Monday, January 16, 2006

Huhne Scores in First TV Debate

Just been watching the four LibDems on Sky News debating with each other. Interesting that Sky didn't feel it was worth doing a separate programme and only gave them 20 minutes. For the Cameron/Davis debate they devoted an hour to it and hired the Lewis Media Centre. There was also very little promotion of it. To be honest it was all a little tedious. Ming looked half asleep and someone had obviously trowelled the makeup on. Hughes performed reasonably well but I just can't see him appealing to swing voters in the same way that any of the other three might. Mark Oaten again came across as a lightweight and didn't score any hits at all. Chris Huhne, however, came across as likeable, intelligent, good looking with stature. Pity he's such a euro fanatic. He'd make a good Tory.

The highlight, if one can call it that, was an exchange on the proposed smoking ban. Ming Campbell: "I'll vote for a smoking ban but not out of a sense of any kind of authoritarianism." Cue hollow laughter from Mark Oaten and a good intervention from Huhne quoting John Stuart Mill. End result: Oaten and Ming look faintly ridiculous. Huhne wins.

4 comments:

PoliticalHackUK said...

Any thoughts on why he's getting such bad press and reviews elsewhere? When I heard him first on the Today programme last week, I was struck by his clarity and lucidity, a stark contrast to that other figure of the future, Mark Oaten.

Aidan said...

I see that Lynne Featherstone says that Chris Huhme ticked her boxes last night - the little minx...

Mike Wood said...

Which John Stuart Mill quote did he use?
I remember the (Lib Dem) leader of Liverpool City Council quoted Mill at their Party Conference in support of a smoking ban.

Anonymous said...

I thought it was 4 bald men fighting over a comb