TV Debate - who did best?

[JustineMumsnet]

So there you have it. History in the making; the UK's first live Leaders' election debate. Who do you think did best? Has it confirmed/ clarified your choice or even changed your mind?

Let us know your thoughts in our third election poll and you could win £50 in Boden or Amazon vouchers.

Thanks,
MNHQ

I've loooked at the stats and I just don't think compared to an indpendant pole they are significant.

I did not vote in the Mumsnet pole because the site seems very Labour biased/Gordycentric which is fine but any mumsnet pole is not going to be representative sample of the electorate.

I also wonder how many "new" members the site has had post all the media hype there has been about the site in the pre election run up.

Are all the three main parties going to take tax credits away from higher rate tax payers? They need to come clean on this.

It would be nice if the politicians could bear cost of living in mind when they make all these decisions based on income. A salary of £40k goes a lot further in some parts of the country than others. The lib dem local council tax would mean people living in small houses but paying higher rate tax would be worse off..I'd rather stick with council tax.

The tory civil partnership/marriage tax break is also targeted at those earning less than £40k. People earning less than this can also apply for private school bursaries and have help with childcare costs.

It seems those families in the £40-60k income bracket are being squeezed to give more and more hand outs and free childcare to those on lower incomes whilst having to pay the full cost of their own childcare. Obviously I agree that the lowest paid need more government support but those on normal incomes are being squeezed too much to pay for it all. Round here 40k is not high as in my constituency the average income is around 60-70k I think.

Overall I hate the way the press is so biaised and the way that the press and big business do all they can to keep the main two parties in power preventing any change.

Even if one doesn't agree with all the liberal policies at least they will bring in proportional representation and everyone's vote will count. I think the lib dems are also strongest on the environment of the three main parties.

Seems that E Balls requested rewriting of Ofsted reports to support S Shoesmith's firing. Is anyone else alarmed by this sort of thing?

It may be possible to convince me that this current Labour govmt believes it's doing the right thing for Britain. I find their operational tactics Orwellian, and I don't agree with their centralisation policies.

So however elder-statesmanly GB comes across, I can't support the Labour party.

I think NC is prob hoping to gain some extra seats and become a real alternatib
ve but to win would be a disaster for the lib dems.Thje economy is in a much worse state than any of them are letting on and if they were to win and then the true mess beomes apparent and they can't put it right they will be back to square one in 4 yrs time.Better they have a slow burn and win next time

There are an awful lot of people, including my family, whose total household income is less than £50k - which party is going to look after us? At the end of the day, there are many people whose household income is £100k+ and we should not be put in the same bracket as them. Tax credits and child benefit mean all the difference to us as a family. What are Tory and Lib Dem's stance on families whose total income is £40-50k? Labour aren't perfect, but at least we do get something.

Zazi - somehow I'm not as surprised as I should be - which is all the more worrying.

Noddy - Good point. IMO which ever party is the 'winner' will be taking a 'poison chalice'. For Labour - a disastrous 4th term could send them back into the political wilderness. And Nick Clegg should be very careful about entering a coalition with Labour, given their apparent willingness to find scape goats!

italylovingmummy - this is the point I was trying to make above. My suspicion is that people earning 40-60k will lose out with either of the three main parties. The liberals have already said they will cut tax credits. The tories are keeping quiet but I expect they'll cut tax credits and child benefit. They have said the married/civil partnership allowance will not be paid to those earning over £45k. The labour party have not guaranteed they will keep things as they are and are proposing to spend thousands on nursery places for 2 yr olds..assume these will be paid for by cutting tax credits for those earning over 40k.

Interestingly in the telegraph (right wing paper)it suggests that people in the 40-60k bracket (think this was what I read) will be best off under the lib dems..assume this is due to the no tax under £10,000 policy. The lib dems seem to be proposing smaller class sizes which would improve state education. However I want to know from them that they will be improving all state schools not just those in deprived areas.

Ps. should have said above the liberals have said they are cutting tax credits for top 20% of earners..presume this includes the 40-60k bracket but am not sure.

Read yesterdays Daily Mail and Telegraph - not my normal papers - and the Tory boys are absolutely bricking it - Clegg bashing is now going on full steamm ahead. Hilarious - he has really got them worried.

Thanks snowlady, thats cleared a few things up in my head. Its always those of us who fall in that income bracket that get it the worst! I think I should read the lib dem manifesto. Its really interesting how many people are anti-Tory at the moment, but should they be surprised? People are sick of jobs for the boys, hereditary peers and the like. The torys seem to me to be a bit 'Let them eat cake'.

I am not particularly anti David Cameron - although I am not over impressed with him - but I am worried about extreme right-wing Tories, who I think are being kept very quiet at the moment. If the Conservatives win, I really do think that we will see a lot of mad old hangers-and-floggers coming out of the woodwork, and we will be back with the "nasty" Conservative party again, no matter what DC says.

Sunday Times poll is around the same as mumsnet, with 70% support for Clegg (mumsnet has 73%):

Most snap polls rushed out after Thursday?s debate suggested that while Clegg was the victor, Cameron had come second ahead of Brown.

The Sunday Times Poll of 1,490 adults conducted over the past two days confirmed that Clegg had been the most ?impressive? with 70% backing him. But Brown took second place with 12% and Cameron, who had been considered the favourite to win the debate, trailed in third with just 10% support.

Cameron should be worried, no one expected Brown to do well out of these appearances, but he's actually come in second.

agreed Cameron should be worried. ALtho' I wasn't planning to vote Lib-Dem I am reconsidering: there is something pleasing about seeing the Lib-Dems surge as most of them join never expecting to be in government. So really nice if they were to do well. NC for PM!

i wsas wondering if those who thought Gordy did well had watched the same debate - he looked tired, awkward, and slightly dishevilled

DC did indeed look too orange, though i thought did quite well, though not as well as NC...

which is a shame because i am not going to vote liberal democrat - the fact that the leader can produce the goods in one tv debate does not make m agree with their policies.

Ps. should have said above the liberals have said they are cutting tax credits for top 20% of earners..presume this includes the 40-60k bracket but am not sure

as 50k+ is already ineligible, that would mean probably the 40-50k bracket, or part of it. 40k being the average household income. I am amused people think that those in the 40-60k bracket 'get it the worst'.

The cliche that a week is a long time in politics really applies here. A week ago the Lib-Dems were probably wondering whether they should have had Vince Cable as leader and now Clegg has given them a real boost. Good for them.

Apologies if this has already been posted, but I can't resist:

Who has David Cameron been talking to?

Love it Molesworth thanks.

DC did do that quite a lot didn't he? Makes me feel that he doesn't actually know any real people, other than those he meets on the campaign trail. Here's hoping the whole of their manifesto isn't based on his 5 minutes with each of em.

BTW haven't met anyone yet who likes their "big idea" of people power in public services - has anyone else???? DC didn't mention it in the debate did he, maybe he hasn't met anyone recently who liked it either.

Quite frankly, it's insulting to anyone who volunteers their time already to any number of causes, and baffling to those who don't and don't want to.

Labour and the conservatives face similar choices about reducing the deficit etc. I think one has to look at values to guage likely difference. For me the Tories are about looking after a smaller section of society. Admittedly I am part of the section that the Tories are likely to look after. But I "live selfish gene" on a daily basis so I am looking for a Govt that is more likely to help the vulnerable.

Altho' I think DC is a decent tolerant man, I don't think that I can say the same for the centre of gravity of the Tory party.

So I hope that Lib Dems or Labour win so that we have a Govt that doesn't just look after one section of society. The top of the pile didn't do so badly under Labour did they? But that has been balanced with investment in public services etc.

that was interesting....

Does anyone know the total tax contribution made by Non-Doms to the inland revenue?

DC gets his ^knickers^ facts in a twist

Ninjacat - that came from www.channel4.com/factcheck and if you look at the website I think you'll find that Gordon Brown told a fair few whoppers during the debate too (Cameron's was just an exageration as the police car did cost over 50K which still sounds an enormous amount to me). The Guardian are just spinning the story to make DC look as bad as possible.

flatpackassemblyDiva - you are spot on with your comments about the rich and clever accounting!