to be irritated by this Nick Clegg love-in?

[gramercy]

I can't believe some of the comments I've read on here.

Somehow NC must be above reproach; it doesn't matter if there are expenses questions, donor questions, any questions. And heaven forfend that he is quizzed on policy. How very dare anyone challenge him? It would be soooo mean.

David Cameron is on the receiving end of comments on here about his poshness, but NC's privileged background is OK. Likewise his children attending a favoured Catholic primary school (because his wife is a Catholic - he isn't and professes atheism) - that's fine. But if DC sends his children to a nice faith school - that's bad. (Both as bad as each other, there, imo.)

If people support NC's "fairness" he keeps banging on about, then at least be fair in challenging him as well!

I won't be voting for NC just because he was clever enough to write down peoples names remember peoples names.

Looking forward to tonights debate though & i hope they are all better than last week.

To misquote Hitler "The British will always vote for the best man on telly" (The original quote was: women always vote for the man in uniform).

Maybe that's the problem - a lot of people's experience of voting is for their favourite Big Brother contestant, or X Factor Contestant or I'm a Celebrity Contestant ... and this is not based on policies or serious issues, but on how much you like them.

On the plus side, it is nice having a change from just having Tories or Labour as the options. I mean, there may even be a coalition government! Woooooooooo

I think the Lib Dems (and especially Chris huhne) throw the word "smear" around too easily.

What Damian McBride did was smearing. What Alastair Campbell did to David Kelly was smearing. What the Sun did to Gordon Brown over the misspelt condolence letters was smearing. Attacking policy or examining political donations is not smearing.

Only the Daily Mail actually smears Clegg today. I think all the other stories are very fair, though cynically timed.

If you look at today's front pages

news.sky.com/skynews/Home/UK-News/The-Papers---The-Newspaper-Front-Pages-Thursday-April-22-2010/Medi a-Gallery/201004315612479?lpos=UKNewsLeftPromoRegion0&lid=GALLERY15612479ThePapers-TheNew spaperFrontPages%2CThursdayApril22%2C_2010

The Daily Mail is disgusting, but then what do you expect. I do think we shouldn't apologize and feel ashamed for being British, but we shouldn't bring up the war all the time either. The Nazi slur is way over the top.

The Telegraph has a genuine story. Private bank accounts, lobbyist donations, and political parties are definitely best kept apart.

The Independent has an interview with Nick Clegg.

The Express attacks the Lib Dems, but on policy.

The Sun attacks the Lib Dems, but on policy.

The Guardian talks about the Tories, homophobia, and links in the EU - and has a feature on Brown's campaigning style.

The Times has an interview with David Cameron.

The FT has a story about how Ken Clarke is being used against the Lib Dems, as well as the usual business/markets headlines.

The Wall Street Journal Europe ignores the election on its front page.

The Metro attacks the Lib Dems, but on policy.

The Mirror attacks David Cameron for his hairstyle (I think).

The Star says that Gordon Brown has quit (huh?)

Of all those attacking the Lib Dems, only the Mail is totally unfair I think. The Mirror's story about Cameron also looks silly, as does the Star's story about Brown.

Obviously the timing of the stories is deliberately calculated to sell as many papers as possible though, by being on the morning of the debate.

Swedes - I love how everyone is suddenly so appalled by the democratic process, when it goes against how they want people to vote!

If the TV debates had seen a huge swing of approval to the right - some people would be saying: 'this is marvellous, we're engaging the electorate, people are listening to policy and really thinking about it and agreeing with us'

As it swung to the orange, some of people now think:

OMG, who let people who watch television have the vote! This is absurd! Everyone is an idiot, they know nothing. Disaster. Only people who don't watch television should be allowed to vote.

lolol

PW. I actually wrote in to complain. The first time I've ever done that. I think it might be my age.

I'm going to start writing letters in purple ink next. I can't wait

Oh but also if it had swung to the right

some other people would be saying:

'the electorate are idiots. Just because they liked Cameron's tie and his shiny, keen face! It's all a mirage, it's all PR spin. Can't they see that? It's Simon Cowell's fault'.

This much I know

and people who vote LD are all thickos who never heard of him before (they got the seats they ahd before by way of sympathy donation dontcha know)

We all have stereotypes pf who votes what way in our heads and Ic ant say mine are all to flattering of all aprties but i woudln't actually out them on a public forum- would be A) disrespectful B) show up my own not-as-nice-as-I-make-out store of abias.

People should vote for who tehy want best. Look at teh polciy statements, manifesto, take time to think, don't vote for a hung aprlaiament (or againstb one) and don't vote for who anyone else thinks you should.

People start putting pressure on others to vote one way and it stops being a proper democracy surely? And certainly stops being a representativce Government.

Don't asusme all people who vote differently to oneself are stupid 9and that is advice to jyself as well and for all people)

A good speaker / public face is a positive in a PM of course it is. But we vote for our local represenative and fidning out about who theya re is a very important thing that can get missed. I wonder how many people actually can name all thei lcoal candidates?

Anyway could be worse, anybody else on ehre get the Welsh Christian party broadcast last night? DH and I were .... astounded

Well you know what to do next. Time for Stephanie from Northampton to be released from the broom cupboard.

(that was meant to be a C&P of hunderdtime's post, oops)

Abs - thank you for the article, I just read it.

I wonder how they polled in 1945. They said, 'do you think WC has done a good job?' and everyone said, 'Yes, ripping good job.'

Clearly they forgot to ask 'will you be voting for him in the general election?'

I was thinking this morning - do you think Murdoch's blood pressure is going through the roof?

He's got Obama in America, despite Fox News best efforts.

And now what in the UK?

I imagine him rocking in his chair, 'why doesn't everyone agree with me? I've told them what to think, how very afraid they should be. What's the MATTER WITH THEM?'

This thought pleased me

any love in is a reaction to the transparent smear attempts by the tories, surely?

I'm not sure that the love-in is any worse than some Tories' foot-stamping belief that the poll changes aren't fair because it is their turn to dick around in the ministerial limos.

100x - did you see this article/thread

100x I'd be appalled by a switch to/from any party, based on 90 mins TV.

btw The main opposition party in Germany has just blocked the German Government's bill for aid to Greece. Greek CDS trading at an all time low now.

"transparent smear attempts"

by transparent, what do you mean? do you mean nothing bad said about him is true?

or do you mean that it's transparently clear the Conservatives wish to discredit him and his party? which is rather high on the not-worth-saying-as-it's-a-statement-of-the-bleeding-obvious-during-an-election-campaign scale

and actually what everyone is trying to do to each other anyway

I meant to say Abs re

'To misquote Hitler "The British will always vote for the best man on telly" (The original quote was: women always vote for the man in uniform).'

I'm not entirely sure we should be looking to Hitler's views on um, the democratic process, or indeed women for well, insight.

No, i will go look now PW. I really should go do some work. Damn this general election fun.

"Are people really impressed by this sales technique? I thought it was nauseating."

Sweeedes I did find that really corny, and the whole looking down the camera. I just thought well, yeah, there's a camera there, shouldn't he look down it? Why aren't the other two, they don't just expect the audience to vote do they.

To be fair though, can't blame nc for taking his chance, the other two had already disregarded him and were too busy taking pot shots at each other to get at him. We'll see how it goes tonight.

lol.

yes, i know everyone's doing it, but in this instance it is worth mentioning because it's so particularly noticeable because neither the tories nor labour paid much heed to him previously.

so they're not imo being particularly smart by using their hammer to crack a nut strategy right now, because it is very obviously a response to his perceived and possibly entirely temporary popularity.

but what do the brits love? an underdog. what do we hate? bullying. hence your love-in. QED.

the tories and labour should be taking him apart in a less frenzied manner, is all.

I know what you mean Swedes. But also we should allow too for the idea that the Lib Dems don't get the coverage or air time of the other two - and perhaps it was that exposure which made the difference?

Which is why Cameron is kicking himself for having pushed for it in the first place.

but, you know, thank you for being so obnoxiously ill-mannered in your response to my earlier post, mssceptic.

i KNOW 100x, he must be kicking himself. clearly he was only looking to beat gordon. (and i'm not entirely sure he did that, even.)

100x Do you think UKIP should have been allowed equal billing then? Or Greens? Or the BNP?

Is this the programme when the three leaders do their song-and-dance routines and Simon Cowell tells us who to vote for or am I getting muddled up again?

"Choose something different" does sound a bit lucky dip.