Well, one thing was clear: Brown and Cameron have both been at the textbooks, staying
behind for extra classes, and learning the lessons of last week. They came into this TV debate prepared. Not just for the very fact of Nick Clegg, but with strategies and soundbites to
slow his advance. The result was a more passionate and confrontational show than I expected.
Brown was the biggest surprise on the night. Sure, you have to apply the usual caveats and parameters: he is Gordon Brown, and being disingenuous and deluded is what he does. But, all that considered, he was uncharacteristically sprightly, I thought. His little prepared quips were half-way memorable, he was convincing on the issue of our presence in Afghanistan, and he even managed to score some hits on Clegg. “I agree with Nick” has clearly been shoved out of the window at Number Ten.
This isn’t to say that Brown won the debate though.
Britain’s best politics newsletters
You get two free articles each week when you sign up to The Spectator’s emails.
Already a subscriber? Log in
Comments
Join the debate for just $5 for 3 months
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for $5.
UNLOCK ACCESS Just $5 for 3 monthsAlready a subscriber? Log in