The London Mayor Opens A “Borrisons”…

He may not know what time the afternoon starts, but people sure do love Boris Johnson. Will he be used in the marginals nationwide by Dave;)?

Ready For Change…

What you didn’t see on television before David Cameron spoke at Party Conference earlier this month. Not sure about the “trendy” house soundtrack accompanying this video, sounds like it was made in 1997;).

What Does Darling Do Next?..

Alistair Darling last week at his party conference revealed very little about his and Labour’s future financial plans for the UK. Gordon Brown alluded to savings that could be made in Whitehall weeks earlier at the TUC conference, however these savings would be miniscule in relation to the debt that has been racked up in the past years under Labour. Belatedly Darling announced a pay freeze for top public sector earners the night before George Osborne spoke to his party conference.

George Osborne outlined numerous ways in which the deficit could be brought under control, including a public sector pay freeze for one year for all those earning over £18000 a year, raising the pension age to sixty six from 2016, the scrapping of baby bonds for all but the poorest families and no child tax credit for those earning over £50,000. The reaction to the speech was very positive on the whole, with many pundits citing that although it was a risky strategy it was the right call to warn voters that cuts were going to affect the majority of working public.

So what does Darling do at the Pre-Budget Report? Does he remain aloof with the voters about where the cuts are going to be made and their severity? In my opinion this is the worst possible option as it makes him look indecisive compared to the Tories. Does he go into more detail and reveal deeper cuts than the Tories did this week? I doubt this would happen as Brown’s position has always been that the Tories would cut deeper than Labour and this approach would be the polar opposite of the message Brown is trying to drill home to the electorate. Does he state he is going to raise taxes? This in my opinion is the most plausible option although commentators would question why he did not outline such details at his party conference when he had the chance.

It’s clear to me that the Tories are trying to back Labour into a corner where they are seen as dishonest whatever they say on the economy. David Cameron knows that the economy will be the issue that defines the election and so will try to take the lead whenever he can to push home the message that the Conservatives are the only party that can be trusted after the General Election.

The Leaders’ Debate Format…

With Sky News still pursuing a leadership debate between the major parties it is time to give my opinion at what type of format they would take, who would be involved and what channels they would be broadcast on. I would suggest that there are three main debates on three different channels, all on terrestrial television. All three major parties would take part, so this means Gordon Brown from Labour, David Cameron from the Conservatives and Nick Clegg from the Liberal Democrats. The reason for including Clegg is simple, like it or not his party hold nearly ten percent of parliamentary seats, run numerous councils throughout Britain and his party could influence (directly or indirectly) who wins the election. The scheduling of such debates would be quite easy, say three consecutive Wednesday evenings at 8pm.

I would propose that the first debate takes place on the BBC, is near live (to have a safety mechanism for libelous comments) and is ninety minutes in length. A town hall format would be applied, with each leader getting two minutes to answer a question from the audience, plus a chance for a short rebuttal once all three leaders have spoken. Each question would have a designated period of ten minutes as not to dwell on one question too long. This format is basically a modified version of what the BBC broadcasts every week for Question Time but I would favour Jeremy Paxman over David Dimbleby to host as Paxman would be better at getting the leaders to give answers to the questions asked.

For the second debate I would propose a simple three leader debate on Channel Four, which is live and lasts for two hours inclusive of commercials. This would be a closed debate not in front of an audience where the questions would be asked by the host. The two minute plus rebuttals format of the first debate would remain, however the debate would allow the ability for topics to be covered in greater detail (for example the economy), with multiple questions being asked on the same subject punctuated by the commercial breaks. That would mean a total of five or six topics would be covered in total, which would be enough for all three leaders to set out their policies on the most important election issues. Jon Snow would host the debate as he is the recognized face of news on the channel.

The final debate would be a live head to head debate hosted by Sky News but simulcast as well on Five. Again it would last two hours inclusive of commercials, and would be an closed debate in front of an audience where the questions would be asked by the host. The running theme of two minute plus rebuttals would carry on as to provide continuity between the debates. The leaders would pair off against each other in half hour sections, with Cameron taking on Clegg first, then Brown taking on Clegg, and finally Brown taking on Cameron. Three questions would be asked in each section, with the public seeing how the leaders directly contrasted on their policy and their communication skills. Adam Boulton could host the debate, but in light of Brown’s distain at his questioning the day after his conference speech I would draft in Sir David Frost if he was available to appease Labour. Another possible host would be Alistair Stewart if ITV/ITN were prepared for to release him for the one off event.

A debate between the smaller parties should happen as well, if only on the internet or a free to air satellite channel such as Current TV. I would limit the amount of parties to five as any more would interrupt the flow of the debate. Regional debates should be held in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and screened as Question Time specials by the BBC to allow for maximum exposure.

Labour have suggested that the leaders of various departments should have their own debates, but clearly this would just be a ploy to get Alistair Darling to face off against George Osborne. I don’t feel a public desire to see this and it would create five or six extra debates, many of which few would actually take the time to watch.

It’s my personal opinion that if Brown decides that he wants to answer Sky News’ invitation to take part in a debate he will do it soon, especially if Labour are heavily behind in the polls. If he doesn’t reply before the election is called (likely sometime in March) then there will be no debates on the terrestrial channels. Sky News may go ahead but a debate without Brown could be in breach of electoral broadcasting law.

Cameron Meets Former Lib Dems who have Joined The Conservatives…

I suspect that this video was released today after Vince Cable’s “mansion tax” gaff for maximum impact. On the South coast where the majority of Lib Dem versus Tory marginals any type of tax hike for the well off are going to prove a tricky sell for any party. Clearly after what only can be described as a disastrous party conference I can see many more Lib Dem PPCs switch to the Conservatives to give themselves a fighting chance of being elected.

David Cameron’s Thoughts on Twitter…

Cameron gets down with the kids again;). Strong language.

What is a Zero Percent Increase in Spending?..

Answers on a postcard to G. Brown, 10, Downing Street;).

David Cameron’s German Accent…

It needs some improvement for sure;). If you like decent comedy and decent German accents, jog on;).

Cameron’s Reaction To Purnell’s Resignation…

Cameron now simply has to stand back and watch the implosion of Labour and Brown, and it may get a lot worse after Sunday;).

Stopping the BNP and Nick Griffin in the European Elections…

The video above is from the Green Party, who clearly have aspirations of being at least the fourth largest party in the North West on June 4th. The problem with the video is that it omits UKIP from the fold and overstates the of the Green Party’s projected share of the vote.

The BNP and UKIP are more likely to contest for the final European MP in the North West because of the disenchantment with the big three parties at the moment and their stance on Europe. The Green Party therefore would need to take votes from both the left and right, which I personally feel is unlikely because of their far left standpoint and the Conservatives green drive since Cameron became leader of the party in 2005.