Should there be a UK debate

[Silent Hunter]

Howard's challenged Blair to a debate before the next election:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/3750328.stm

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Howard's challenged Blair to a debate before the next election:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/3750328.stm

Has he given up all hope of winning *already*?

[Carioca]

There isn't a reason not to.

[Ben.]

Please don't tell me your a fan of “Gorgeous George” 

[Silent Hunter]

I'm not. I just have a strange sense of humour.

[Ben.]

I'm not. I just have a strange sense of humour.

Got it! That said Blair vs Howard vs Kennedy would be good TV... won't happen though as in theory the UK don't have a presidenital system... reality is a different matter though. 

[Platypus]

e had a leaders debate here, and Latham wonn it-didn't do him much good, but it certainly works in a parliamentary system.

[minionofmidas]

This thread appears on the General Board as "Should there be a UK..." I'll answer that one: Only if Galloway can come.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Only if Galloway can come.

Wouldn't that just result in him screaming at the other Party Leaders, and them screaming back?
Would make interesting TV...

[minionofmidas]

Only if Galloway can come.

Wouldn't that just result in him screaming at the other Party Leaders, and them screaming back?
Would make interesting TV...

It's only fair. That way you have two Liberals, one sane (Kennedy), one not, and two Conservatives, one sane (Blair), one not.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

How about the Channel 5 version? Sod even slightly sane people... Galloway v Griffin.
The audience will be provided with 10 toilet rolls each.
The moderater will be some sub-moronic washed up pop/piss artist with an I.Q of about 35.
Half the audience will be Islamic Fundamentalists/Trots, the other half will be Neo-Nazis.

[minionofmidas]

How about the Channel 5 version? Sod even slightly sane people... Galloway v Griffin.
The audience will be provided with 10 toilet rolls each.
The moderater will be some sub-moronic washed up pop/piss artist with an I.Q of about 35.
Half the audience will be Islamic Fundamentalists/Trots, the other half will be Neo-Nazis.

No.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

How about the Channel 5 version? Sod even slightly sane people... Galloway v Griffin.
The audience will be provided with 10 toilet rolls each.
The moderater will be some sub-moronic washed up pop/piss artist with an I.Q of about 35.
Half the audience will be Islamic Fundamentalists/Trots, the other half will be Neo-Nazis.

No.

Quoth the Channel 5 (sorry. It's just "Five" now) executive: "But people will watch it"
Actually it's more of a Sky 1 thing... they show *anything*... no maybe not. Too upmarket.

On reflection, I think the U.K *does* deserve a live debate between the leading contenders for the top job.
A live debate between Tony Blair and Gordon Brown (Milburn as well if he wants to come) has to be set up soon...

And at the same time, a debate for the extremely competative election with the possibility of huge upsets will be held... Michael Howard v Charles Kennedy for the job of official opposition.
----------------------------------------------------------------
O.K being serious now (although maybe Five will take my idea up...) but there's a reason why there's never been a live debate: the leading party doesn't want to lose their advatage. The only time we came close to having one was 1979 when Thatcher's advisors told her to reject Callaghan's challange (had their been a debate there would have been another hung parliament IMO).

I'd certainly like to see the main party leaders in a debate, and Galloway would make an interesting addition (he tends to get overheated and kinda explodes), but it won't happen because all three leaders have too much to lose.

[minionofmidas]

We had a debate - two, actually - for the first time ever in Germany in 2002.
Kohl would've never agreed to one. But Schröder, when Stoiber, like a number of SPD challengers before him, rhetorically proposed one, immediately saw that he could probably whip Edi in a debate, and said yes.
Worked, too.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

We had a debate - two, actually - for the first time ever in Germany in 2002.
Kohl would've never agreed to one. But Schröder, when Stoiber, like a number of SPD challengers before him, rhetorically proposed one, immediately saw that he could probably whip Edi in a debate, and said yes.
Worked, too.

Stoiber scared a lot of people over here

[Peter]

What about Kill Roy ... I mean Kilroy?

[Silent Hunter]

He's not actually UKIP leader at the moment. He wants to be, but he's not.

[Ben.]

Only if Galloway can come.

Wouldn't that just result in him screaming at the other Party Leaders, and them screaming back?
Would make interesting TV...

It's only fair. That way you have two Liberals, one sane (Kennedy), one not, and two Conservatives, one sane (Blair), one not.

George Galloway is a Socialist, or a more a Trotskyiite for that matter. It's not McCarthyist to brand Galloway far-left, but it is to use "Liberal" as a catch-all term for anyone on the left, It discredits many good Liberals (whether you use the British or [b***ocks] American definition)

Other than on foreign policy issues, Blair would seem pretty liberal compared with US politicians.

Galloway was never socially Liberal in fact "Respect" have endorsed some very conservative social views in order to appeal to Muslim votes… really quite funny, back in the day the Socialist Alliance, Socialist Workers (all the tiny far left party’s that helped form “Respect”)  where extremely socially liberal… then again Galloway is driven far more by ego than any deep political views.. he’s economically he’s very leftwing but there are many more leftwing than him within the PLP…Jeremy Coburn, Alan Simpson, Denis Skinner etc… all of whom are still members of the labour party despite almost constantly rebelling and yet have not been expelled… its also probable that Galloway had some kind of connection with Sadam’s Regime but the records of this are really too patchy and it will probably never be proven hopefully if any evidence does surface it will surface just before the general election... that said it could be good if Respect take votes away from the Liberals in one or two seats…

I also heard something interesting about Oona King (Who Galloway will probably challenge next May)… if she sees down Galloway next year there are rumours that she’ll start looking for a different seat, a suburban one such as Norwich North or one of the suburban London seats… or such was the talk at the PLP thing the other day.