Third Leader's Debate - BBC 29th April

[CatherineHMumsnet]

In anticipation of tomorrow's TV debate, MN will be launching a fifth poll of Mumsnetter voting intentions as soon as the debate finishes. Can Cameron regain the ground he's lost? Will Clegg continue to build on his success following the first and second debates? We'll have to wait and see - but in the meantime, we've put together a handy table showing how your voting intentions and attitudes towards the party leaders have changed over the past four polls

[ronshar]

I will fight for anyones right to vote for who ever they chose to.
I was questioning if people really understood what a coaltion government would mean for us all.

Voter apathy and lack of understanding are the reasons why the political parties have been able to get away with so much for so long.

I am not saying that goes for anyone here before anyone thinks I am beening insulting.

[MHS]

After his week from hell thought Brown did ok last night.

I know it comes with the job for any politician not to answer a direct question but Cameron took the biscuit last night in avoiding giving any clear answers.

Personally can't get over this Tory marriage tax policy. I've been with my partner for over 12 years. We have one son. We're not married. Does that make me a 'bad' parent?! Flim clip on www.dontjudgemyfamily.com sums it up well for me.

[wubblybubbly]

@Balham - I'm not sure what you mean that it hasn't happened? I've just been through it and it most certainly DID happen

[sfxmum]

did for me too under 2 weeks to see consultant

[SanctiMoanyArse]

'I think many people want a hung parliament to force through the issue of electoral reform, ronshar.

absolutely

About time we had a system that actually represented what people vote for

Why do people feel disengaged and unlikely to vote and how can we address it?

Sort the system: let a vote for soemthing other than the two main aprties actually count.

[SanctiMoanyArse]

(I don't want a hund parliament BTW, I want my party to wion, but I am not going to vote for a party I dislike to avoid a hungparliament: if the people voting for other parties want that so much they canswitch to folow me but they won't and my vote is not less worthy nor less well considered than theirs)

Vote for the party you want

[portymom]

After all the furore, I still trust GB as the best person for the job. Let him get us through this chaos. Just want someone that knows the job, fed up with all this "pin up/x factor" politician hype.

[Persnickety]

But he got us into this mess. Why would I trust him to get us out of it?

He did not cause the mess, but he did a lot of foolish things that made us very unprepared for it.

Good riddance is what I say.

[clam]

"I still trust GB as the best person for the job. Let him get us through this chaos."

What???? He's responsible for much of the chaos we're facing - maybe not the actual "global recession," after all, aren't we meant to be blaming the Americans for that, but he sure as hell has wasted billions of pounds of our money over the last 13 years, one way or another. And all under the guise of "prudence." Prudence, my a*!
New Labour inherited a healthy balance sheet from the Tories in 1997 and, whilst I was keen for a new Government then (the Tories had overrun their time), I feel now that they've had a go, ballsed it up, and it's time for the pendulum to swing back the other way a bit.

[JustineMumsnet]

Headline results of our fifth election poll are:

Who do you think you will be voting for in the 2010 General Election?

Libdem 43%
Labour 26%
Conservatives 22%

Which of the party leaders do you think gave the best overall performance in the third TV debate?

Nick Clegg 40%
Gordon Brown 31%
David Cameron 29%

Based on survey of 960

Full results to follow - txs to all who responded. Bubbly prize draw to follow soonest.

[johnworf]

Nick Clegg gave the best overall performance in the third debate???? Unbelievable. He waffled his way through it.

[ahundredtimes]

Yessss! MNers are sane

Eat my shorts YouGov/Sun/Mr Murdoch

[Molesworth]

100x @ "eat my shorts YouGov"

[ahundredtimes]

I actually deeply regretted typing that the minute I did. I have crossed my legs and am looking nervously at the door.

[Molesworth]

Have to admit though, I snorted out loud in Sainsbo's when I saw the "Gordon Brown toast" pic on today's Sun front page (I was on my own as well )

[ahundredtimes]

Yes, it was very good - she only went out for a loaf of bread. . . . made me laugh too

[mumutd]

I do think if we had David Miliband as leader of the Labour party we wouldn't be facing a Tory government next week.

(I am a GB fan but can see that a lot aren't)

[Persnickety]

Just shows hoe liberally slanted the MN population is really. I think 22% for the Conservatives on MN is a pretty good indication of pending victory.

[atlantis]

I think people were voting favourites instead of who won the debate.

In all three debates (including on you gov) I have voted honestly as to who won NC 1 & 2 and DC 3. Not much point in having a poll if people are just going to vote favourites TBH.

[ahundredtimes]

Oh I don't know Persnick. Back in Feb on first poll they were all fairly even - 23 /24/ 25 or something like that. That is probably a v. good representation of MNers - an even spread.

Voting intentions have changed.

[Persnickety]

Yes, an accurate sample of MNers. But not of UK voters in general.

[ahundredtimes]

Do we know that MNers aren't an accurate pictures of voters in general though? Well, not voters perhaps. Women, mostly mothers, within a certain age bracket and with a broadband connection?

Actually I'm a bit polled-out - god knows WHAT they show tbh

[AntoinetteOuradi]

Persnickety, I can only hope you are right.

PMSL at the proportion on MNers wanting NC as PM!!

[cruelladepoppins]

[disclaimer] haven't read the whole thread (824 messages - come on!)

I dislike the Leader's Debates - seems a bit "Pop Idol" to me. And unfair on the other parties.

I'm likely to vote LibDem in an attempt to get a fairer electoral system. At the moment it's a bit too much like people are trying to predict who'll win. First past the post is really only any good in a 2-party state.

[judyds]

May God have mercy on us all if the Mumsnet poll is anything like remotely accurate.

GB got us into this mess and NC is not capable of getting us out of it.

I hope and pray that this is not representative of the vote next week. Perhaps we can blame this result on hormones? That has after all been used as an excuse for all sorts of insanity