I'm forcing myself to watch but hate it when they all shout over each other. Leanne Wood has barely said anything. Caroline Lucas on decent form. Jezza doing ok, bit weak on immigration (as in lack of clarity). Mishal Hussein very poor moderator.
Interesting at the end, Corbyn and Lucas have a chat while Hussein sums up, Timmy bounds into the audience when it finishes, the others all gather round and shake hands, except Nuttalls, who stays rigid behind his podium, ignored by all.
I normally stick up for the impartiality of the BBC, but they have been noticeably anti-Corbyn for some time. What they can't do though, is stop people applauding when they hear someone talking sense, or laughing when Amber Rudd says 'judge us on our record'.
I've never seen a more biased audience. On this basis, the left wing parties will get 98% of the vote. Sickeningly BBC, **** 'em
Some of them clapped Nuttalls when he said ban Jihadis returning to the UK. Rudd didn't get much support because her boss left her holding a crap hand. The biggest noise was for the points gleefully made about the Prime Minister's absence, and I expect a few Tories joined that. Shot herself in the foot again. If May despises these events as politicians squabbling in public, why did she send anyone to take part? Rudd didn't do too badly in the circumstances, apart from her bizarre misunderstanding of monopoly, crowbarred the slogans in a few times, but like all the rest of the Remainers in the cabinet (remember her calling Boris a liar in the referendum debate last year?) she's sold out on her beliefs to get public office and deserves little sympathy. Most interesting question was on climate change, to which the responses were platitudes apart from Nuttalls, who supports the Trump line. I would have liked someone to have said we should do our best to keep the international efforts going and lead by example in the UK. Word from the US is that Trump is going to pull out of the Paris agreement, presumably so he can get more people back down coal mines. This is one issue that requires a degree of international collaboration that was demanding even with the US on side, and now looks impossible. I don't like thinking about the consequences for my kids. Let's hope he is impeached quickly.
What? Didn't know that. She has Manchester to deal with, the death of her father and then gets this dumped on her? What a cow May is.
I'm sure Rudd said she wanted to do the debate, but this is just stunningly bad management and appallingly selfish. You don't put people under stress under more stress if it is avoidable. Was there really no one else in the Shadow Cabinet who could handle this if May didn't want to? I really am quite shocked. I don't think I've ever had a boss who would think of asking something like that. Had one who called me about 8.30 one morning, about 3 hours after my son had been born after 48 hours of labour and an emergency caesarean (which he knew all about, as we were both directors at the hospital), said congratulations and asked me to go to a meeting to negotiate a contract with a bunch of GPs 'because only you can do it' (which was bollocks). I probably wasn't safe to drive, but went and just said 'ask for whatever you want, I'm in no position to argue'. Resigned about six weeks later. Five years or so after that this bloke called me up and asked me to help him get a job in consultancy. Told him to **** off.
Have to say that I was optimistic about May when she took over from that twat Cameron. I have been very badly disappointed. Now I have a choice of **** or ****tier at the election.
I feel about her much the same as I felt about Redknapp when we apppointed him. Although I think we had more choice than the Tories did picking her.
Latest poll has Tory lead down to 3 points over Labour, 42 to 39. May's personal lead over Corbyn also collapsing. Not to be trusted of course, but the Tory grandees must be ****ting themselves. Apparently this gap depends on a good turnout from the young, without it the Tory lead is much bigger, so we will see how much Corbyn has really energised them. But Amber Rudd would lose her seat on this projection. There will be loads of 'trust me on Brexit' stuff today, just when the EU has published very detailed positions on citizens and the divorce bill.
I didn't watch last nights debate. I was practicing keeping my blood pressure down by ignoring it and playing some tunes with a friend. Badly. I don't care if the BBC audience was biased in favour of Corbyn - or anyone else. It's only an audience. Apparently Putin and Trump always play to a friendly crowd. If you watched the programme, you'll have seen for yourself how the participants did and you'll have made up your own mind. If you didn't watch it, then you'll be relying on the media headlines to tell you what happened. Apparently Amber won (courtesy, the usual suspects) or Jeremy did (courtesy, the other usual suspects). I care far more about having access to facts and I'll make my own mind up, thanks. If only it was easy to get access to them (sigh). I've got a question. Did last nights programme change anyones opinion or deliver any new facts? I'm genuinely curious.
Made me think about voting Green, Caroline Lucas was by far the most lucid and eloquent speaker. But of course no one expects the Greens to win, so she came under much less pressure than Rudd and Corbyn. No new facts of course. Come on Dipper, we live in the post truth environment, facts are peripheral now.
