Last night, Conservative supporters were willing and wishing David Cameron to come out on top of the party leader’s TV debate. David Cameron did not disappoint.
Gordon Brown, having yesterday badly handled his “bigot” gaffe looked like a man whose confidence had been shot to pieces. Indeed, he referred to it again.
“There is a lot to this job and, as you saw yesterday, I don’t get all of it right.”
David Cameron managed to put clear blue water between the Conservatives and Labour on policy by highlighting the socialist tendancy to rely on the State to solve the nation’s problems.
Cameron made two notable low blows against Gordon Brown. He told the audience that Gordon Brown was unable to distinguish between the State and the Economy. The nastiest punch of all came near the end when he accused Labour of regarding anybody earning more than £20,000 a year as being rich.
David Cameron needed to do more than just beat Gordon Brown. He needed to come out on top of Nick Clegg. He did not disappoint here either. He shot two massive torpedoes into Nick Clegg’s cruiser on the Euro and Immigration.
Commenting on the Lib Dem’s unstinting support for joining the Euro, David Cameron said this:
“If we were in the euro now, your taxes and your National Insurance wouldn’t be going to schools and hospitals and police officers, they would be going to bail out Greece”, said David Cameron
Mr. Cameron also landed another blow on Nick Clegg over an amnesty proposal for some existing illegal immigrants. The offending part of the Lib Dem manifesto says this
“We will allow people in Britain who have been in Britain without the correct papers for 10 years, but speak English, have a clean record and want to live long term to earn their citizenship” [Lib-Dem Manifesto p.76]
Nick Clegg was caught in denial. “I’m not advocating an amnesty,” he said.
It appears that Conservative prospects have gone up a couple of notches after last night but I would still not bet on a winning lead emerging in the opinion polls. One thing is for sure. The outcome of the debate will sap Labour morale just as it will energise Conservative activists will go into the final week of the campaign.
Filed under: Conservative Party, Conservativism, David Cameron, Economy, General Election, Gordon Brown, Labour Party, Liberal Democrats, Nick Clegg Tagged: | Conservative Party, Conservativism, David Cameron, Economy, General Election, Gordon Brown, Immigration, Labour Party, Liberal Democrats, Nick Ckleg, Nick Clegg, TV Debates, TV Debates
