UNITED KINGDOM: Polls and pundits put outsider Nick Clegg clear winner in Britain's first TV election debate

Record ID: 593284

  • Title: UNITED KINGDOM: Polls and pundits put outsider Nick Clegg clear winner in Britain's first TV election debate
  • Date: 17th April 2010
  • Summary: LONDON, ENGLAND, UK (APRIL 16, 2010) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) RICHARD NEWMAN, DIRECTOR OF UK BODY TALK, SAYING: "And then you also had the tremendous point during the debate, where you had Nick Clegg, who threw the idea back to Cameron and to Brown, where he was saying 'Well, you know both of you missed out putting numbers in your manifestos.' And both of them in unison backed off as if to say 'Yup, yeah, we really screwed on that one'. And they did this very strange sort of smile, both of them, as if you say, 'Please forgive me for this, I am so sorry', and then came forwards again. So Clegg totally owning the stage and dominating the two, who should have been superior leaders."
  • Embargoed: 2nd May 2010 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: United Kingdom
  • Country: United Kingdom
  • Topics: Domestic Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVAAS8OCKR02D4ASJ5IOPUESBCNZ
  • 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".
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