UKPolitics.com
Friday August 10th 2018
First Televised Debate round-up
It was a curious sight. Eight party leaders lined up on stage in Manchester. Two where women, including the Leader of the opposition. It was a debate which now symbolizes the fact the United Kingdom in 2018 is in a multi-party political world. All those on stage where MP'S apart from Green Leader Patrick Rackett, although Hamish Galloway faces a tough fight to hold onto his Glasgow Seat won at the 2014 by-election following his defection from Labour. They all had equal billing with the Prime-Minister, Leader of the Opposition and the Leader of the Liberal Democrats.
Richard Samuels performed as well expected, he was competent, smart and at times funny, his interruption of Andrea Benn on a question on the NHS was superb "I think I can her answer for her, it's Labour's NHS, and it's under threat by evil Tory cuts". It was a clever way of using Labour's attacks on the Conservatives on the NHS to his advantage, and showing labour always says the same thing when in opposition. The Prime-Minister plays the likable but doddery Uncle persona, and he carries it off to a tee, but underneath all that, this is a guy that has overcome his sexuality, served under Mrs Thatcher, been Deputy-Prime Minister, as well as Home Secretary and Foreign Secretary, and Shadow Chancellor, he oozes command of the issues, he looks and sounds like a Prime-Minister should do.
Andrea Benn despite being ambushed by Samuels on the NHS had some good lines, even if they where clearly heavily scripted and rehearsed but she delivered them well. She is the opposite of Samuels, who loves the general broad policy strokes, whilst Benn loves policy in detail, her answer and attack on the Conservative policy which is likely to be included in the Manifesto when it is launched on Monday of the DWP "subcontracting Benefit payments" to the County Councils and the Country Governors was handled well and with detail, if just a little boring.
Robert Richardson for the Liberal Democrats said the new House of Commons needed as many of his MP's as possible as to put a break on both parties saying the 2011 & 2013 Conservative landslides had been "bad for good government", while defence of the European Union and the UK remaining in it was passionate.
Robert Webster for the NPP was the most natural despite being an MP since 2011, the debate and it's status is something he has craved for over twenty years and which until now has been denied to him. He has been helped by the collapse of the National Democrats, but he did well with his "you all laughed at me, said I was a scaremonger when I brought up immigration in 2004, I was racist when I spoke about the threat of Islamic extremism, and was a "Little Englander", when I spoke out against the European Union and the threat of a super state, well I speak for the ordinary people up and down this great country who are tired of being told by the political class what is best for them, those people now have a voice".
The most extraordinary moment of the debate was the exchange between Webster and Galloway. The two men clearly despise each other with a passion, and when Galloway accused Webster of "hating immigrants and everyone who wasn't white" adding "you are a pound shop racist", Webster struck back "hate you say, the only person here tonight that uses that word on a regular basis is you. It's "Hate the Tories, Hate Labour, Hate the Monarchy, Hate the Bankers, Hate the bosses, Hate the Jews, as for being a fascist the only person that uses fascist language is you".
For Patrick Rackett, Karen Kilgore & Llewellyn Rees-Jones they didn't get much of say other than mostly the same thing that it's "Tory Cuts" that have created as Kilgore put it a "false economy".
There was no knock-out blow, but Robert Webster is now a serious player, his party are ahead of the Liberal Democrats in the polls and his performance last night did not harm his hopes of becoming the third party in the House of Commons after the election.The result of the election does not seem in any real doubt, Labour has far two much ground to make up in terms of seats to have any hope of winning this time, all Benn can do is hope Labour can get into the lean of the Conservative majority and reduce it down as far as she can, whilst the other question is can the NPP make the real breakthrough they have been after, and outperform both the Liberal Democrats in terms of the popular vote and seats in the new House of Commons.
Friday August 10th 2018
First Televised Debate round-up
It was a curious sight. Eight party leaders lined up on stage in Manchester. Two where women, including the Leader of the opposition. It was a debate which now symbolizes the fact the United Kingdom in 2018 is in a multi-party political world. All those on stage where MP'S apart from Green Leader Patrick Rackett, although Hamish Galloway faces a tough fight to hold onto his Glasgow Seat won at the 2014 by-election following his defection from Labour. They all had equal billing with the Prime-Minister, Leader of the Opposition and the Leader of the Liberal Democrats.
Richard Samuels performed as well expected, he was competent, smart and at times funny, his interruption of Andrea Benn on a question on the NHS was superb "I think I can her answer for her, it's Labour's NHS, and it's under threat by evil Tory cuts". It was a clever way of using Labour's attacks on the Conservatives on the NHS to his advantage, and showing labour always says the same thing when in opposition. The Prime-Minister plays the likable but doddery Uncle persona, and he carries it off to a tee, but underneath all that, this is a guy that has overcome his sexuality, served under Mrs Thatcher, been Deputy-Prime Minister, as well as Home Secretary and Foreign Secretary, and Shadow Chancellor, he oozes command of the issues, he looks and sounds like a Prime-Minister should do.
Andrea Benn despite being ambushed by Samuels on the NHS had some good lines, even if they where clearly heavily scripted and rehearsed but she delivered them well. She is the opposite of Samuels, who loves the general broad policy strokes, whilst Benn loves policy in detail, her answer and attack on the Conservative policy which is likely to be included in the Manifesto when it is launched on Monday of the DWP "subcontracting Benefit payments" to the County Councils and the Country Governors was handled well and with detail, if just a little boring.
Robert Richardson for the Liberal Democrats said the new House of Commons needed as many of his MP's as possible as to put a break on both parties saying the 2011 & 2013 Conservative landslides had been "bad for good government", while defence of the European Union and the UK remaining in it was passionate.
Robert Webster for the NPP was the most natural despite being an MP since 2011, the debate and it's status is something he has craved for over twenty years and which until now has been denied to him. He has been helped by the collapse of the National Democrats, but he did well with his "you all laughed at me, said I was a scaremonger when I brought up immigration in 2004, I was racist when I spoke about the threat of Islamic extremism, and was a "Little Englander", when I spoke out against the European Union and the threat of a super state, well I speak for the ordinary people up and down this great country who are tired of being told by the political class what is best for them, those people now have a voice".
The most extraordinary moment of the debate was the exchange between Webster and Galloway. The two men clearly despise each other with a passion, and when Galloway accused Webster of "hating immigrants and everyone who wasn't white" adding "you are a pound shop racist", Webster struck back "hate you say, the only person here tonight that uses that word on a regular basis is you. It's "Hate the Tories, Hate Labour, Hate the Monarchy, Hate the Bankers, Hate the bosses, Hate the Jews, as for being a fascist the only person that uses fascist language is you".
For Patrick Rackett, Karen Kilgore & Llewellyn Rees-Jones they didn't get much of say other than mostly the same thing that it's "Tory Cuts" that have created as Kilgore put it a "false economy".
There was no knock-out blow, but Robert Webster is now a serious player, his party are ahead of the Liberal Democrats in the polls and his performance last night did not harm his hopes of becoming the third party in the House of Commons after the election.The result of the election does not seem in any real doubt, Labour has far two much ground to make up in terms of seats to have any hope of winning this time, all Benn can do is hope Labour can get into the lean of the Conservative majority and reduce it down as far as she can, whilst the other question is can the NPP make the real breakthrough they have been after, and outperform both the Liberal Democrats in terms of the popular vote and seats in the new House of Commons.
Last edited: