UNITED KINGDOM: Polls and pundits put outsider Nick Clegg clear winner in Britain's first TV election debate
Record ID:
593279
UNITED KINGDOM: Polls and pundits put outsider Nick Clegg clear winner in Britain's first TV election debate
- Title: UNITED KINGDOM: Polls and pundits put outsider Nick Clegg clear winner in Britain's first TV election debate
- Date: 17th April 2010
- Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (English) UNIDENTIFIED MAN, SAYING: "Clegg was brilliant, Brown was devious and Cameron was pathetic." (SOUNDBITE) (English) GABRIEL AKIRINADE, SAYING: "Brown gained a lot of points as the mature candidate amongst them. I think he gave it the best." (SOUNDBITE) (English) GLENN EVANS, SAYING: "I was very surprised by Nick Clegg, who I thought.....well, to be honest who I've really not seen that much about, purely because probably he's been pushed into the background. But he came across as very much something different." (SOUNDBITE) (English) UNIDENTIFIED MAN, SAYING: "I fell asleep it was so boring." (SOUNDBITE) (English) FRAN LANE, SAYING: "It seemed very rehearsed to me. And I didn't really like the way Gordon Brown, when other people spoke, shook his head because I just think that's really rude." (SOUNDBITE) (English) ANNA HARVEY, SAYING: "I just thought the whole set up was really just...set up and not realistic. I would have preferred them just to be in room and just go for it and let us see the real leader out of the three." JOE TWYMAN, DIRECTOR OF POLITICAL RESEARCH AT POLLSTERS 'YOUGOV' WORKING AT COMPUTER TWYMAN TYPING
- Embargoed: 2nd May 2010 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: United Kingdom
- Country: United Kingdom
- Topics: Domestic Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA4BKOH06B05B3OP4SNO1935FF0
- Story Text: The boyish leader of the Liberal Democrats, rank outside Nick Clegg, came out of Britain's first live TV leaders debate as the clear winner.
Newspaper headlines read "Enter the Outsider" and "Clegg comes of age" as polls pointed to a landslide victory for the 43 year old in the historic clash with ruling Labour leader Gordon Brown and opposition Conservative leader David Cameron.
"Clegg was brilliant, Brown was devious and Cameron was pathetic," said one man, summing up the general opinion of the three leaders' performances.
Some who watched the 90 minute debate felt it was too manufactured and the leaders too practised.
Pollsters YouGov found that 51 percent of people polled said Clegg won the debate, with 29 percent for Cameron and just 19 percent for Brown.
There will be two other live debates and three weeks more campaigning until the May 6 election.
YouGov said although Thursday evening's debate has given Clegg's party a poll boost, there's still a long way to go.
"I don't think it will have a massive impact on the polls long term, but that's fine with three weeks to go. With one week to go, the question is really if Brown is still behind going into the last debate: Will that alter his behaviour?" said Joe Twyman, Political Director of YouGov.
Body language expert, Richard Newman had fun analysing the behaviour of the three leaders. He, like the polls, marked Clegg the clear winner.
"He shows he's this action man, by standing nice and strong and also doing firm strong gestures and also getting the empathy vote by when he's listening to questions having his head off to one side," said Newman, Director of UK Body Talk.
Newman said Cameron was too poised and came across as aloof, whilst Brown was too "bullish". - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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