United Kingdom General Election: July 4, 2024

[GoTfan]

Just tuned unto the livestream. Are UK debates turning American with how often the interrupting is happening or is this just normal?

[Torrain]

Question from a student, which leads both candidates to mention the national service policy. Audience laugh with Starmer about it, and then laugh louder when Sunak tells the guy to his face that he'll like it.

[Cassius]

The chief problem with the set-up of this debate is that it’s far too short - Etchingham keeps cutting them off before they’ve finished speaking and because of the rushed nature of the slots they have to keep interrupting each other to get the last word in. It should be two hours minimum and there should be more room for back-and-forth between the two.

[TheTide]

Starmer sounded exactly like Ed Balls when talking about how desperate the National Service policy is.   

[Cassius]

Not the joke question please God no.

[Alcibiades]

Not the joke question please God no.

Wasn't even interesting in the end; I thought it was going to be about who they would pick for the England squad at first.

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

Anyone else reminded of Neil Kinnock when Starmer said he was the first member of his family to go to university?

[Cassius]

Not the joke question please God no.

Wasn't even interesting in the end; I thought it was going to be about who they would pick for the England squad at first.

Well it was a question from Southgate himself so the chances of it being interesting were always going to be low.

[Zinneke]

Should've asked them which one of Vindaloo or 9 German Bombers is the better chant.

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

This is the first time I've ever heard of the name of the current Green leader.

[Torrain]

https://twitter.com/YouGov/status/1798100845378060673
Worth saying - Johnson beat Corbyn by 1% in a YouGov snap poll after their 2019 debate, so the use of *any of this* might be fairly limited.

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

I liked Ed Davey's performance in the post-debate interviews. He has a great sense of humor.

[Germany1994]

Doesn´t look like an incubency bonus for Sunak.

[Cassius]

I liked Ed Davey's performance in the post-debate interviews. He has a great sense of humor.

Yeah, I didn’t think much of his comedy roadshow at first, but it seems like an effort to stand out against the two haughty, thin-skinned men who lead the major parties. Farage (who was often quite testy in previous campaigns) seems to be going for a similar approach.

[MillennialModerate]

Starmer answer to the line about would you use private insurance to save someone you love was awful - comes off as cold and automated.

With that said - holy sh**t the moderator favored Sunak. It couldn’t have been more obvious

[MillennialModerate]

Tories aren’t winning it obviously but I wouldn’t be surprised if this narrows some of the polls just a little bit … although Farage taking away from right flank might even the numbers out

[oldtimer]

It was a horrible but lively debate.

On audience questions:

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Sunak lost it on the very first question from a lady who's in serious financial trouble, when he was smiling and smirking throughout his non-answer.

On the Second question: Sunak was smiling as he said "I'm sorry for your loss", sums up his performance.

Starmer was bland, grey, repetitive, he looked worried about everything.

Generic Starmer: My mother and father where piss poor, Sunak blames everyone else.

When directly debating each other both had hits, this was the lively part:

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Generic Starmer: Here's how Sunak broke his promises.
Generic Sunak: You have no plan.

While they where shouting at each other.

I hate it that Sunak was smiling and smirking on everything, even on matters of disaster and death.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

I can't think of any obvious reason why that would change anyone's vote.

[TheTide]

I liked Ed Davey's performance in the post-debate interviews. He has a great sense of humor.

Yeah, I didn’t think much of his comedy roadshow at first, but it seems like an effort to stand out against the two haughty, thin-skinned men who lead the major parties. Farage (who was often quite testy in previous campaigns) seems to be going for a similar approach.

Both Farage and Davey will, I believe, be taking part in the upcoming seven-way party debate, along with Rayner and Mordaunt. It should at the very least be less grim than this was.  

[oldtimer]

https://twitter.com/YouGov/status/1798100845378060673
Worth saying - Johnson beat Corbyn by 1% in a YouGov snap poll after their 2019 debate, so the use of *any of this* might be fairly limited.

"None of the above/both lost/neither" not being an option really makes it useless.

[Almost Anyone But Biden Or Trump (ABBoT but not Greg Abbott)]

Starmer answer to the line about would you use private insurance to save someone you love was awful - comes off as cold and automated.

He should have said something like, "Under Rishi Sunak's Conservative NHS that they spent 14 years destroying, or under the Labour NHS after we have fixed it? If you are talking about the Conservative NHS, absolutely. On the other hand, if you are talking about the NHS after Labour gets finished rebuilding it, nobody will have to think about what to do if the NHS isn't there for them - not even Rishi Sunak."

[Harlow]

This is the first time I've ever heard of the name of the current Green leader.

There are two co-leaders -- Carla Denyer and Adrian Ramsay.

[Oryxslayer]

This is the first time I've ever heard of the name of the current Green leader.

There are two co-leaders -- Carla Denyer and Adrian Ramsay.

Who are standing respectively in Bristol Central and Waveny Valley (Mid Suffolk).

[Mike88]

The chief problem with the set-up of this debate is that it’s far too short - Etchingham keeps cutting them off before they’ve finished speaking and because of the rushed nature of the slots they have to keep interrupting each other to get the last word in. It should be two hours minimum and there should be more room for back-and-forth between the two.

I think that's a problem in almost every debate nowadays. Moderators want simple cut answers in topics that are not that simple to resume in 5/6 words. Be lucky you guys don't have 30-minute debates.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Starmer answer to the line about would you use private insurance to save someone you love was awful - comes off as cold and automated.

'Save' wasn't what was asked (and couldn't have been with the way healthcare works in this country), but this post mostly suggests a lack of familiarity with the Labour Party.