The candidates' debate

Prodicus

Brown will not be concerning himself with the lost cause of gaining votes, merely with preparing elephant traps for Cameron. Let's hope CCHQ has war-gamed hard and dirty. Very dirty, cf. CancerMail-gate - Brown will stop at nothing. Not to be PM again (lost cause) but to destroy Cameron.

LittleEnglander

I think Brown is going to fight dirty. We may see unveiled the heavy clunking fist on national TV, the same fist which made Blair's life a misery - it had to have a positive side!

I think the debates will expose Clegg as vacuous.

Therefore, I believe Cameron simply had to be his affable self to come out smelling of roses - although not the Labour kind!

Verity

It's a stupid format. With three of them, one of them irrelevant, except as a spoiler, the drama will be diluted to an energy-free, interest-free, middle management discussion of blah blah blah.

Why do the British always manage to wreck American winning formats? The high-energy, confrontational aspect that is so compelling in the Presidential Debates will be entirely absent under this format, I guarantee.

Also, the American contenders battled their way through the primaries. In that sense, the confrontation is between two winners.

The flabby debate that takes place in Britain is going to be a real snoozeroo.

Tim Carpenter LPUK

Just looking at that poster. To be more accurate it should show the three pumps as fizzy lager taps all connected to the same barrel, or at least from the same monopolistic brewery.

Justicia

"On TV, such an answer would look appallingly mean-spirited."

As would any of Cameron's jibes about Brown being a bully, eating bananas, etc. Different shows, different contexts, different approaches.

A bit rich touting Cameron's serenity when he's hired one of Obama's debate coaches to work with him too.

RDC

My view is that the real "risk" is that Brown just lies when he wants to. I would expect that, under pressure, he will say something untrue but that will "shut down" an issue making him look good (as Cameron wont be able to call him a liar and, probably, will be taken by surprise by the Brown statement).The key issue then is that the Toru (and independent) fact checkers must get the real facts out before the papers print for the next day. This is the threat from Brown, but also could be the way he can be driven from the field. Caught in a Brownie.

GeoffH

If that's the best he can do, then the sooner he's out the better.

The response to the interviewer is so wooden that one wonders if Brown is human at all.

It reminds me of the occasion of Ivan's death and the general goodwill and sense of sympathy extended to Cameron from all sides. Brown was only able to do it by framing it in a way that drew attention to himself. a "I know what he feels, I've been through it myself" response. Inviting sympathy for himself and deflecting it from Cameron.

There have been other occasions when instead of simply extending a metaphorical hand of sympathy he has done it in terms of drawing attention to himself rather than the person deserving our sympathy.

The hand-scrawled letters to soldiers' bereaved were another: "My poor eyesight made me do it".

Aaach the man's a dweeb.

DavidDP

"different contexts,"

Yes. Brown's response being to a question about something he admires about Cameron, and the other points being criticisms. You'd do well to heed your own advice about contexts.

Rob P

Gordon on Cameron:

'I don't know him as a human'.

Rather telling - maybe Gordon could entertain us with some Vogon Love Poetry?

Tim W

Considering that under 3million watched 'Ask The Chancellors' and the BBC have cynically scheduled some of their best programmes (Have I Got News For You and Outnumbered) at the same time as the ITV and Sky Debates, I am fearing that they'll only get around 5million viewers.

If this was the USA they'd be played out on every main channel live.

I hope I'm wrong but we'll see.

TrevorsDen

"Brown has had a light campaign schedule since the election was called because" he is scared shitless of being seen in public, meeting the public and is looking for any excuse to sit indoors pushing his phantom divisions around.

Who knows what we will get. As long as there is no danger of any follow ups (ie this is not a debate' at all in the true sense) brown will say whatever he can get away with.

Perhaps he will apologise (on behalf of someone else, obviously) for the shameful use of the NHS list of names of cancer patients an a lying scaremongering election tactic.

JONNY

Will the last voter watching,
let's say after the first grinding half hour of it
please remember to turn off the telly.

denis cooper

What is the point of these debates?

Paddy

Do you think he will turn up?