Who will be the Winner in Tonight's big political debate ?

[pastafarian]

Yawn, Fergus. And not very cunning, too. The fact that one person has said this means jack shit. I could find you some other one -- perhaps even a professor of oncology speaking to a parliamentary committee -- saying something very different, even contradictory, yet that wouldn't make it an important point.
Instead, there are figures, consistent figures, that indicate that immigrants contribute far more in taxes than they extract in benefits.

You also miss the fact that an increasing number of those working in the health system are immigrants. You also miss that the UK has an ageing population, requiring more healthcare, and a declining birthrate, thereby requiring an influx of workers to deal with the elderly in need of such healthcare.

Isnt "Health Tourism" a totally separate issue,and different from the whole immigration/taxes/benefits debate anyway?.It refers to a problem of people coming to the country specifically to get free health care,having never contributed to the system and with no intention of contributing either.Isnt that the "tourist" aspect of it?

 

[beorhthelm]

Isnt "Health Tourism" a totally separate issue,and different from the whole immigration/taxes/benefits debate anyway?.

of course it is, but some people dont seem to be able to seperate out immigration into a series of subtopics of themselves or other issues. they dont want to be seen to oppose immigration, therefore reject all arguments against. same applies across other issues, in order to show symapathy to a group of cause, they will support it in all shapes and forms, even when that is against their more core beliefs. rather than acknowledge conflicts exist and try to order them, there is an attempt to address everything equally and completly, ultimatly failing to address much at all or somtimes making things worse.

 

[Westdene Seagull]

Not read any comments on this thread yet and I'm currently still watching the debate on Player but ...... what the hell is Milliband on ? Stop waving your f**king hands around and stop that utterly pathetic 'turn to camera' pose. Utterly unnatural, clearly been 'trained' for media appearances. Even Natalie Bennett is performing better than Milliband.

 

[Mr Bridger]

Not read any comments on this thread yet and I'm currently still watching the debate on Player but ...... what the hell is Milliband on ? Stop waving your f**king hands around and stop that utterly pathetic 'turn to camera' pose. Utterly unnatural, clearly been 'trained' for media appearances. Even Natalie Bennett is performing better than Milliband.

Not only that, when the facts were coming out about labours previous mistakes and the camera panned back to him , he was just smirking and shaking his head like a teenager getting told off or in denial.
Where as when Cameron was getting flamed he took it on the chin and listened.

 

[Westdene Seagull]

Not only that, when the facts were coming out about labours previous mistakes and the camera panned back to him , he was just smirking and shaking his head like a teenager getting told off or in denial.
Where as when Cameron was getting flamed he took it on the chin and listened.

If he says one more time "the people at home" I'm going to go and ram the 'people at home' down his f**king throat !

 

[knocky1]

Who will come out on top tonight ?

Not necessarily who you would vote for

Great thread. Shame the usual gang of xenophobes and/or racists hijacked the post as they tend to do. Suppose it's too much to expect them to understand the original question.

 

[Westdene Seagull]

Great thread. Shame the usual gang of xenophobes and/or racists hijacked the post as they tend to do. Suppose it's too much to expect them to understand the original question.

I've not read the comments yet but Farage has performed well in the first 1.25 hours that I've watched. That said Clegg is probably ahead on points for me.

 

[Blue Valkyrie]

Not sure that debate has changed much.

The SNP will still win big in Scotland.

PC will probably do a bit better in Wales.

Clegg didn't do enough, but the LDs will retain more of their existing seats than their poll rating suggests.

The Greens will no doubt have picked up some votes from last night.

No positive change for Miliband, Cameron or Farage ( my opinion ).

 

[BadFish]

Our local surgery is closed to new patients as well, yet we don't have an exceptional rate of immigration.

Possibly both are just underfunded due to austerity measures......... Meanwhile sales in luxury yachts are rising steadily

 

[Justice]

1. Miliband -- to think that he was written off
2. Sturgeon -- she's articulate and gave a very distinctive message that wasn't partisan to the Scottish
3. Clegg -- he's good at this sort of thing
4. surprise, surprise Bennett -- really turned things around
5. Cameron -- wooden and hasn't got a message to give going forward
6. Farage -- oh dear Nigel, the bookies and NSC thought you'd win; how narrow, and missed his big moment, watch UKIP fall in the polls ... which is good news for Cameron
7. Wood -- just spoke to the Welsh, and didn't really do that terribly well

Overall, this wasn't a good night for the right. For once, there was an event in which there were more left-wing voices than those from the right and, all of a sudden, there's a different dominant narrative.

Listening to LBC this morning the majority seem to be loving Nigel and his one policy.

 

[Tom Bombadil]

From the Independent

After a two-hour debate on ITV involving seven party leaders, pollsters YouGov declared Nicola Sturgeon, the SNP leader, the victor with 28 per cent. Nigel Farage, the Ukip leader, came second on 20 per cent, ahead of Mr Cameron on 18 per cent. Ed Miliband was fourth on 15 per cent, followed by Mr Clegg (10 per cent), Natalie Bennett of the Greens (5 per cent) and Plaid Cymru’s Leanne Wood (4 per cent).

Other post-debate surveys produced a different verdict. ICM for The Guardian gave Mr Miliband a narrow win over Mr Cameron (by 25 to 24 per cent). But ComRes for ITV News made it a three-way tie between Mr Cameron, Mr Miliband and Mr Farage. A later poll by Survation put Cameron and Miliband joint first at 25 per cent, then Farage at 24 per cent, Surgeon at 15 per cent, Clegg at 6 per cent, Bennett at 3 per cent and Wood at 2 per cent.



That suggests to me that the debate hasnt changed a thing.

 

[Gwylan]

I've not read the comments yet but Farage has performed well in the first 1.25 hours that I've watched. That said Clegg is probably ahead on points for me.

I thought Clegg performed pretty well too but he scored badly according to all the polls I read. I thought Farage was worst than I expected to him to be, turning every question into a debate on immigration. One poll I saw had him as the best performer and the worst performer - you don't get any halfway house with him

 

[wellquickwoody]

Just started watching this right now.

I have got an agenda, I will openly admit that. I will hopefully be moving to Oz one day, I would not dare to think that my values should be imposed upon a country that chooses to ALLOW me to join them, nor do I think that I should be allowed to voice my opinions (based upon my life experience elsewhere) in a national TV debate by political leaders of my adopted home. If I choose to live in foreign lands I should be happy to adopt the political leanings/opinions of the people of that country, not seek to change what is the norm. For that reason, the Aussie Bennett can do one.

 

[Seagull on the wing]

Every answer Milliband gav,e started with...".I say to the people at home,when I'm Prime Minister"....was he coached by a parrot..

 

[supaseagull]

I voted for Farage - not because I would vote for him but because out of all the leaders he looked the most comfortable.

I thought Milliband looked the most Prime Minisitrial and I was impressed with Nicola Sturgeon.

Natalie Bennett, despite having valid points, should never be allowed to speak again and Clegg had the look of someone who was pleading against s death sentence.

Natalie Wood did ok, but I kept wondering why she was there and not the DUP.

Finally, Cameron looked scared, tired and out of his depth.

 

[dazzer6666]

If he says one more time "the people at home" I'm going to go and ram the 'people at home' down his f**king throat !

This, really got on my nerves along with 'pleading sad puppy' look to the camera. EVERY time he spoke. His media trainers need a shoeing (or he didn't do what they told him).

 

[Prince Monolulu]

I voted for Farage - not because I would vote for him but because out of all the leaders he looked the most comfortable.

I thought Milliband looked the most Prime Minisitrial and I was impressed with Nicola Sturgeon.

Natalie Bennett, despite having valid points, should never be allowed to speak again and Clegg had the look of someone who was pleading against s death sentence.

Natalie Wood did ok, but I kept wondering why she was there and not the DUP.

Finally, Cameron looked scared, tired and out of his depth.

Attractive woman, died far too early

 

[glasfryn]

I voted for Farage - not because I would vote for him but because out of all the leaders he looked the most comfortable.

I thought Milliband looked the most Prime Minisitrial and I was impressed with Nicola Sturgeon.

Natalie Bennett, despite having valid points, should never be allowed to speak again and Clegg had the look of someone who was pleading against s death sentence.

Natalie Wood did ok, but I kept wondering why she was there and not the DUP.

Finally, Cameron looked scared, tired and out of his depth.

just right
having recorded the debate the thing that struck me was Milliband spoke straight to the camera (the British public) and Cameron looked like a rabbit caught in the headlights

 

[Hampster Gull]

Just started watching this right now.

I have got an agenda, I will openly admit that. I will hopefully be moving to Oz one day, I would not dare to think that my values should be imposed upon a country that chooses to ALLOW me to join them, nor do I think that I should be allowed to voice my opinions (based upon my life experience elsewhere) in a national TV debate by political leaders of my adopted home. If I choose to live in foreign lands I should be happy to adopt the political leanings/opinions of the people of that country, not seek to change what is the norm. For that reason, the Aussie Bennett can do one.

Bennett OUT

 

[dazzer6666]

I thought Clegg performed pretty well too but he scored badly according to all the polls I read. I thought Farage was worst than I expected to him to be, turning every question into a debate on immigration. One poll I saw had him as the best performer and the worst performer - you don't get any halfway house with him

I was watching with my 17 year old.......once I'd got over the fact he was prepared to sit through even 2 minutes of it, we were guessing as soon as Farage spoke when he would turn the answer into some form of blaming Jonny Foreigner. He didn't disappoint, and that was before the immigration question came up.