalition government, a new era or the same old story for some, this year has been the most dramatic in politics for some time.

DOOMED: Darling's budget bought grim news

It all began in January when Geoffrey Hoon and Patricia Hewitt tried to start a rebellion to usurp Gordon Brown from his position as leader of the Labour party.  This failed miserably, but it summed up the frustrations of some within the Labour government.  They were convinced that they were going to lose the General Election.  The bad press continued as three Labour MP’s were charged over their use of expenses from the devastating political scandal that ripped through the system in 2009.  Alistair Darling’s final budget as Chancellor of the Exchequer in March bought the predictable grim news that we were all fearing.  However, these fears would be briefly replaced by a sense of election fever.

TWIST: The leadership debates bought more intrigue

Gordon Brown, David Cameron and Nick Clegg went onto the campaign trail across the country.  Power swayed between the three political parties, which included live televised leadership debates.  Held on ITV, Sky and BBC for three consecutive Thursdays in April, the debates sparked a new form of interest to many, especially as these were held in primetime form.  Brown’s chances of staying in Downing Street took a significant blow, when he had a fateful meeting on immigration with long-time Labour supporter Gillian Duffy in Rochdale.  “That was a disaster, everything; she’s some sort of bigoted woman that said she used to be Labour. I mean it’s just ridiculous.”

FISTCUFFS: Adam Boulton vs Alistair Campbell live on Sky

Whilst UKIP leader Nigel Farage was lucky to escape with his life, after a plane crash in a final bid for campaigning votes on Election Day, the election went through with minimal fuss.  The country spoke and a ‘hung parliament’ was the outcome.  The Conservatives won the most amounts of seats, but not the magical number needed for a majority.  Coalition negotiations began between the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats, whilst Brown sat and waited in No.10, hoping for a miracle to survive.  To keep the election headlines going, Sky News political editor Adam Boulton and ex-Labour spin doctor Alistair Campbell had a near punch-up live on Sky’s Live at Five. 

On May 10, Brown announced he was stepping down as leader of the Labour party.  24 hours later, he decided to quit Downing Street.  As he walked away with wife Sarah and their two children, Brown’s final graceful words were; “As I leave the second most important job I hold, I cherish more the first I have, as a husband and father.  Thank you and goodbye.”

A few hours later, David Cameron rolled into Downing Street with wife Samantha to take the role as Prime Minister.  Nick Clegg took the Deputy Leader role and speculation began on his appointment; would it seem like a bad romance or a match made in heaven. . .

JOY: David Cameron cradles his new bundle of joy

Later that month, David Laws resigned from the new cabinet after claiming expenses to pay rent for his partner.  George Osbourne, the new chancellor delivered an emergency budget in June, stating; “This helps deal the country with its growing massive debts.”  “It pays for the past and plans for the future.”

The summer went past a little quieter, but for the Prime Minister, it bought a mixture of celebration and tragedy.  His father passed away after illness, but David Cameron’s wife Samantha gave birth to a beautiful baby girl whilst on a family holiday.  Florence Rose Endellion Cameron was born into the world at the Royal Cornwall Hospital. 

COMPETITION: Ed beat David to Labour leadership power

In September, Ed Miliband beat stiff competition from Ed Balls, Andy Burnham, Diane Abbott and crucially, his brother David, to leadership of the Labour party at its annual conference in Manchester.  Ed got the nod, as he was backed significantly by the trade unions.  Four days later, David Miliband elected to quit frontline politics to spend more time with his family... 

As the clocks changed, times changed for the coalition government too.  With Ireland in trouble financially, George Osbourne agreed to lend them a massive bailout.  The figure of £7billion was stupid, to help ‘a friend in need.’  Ugly demonstrations soon followed, when MP’s recently decided to increase University tuition fees.  Scenes in London not seen for twenty years horrified many, but bought the popularity of the government significantly down.

2010 has had a load of interesting political stories, far more happened than in the ‘boring’ old days of the 90’s.  Will 2011 bring even more?  What can be said is that 2010’s year in politics will never be forgotten.

Blair Publishes His 'Journey'

Former Prime Minister Tony Blair has published his memoirs, and the book called ‘A Journey’ will make grim reading for his predecessor Gordon Brown.

Mr. Blair claims that his old ally, put him under “relentless personal pressure” and under his guidance, he was always convinced that the Labour party would lose May’s General Election.

Also in his memoirs, Blair, who has been out of UK politics spotlight since stepping down in June 2007 said that he did not regret going into war in Iraq in 2003, and also opens up about his feelings on the death of Diana, Princess of Wales in 1997 and a surprising omission regarding a drinking problem when under scrutiny.

‘A Journey’ is well on course to become a bestseller and most bookshops are selling the book at half-price, with Waterstones already coming out in saying that Blair’s book is the fastest-selling autobiography of all time.  All proceeds from the book will be donated to the Royal British Legion, in aid of the injured troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.  It is a must-read and I am for one looking forward to reading a detailed extract from a man at the top of his power for thirteen years.  

To many, Tony Blair will be seen as a controversial man, one who made some damming errors of judgement in his time in office.  However, his legacy shouldn’t be forgotten.  He built up New Labour and put the country back into some form of security and strength after years of doomed Conservative government. 

Blair’s book, ‘A Journey,’ is now available at www.amazon.co.uk for £12.50.

2010 General Election Results - Hung Parliament Is The Outcome, What Happens Now?

   

So, the country (or most of it) has had its say and it is quite clear from the results that Britain wants change.  Although he failed to get the magic number of 326 seats in the House of Commons, the Conservative Party and David Cameron have the most seats and this lunchtime, Cameron is the favourite to form a government in the coming days.

With 294 seats so far, the Tories did very well last night, though not the landslide that everyone predicted at the start of the year.  Labour finished a confident 2^nd, but lost at least 80 MP’s last night, and looks set to relinquish power in the country, after thirteen turbulent years of British politics.  The main Labour men, including Deputy Leader Harriet Harman and Peter Mandelson, had hoped that Gordon Brown would be able to strike a deal with the Liberal Democrats, to form a strong government.  Those final hopes were dashed at 10.45am, when Nick Clegg returned to the Liberal Democrats headquarters and confirmed, he thinks the Conservative Party should have first choice in being able to form the government.  Clegg has firmly put the ball in Cameron’s court now, with the condition to change the electoral reform system, which has plagued Britain in this election.

For the Liberal Democrats, it was a very disappointing outcome.  Nick Clegg had hope for nearly a hundred seats in the new House of Commons.  Instead, they dropped at least ten seats short of what they did in 2005.  After all the promise from the three hotly-contested TV debates, their potential turned as flat as a giant pancake.  This morning, he admitted the disappointment, but is still confident of positive change for the future. 

Despite not gaining the majority he was looking for, David Cameron seemed fairly satisfied with the result.  At 2.30pm today, he will release a statement to the media, with his plans of how to form a government.  The keys to No.10 are getting ever closer, and if he can work together with Clegg, by making some minor changes to his manifesto, for the best of the country, this ‘Hung Parliament’ combination might not be so bad.  However, with no overall winner, the chances of a five-year term look increasingly unlikely.

Gordon Brown has returned to Downing Street and as things stand, he is still Prime Minister.  However, he has released a statement suggested “he is open for discussion for civil parties to form a government, for the good of the country.”  Most people in Westminster seem to think that Brown has to step down today for the best of the UK.  I would agree with these suggestions, I struggle to see how Gordon can survive now, because although Labour figureheads will deny it, it was a bad night last night.  Although they prevented a landslide that hit the Tories in 1997, they lost a lot of seats, especially in the East Anglia region, with the Tories snatching Ipswich, Colchester, Northampton and Milton Keynes from long-standing Labour leaders.  I’m afraid Brown’s time is up, and the sooner he calls the removal van from Downing Street, the better for the country’s stability and its future.

The Green Party won a historic seat in Brighton, their first ever in the House of Commons and other significant figures that lost seats last night include former Education Secretary Charles Clarke, beaten in Norwich by the Liberal Democrats and the ex-Home Secretary Jacqui Smith, overcome by the Conservatives in Redditch, after thirteen successful years.  Ed Balls held onto his seat, denying the media a ‘Michael Portillo 1997’ moment.  He then went onto accuse Sky News of patriotism bias throughout the election campaign, much to the chagrin of its political Journalist, Adam Boulton, who looked flabbergasted by Ed’s outburst.

It means that we have our first Hung Parliament since 1974, and it is probably not what Britain needed, especially as we are still dealing with the fall-out from the crippling worldwide recession.  The question is now, can we cope with this scenario.  If the parties bang their head together, we might be able to limit the damage.  What I can say for sure, is that the future is very unpredictable for the country, anything is possible….anything.

General Election 2010: Four Weeks of Crazy Campaigning

      

On Tuesday 6^th April 2010, the worst secret in politics was revealed, when the Prime Minister emerged out of No.10 Downing Street, flanked by his closest allies.  Gordon Brown confirmed what we had all predicted, the 2010 General Election would be held on Thursday May 6^th.  Nobody could have predicted the amazing twists and turns that have followed since that sunny, Tuesday morning.  As polling day approaches, it is interesting to lookback at the moments that have made this General Election the closest battle since 1992. 

The early sparring was between the two heavyweights of the political spectrum, Gordon Brown, and the Conservative leader David Cameron.  As the battle lines were drawn, it was Cameron who held a significant advantage in the early forecast polls.  Meanwhile, Brown was failing to deliver on his initial promise of interacting with the people across the UK.  An angry father proved this as early as day two in ‘Campaign 2010,’ when he approached Mr. Brown about why his son couldn’t get into his preferred primary school.  Gordon walked past him and ignored him, without a care in the world, to which the father response was ‘Joke!’  If David Cameron thought that he had the election under control, an historic event turned politics on its head just one week later.

On Thursday 15^th April, at Manchester’s Granada Studios, Alistair Stewart hosted the first ever live TV election debate between the three main party leaders.  The 90-minute debate, broadcast live on ITV1, saw a resounding victory for the Liberal Democrats leader Nick Clegg.  Cameron’s underperformance on that night might well cost him the keys to Downing Street.  On the Liberal Democrats Twitter homepage, they posted the following tweet: “Vote for real change, not fake change,” straight after the debate.  All of a sudden, Clegg was on a crest of wave and the YouGov, Sky News and ITN polls soon had him surging ahead of Brown and into second place.  Former Liberal Democrat leader Paddy Ashdown was convinced that the tide was turning: “I think last night potentially was a game change."  Labour was suffering and soon, they were under attack from natural forces.

The volcanic eruption in Iceland on the same day of the first election debate caused havoc for travellers, as air travel was grounded for the best part of five days.  The ramifications are still being felt across the globe today with Cameron and Clegg strongly criticising Labour’s handling of the travel chaos.  The focus of attention seemed to be on their slow response to the crisis and the decision to ground all air travel for so long.  Once again, this disaster would hurt Labour in the polls.  Could the second live election debate turns things back in their favour?

Realising that the tide was swinging away from him, Gordon Brown urged Nick Clegg to join forces to keep the Tories out of No.10.  Clegg’s response was that Brown is “a desperate politician.”  In the Sky News Leaders Debate on April 22^nd, the results weren’t as clear cut, although many experts believed that Clegg edged the contest again, despite having to endure Adam Boulton’s question on his private expenses, which had made that day’s front page of The Daily Telegraph.  Conservative Shadow Chancellor William Hague said on Twitter – “David Cameron has done really well tonight, explaining his positions with great clarity and conviction and taking no nonsense from the rest.”  Despite this, the Tories needed another surge and last Wednesday, it came in the shape of Gillian Duffy, a long-time Labour supporter.

Following a seemingly pleasant conversation with Duffy in Rochdale, Gordon Brown forgot his Sky News microphone remained on as he was driven away, and his damming comment left him embarrassed and humiliated.  “Everything, she’s just a bigoted woman that said she used to be Labour, I mean, it’s just ridiculous.” An apology swiftly followed, but with egg on his face, followed by another dismal performance in the BBC Election Debate on April 29th, it meant that the possibility of a Labour majority in the polls had been well and truly extinguished. 

So, tomorrow, the nation decides who should be in power for the next five years.  This General Election campaign has swung back and forth and as the political parties head into the finishing straight, it is still too close to forecast the final outcome.  As Nick Clegg has said already – “The cross you put on the ballot paper is small, but what you are doing is big."  It is now for us to decide.

Gordon Gaff Might Well Have Blown It For Brown

Apart from close neighbours, no-one would have heard about Gillian Duffy until yesterday, when an exchange with views saw Labour’s General Election campaign blow up in spectacular fashion.  Who would have thought that going off to the shop to buy a loaf of bread would cause such a political storm.

Gordon Brown was campaigning in Rochdale yesterday, desperate to turn around Labour’s fortunes in the polls, which have taken a significant hit from a campaign that has lacked inspiration throughout.  He and Duffy ended up in conversation on the street for around five minutes, through the advice of Brown’s PA, who discovered that Duffy was a long-standing supporter of the Labour party.  It seemed fairly pleasant, with Gordon defending the party’s policies and Duffy, pointing out their failings, including the hotly-debated subject of Eastern European immigrants.  They parted on good terms, but as Gordon Brown disappeared into the back of his car, he had forgot to turn off a microphone, contributed by Sky News for the campaign trail.  The next discussion was a blunder of the first magnitude.

Brown: “That was a disaster!” “Well, they should never have put me with that woman, whose idea was that?”

PA: “I don’t know, I didn’t see.”

Brown: “It was Sue I think, it’s just ridiculous.”

PA: “What did she say?

Brown: “EVERYTHING, SHE’S JUST SOME SORT OF BIGOTED WOMAN, THAT SAID SHE USED TO BE LABOUR.  I MEAN IT’S JUST RIDICULOUS”

He isn’t the first to have been caught out by the microphone.  In 1993, after a TV interview with ITN, John Major called his Cabinet colleagues “b######s”, promising to “crucify them,” whilst the likes of Ronald Reagan, George Bush and Prince Charles have also been embarrassed by the power of the clip-on mic.  With tonight’s leadership debate on the BBC focused on the economy, this was the worst possible time for Brown to produce such a horrendous moment of judgement.  His next appointment, on the Jeremy Vine Show for BBC Radio 2 showed his complete guilt.

Rather than continue fully with the trail in Manchester, Brown returned to the scene of his crime, to apologise to Gillian Duffy for his ‘slip of the tongue.’  He came out infront of the cameras, beaming with smiles, saying all was forgiven and forgotten.  However, the latest polls may pull out a different scenario.  The world’s media were obsessed yesterday with another twist that has turned this General Election campaign on its head.  With seven days to go, Gordon Brown has dug himself into a major hole and it might be too late to dig him out of it.  Yesterday, these private recriminations expose the Prime Minister to public humiliation.  He has a massive fight on his hands now, to restore the reputation of himself and his beleaguered party.  A resounding victory in tonight’s debate is the only ways forward.

The Sky News Leaders Debate - Back In The Balance

Last night, the race tightened and got even more interesting in the battle to become the UK’s next Prime Minister.  The second of the hotly anticipated televised leadership debates in Bristol, fronted by Sky News and its highly-respected political journalist Adam Boulton showed no clear cut winner, and put everything firmly back in the balance.

Following his overwhelming success with many in the ITV debate the previous Thursday, Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg has been on a crest wave, even attracting a popular Facebook group, with similar implications to the Rage against the Machine campaign to Christmas No.1 last year.  Was this the night when Clegg’s bubble was going to burst?  Well, it seems like the Liberal Democrats are happy with his performance, though I must admit; I thought he was the weakest out of the three leaders.  By being in the middle of the stage, the pressure was firmly fixated on him and he lacked conviction when coming across with his answers.  The most damming response was when Boulton asked him a simple question about his appearance on yesterday’s Daily Telegraph, in regard to donor money being paid into his personal bank account.  It was an awkward response; “Yes, it is absolute nonsense, but moving away from that.”  It certainly looked like he had something to hide.

David Cameron, the Conservative leader was expected to get the most out of these debates, and last week, he struggled to make an impact.  Last night, he was back to his usual self, and didn’t hold back, like he had seven days earlier.  Cameron looked far more confident and fluent and wasn’t afraid in going on the attack.  His annoyance with Clegg’s stance on MP expenses was impressive and he really was made irate by Labour’s Gordon Brown, urging him to withdraw some posters, slamming the Tories policies for the elderly, such as the removal of free bus passes, eye tests and prescriptions.  Though Cameron admitted live that all of those policies will stay, he clearly was very angry with the leaflet campaign, using the word ‘lies’ against the Labour party.  This was a very strong word to use and I did feel that was unnecessary.  On the closing speeches, he attacked Labour again, saying that Brown’s closing speech to the debate “sounded desperate, in a bid to frighten people.” 

The 90-minute debate, based initially on International Affairs, then on other questions for the audience, was bound to be a grilling for Gordon Brown.  Nevertheless, he can be fairly satisfied with the performance he gave.  He seemed far more punchy and convincing than in the inaugural debate, and not as mundane or pedestrian.  The very commanding approach paid off in some areas, and he was not frightened to go on the attack, slamming Clegg’s ‘anti-American policies’ and the ‘nuclear weapons ignoring’ policy, a real danger with Iran and North Korea still a major threat in the nuclear society.  He told Clegg to “get real, get real,” with that, showing he wasn’t frightened to dish it out, as well as take it.  He highlighted the Tories manifesto to not have the free eye test/prescription, which was very brave, but maybe not give the result he was looking for on that area, following Cameron’s insult back.  However, if Gordon wants to win the commanding votes, he needs to get out there and promote his face further.  Some Labour insiders think the campaign is lacklustre at the moment, and needs a big lift, so he still has the most work to do, in efforts to convince the voters. 

Adam Boulton did an outstanding job last night in chairing the debate, unlike Alistair Stewart who lost control of the debate and probably the occasion, the previous Thursday.  He allowed the debate to flow and as a result, it was a far better watch.  According to ITN’s poll results straight afterwards, Clegg won the debate, with 33%, far lesser than last week’s margin, yet still a victory.  Both Cameron and Brown were tied on 30%.  This seemed to be more of a common debate at Prime Minister’s Questions; the nerves weren’t as bad from anyone from the previous week.

With less than two weeks to go until we go to the polls, it couldn’t be any closer to call.  Nick Clegg was less fresh last night and was missing the bold attitude that came across during the first debate.  David Cameron can reflect on a much more polished performance, but is still looking for a major breakthrough if he wants a majority government.  Gordon Brown did far better than expected last night, and can take a lot of satisfaction from this.  I would give Cameron the edge in round two of the debates, but it is still too close to call and the BBC’s debate next week now has much more significance.  The General Election 2010 is firmly back in the balance.   

The First Election Debate - The Jury Is Out...

Last night, television history was made, when at the Granada Studios in Manchester, the first ever General Election live debate between the three main leaders of the Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrat parties took place.  Sharp exchanges on hot topics such as immigration, crime and MP expenses were the main headlines, as Nick Clegg, Gordon Brown and David Cameron went toe-to-toe on the home affairs and policies that dominated their manifestos earlier this week.

At the beginning of the debate, all three leaders looked petrified, as if they had just seen a hideous ghost.  Their opening intros seemed more akin to the 90’s show, Blind Date, not an electoral debate.  However, as the debate went on, the sparring began. 

Having recorded the debate and watched it this morning, the clear winner was the Liberal Democrats leader, Nick Clegg.  Clegg was excellent throughout.  His intro was based on ‘there is an alternative,’ for us, whereas his rivals focused on a certain policy.  He was always talking to the camera and he looked very relaxed and totally professional at work.  He definitely seemed to gain the most out of this first debate, as proven by the instant reaction from ITV News after the debate. 

A sample from over 4,000 people, a TV first showed that Clegg got 43% of the vote for Which party leader do you think won the debate?  That was an overwhelming margin, compared to David Cameron, who was second with 26%.  For Cameron, last night was not his best night.  A people’s person, he seemed a bit lacklustre and though his points on immigration and getting discipline back into our education system were very worthy, he seemed to be holding something back.  The outcome of these polled results certainly suggests this.

This was never going to be Gordon Brown’s strongest area, but he will need to do a lot better if he is going to win another five years at No. 10 Downing Street.  Brown urged us to stick by him, saying ‘We’ve got to get this economy moving forward again.’  However, his defence of the immigration issue, the reliance he seemed to be holding towards Clegg was noticeable and whereas David Cameron’s body language did look strong at times, Brown looked in comparison, very weak.  His determination to stick by the National Insurance tax proposal, plus the need to spend ourselves out of recession drew a lot of criticism from his main opponent.  Cameron responded by saying: ‘Gordon is effectively saying, I want to waste more money, and then put up your taxes later.’  Finally, his jokey attitude towards some posters that the Tories have put up of him, with a smile on his face did not work at all.  Wise words Gordon, humour will not win you this election.

Chairing this debate was the former London Tonight anchorman, Alistair Stewart.  At best, his performance was very mediocre, pretty poor to be honest.  Stewart struggled to show the authority needed to chair a hotly-contested debate like this and at times, looked like he was going to lose control of the situation.  I’d expect Adam Boulton and David Dimbelby to put in better performances when chairing Sky and BBC’s debates in the next fortnight.

An average of 9.4million watched ITV’s coverage of the 90-minute show between 8.30pm and 10pm, peaking at 10million in places, with no commercial breaks for advertisements, a speciality for ITV it must be said.  Clegg may have been the bookies favourite, but in a way, the pressure is now on him to deliver next time on Sky News, to prove that his excellent performance was not a fluke.  The latest poll from The Times suggests that David Cameron has increased his lead to six points, 37% to Brown’s 31% and Clegg’s 21%.  However, that’s still no way near enough to win a majority at an election looming, just three weeks later.

At times, this debate felt a bit sterile, lacking some of the drama I had been expecting.  Everything remains in the balance and the jury is still out, especially on the undecided voters.  However, round one certainly belonged to Nick Clegg and it has blown the race to Downing Street wide open now…

The General Election - The Race Is On!

      

So, quite possibly the worse kept secret in UK politics is out.  Gordon Brown did his duty today and gave us the expected date we were waiting for.  Thursday 6^th May will be the day when the 2010 General Election takes place, the day when we visit the polls, the day when we get our say to decide whether we want change or continuity.

This is shaping up to be the closest General Election since 1992, certainly for many, the closest in generations.  Voting figures have lowered over the last three elections, largely following Tony Blair’s landslide victory in 1997, followed by years of continuous dominance from the Labour party, whilst the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats went through lean periods of decline and obscurity.  Now, things have closed up, meaning the possible majority of a Home Parliament should shake the fear into anyone.  For this country to move forward, following the dark days of the recession and MP’s expenses, it is essential we end up with a majority parliament.

Since inheriting power from Blair, when he decided to walk in 2007, Gordon Brown has had a rough and rocky ride for sure.  There are many judgements that have been made, many more that can be made.  However, he is sure to do his damnest to keep Labour in Downing Street.  Consequently, with Labour trailing in most opinion polls by around ten points, his impact on the leadership debates, to be televised live by ITV, the BBC and Sky News could have a massive influence on the final outcome.  Labour’s campaign message is based firmly on the economy and the recovery that we are meant to be in.  They are determined that change will ruin the country completely, although whether that is the case is unknown.

Labour’s determination to increase the National Insurance tax has angered their rival parties and the Liberal Democrats are convinced that after sixty-five years of Tory and Labour government, they deserve a proper say in the country.  Nick Clegg certainly gives the party their best chance at a General Election for nearly twenty years.  He is the fresh, prompt face that the Liberals needed after the ageing Menzies Campbell.  Despite reports of coalition with the Tories, Clegg is determined to do things his own way, which is brave, but could well reap results for the Liberal Democrats at the polls.

Many believe that David Cameron is the man to lead Britain into this second decade.  Cameron is fresh, opinionated and strong-minded and has incentives and drive that may be missing from the Brown administration.  His impact on politics seems similar to Barack Obama over in America, but he is the man who is quite possibly under pressure the most.  The Conservative party are the slight favourites to inherit power from May 7^th onwards.  However, that doesn’t mean they will win, just ask Labour’s Neil Kinnock, who was the long-term favourite in 1992, yet was gazumped at the post by John Major. 

The campaign trail has already begun and for the next four weeks, the party leaders will travel the full width and breadth of the country in an effort to persuade voters that their vision is truly the way to go.  Attacking and defensive strategies are already being applied by the parties, keen to win key seats, unexpected and expected seats.  The battle lines have been drawn – let the race to May 6^th and Downing Street begin!