UK General Election 2019 - Debate Thread

[DKrol]

First Leaders Debate
August 12, 2019

Questions For Each Leader:

1. What is your position on Brexit? If you support Brexit, how will you enact the actual policy of Britain leaving the European Union? If you oppose Brexit, what is your plan to reverse Articel 50 being invoked by then-Prime Minister Andrea Leadsom?

2. More than 300,000 people are homeless in this country and scores more are living in temporary housing. If elected Prime Minister, what will you do to address this crisis?

3. Reform of the House of Lords has become a hot-button political issue in this campaign. How would you like to see the Lords reformed, if at all.

4. Britain has suffered several major terror attacks over the last few years, including the Manchester Arena bombing and the Westminster Bridge attack; Jo Cox was shot to death in 2016, and, just last week, Arder Carson was brutally stabbed to death in his constituency. How will a Government led by you ensure Britons remain safe in their own neighborhoods?

Questions for Specific Leaders:

1. Mr. Cameron, the Tories have been in Government since 2012. Why should Britain return you to Number 10 as the third Conservative Prime Minister?

2. Ms. Swinson, your comments on the campaign trail about allowing Scotland, Wales, and any region that chooses to to remain in the European Union even if the nation as a whole leaves have drawn sharp criticism and created a lot of confusion. Do you agree that such a plan would break up the Union?

3. Mr. Darling, why didn't Labour mention Brexit in their manifesto? Is Brexit not the largest issue of the campaign?

4. Mr. Farage, why didn't you campaign at all last week? How do you respond to comments from those who do not believe you are taking this election seriously and worry how you will govern?

5. Mrs. Soubry, is Change UK a left-of-center or a right-of-center party? Some have criticized you, a former Conservative MP, for endorsing and campaigning on what many have described as a manifesto of the left. Your response?

6. Mr. Nuttall, some have called the Brexit Party a splinter group, designed only to hurt Mr. Farage's UKIP. Do you think both parties can succeed, or is the success of one exclusive of the other's?

7. Ms. Lucas, can the Green Party become a major party in British politics?

8. Ms. Sturgeon, will Scotland leave the United Kingdom before the next election? If so, how? If not, why not?

9. Mr. Price, will Wales leave the United Kingdom before the next election? If so, how? If not, why not?

10. Ms. McDonald, your manifesto mentions preseving the special relationship between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Is that possible if the UK, with Northern Ireland, leaves the European Union while the Republic of Ireland remains in the European Union?

11. Ms. Foster, why didn't the Democratic Unionist Party release a manifesto and why didn't you campaign last week? Do you plan to contest seats in England and Wales again this election? How do you respond to those who say that the DUP standing in England and Wales is betraying the point of the party and its loyalty to Northern Ireland?

[DKrol]

Turn Three
August 15 - August 21

Ian King Live: The Big Business Interviews
Sky News

Ian King: That was the Sky News Leaders’ Debate. Joining me to talk about what we saw, Lewis Goodall. Lewis, hello.

Lewis Goodall: Hello, Ian.

King: First off, who won the debate?

Goodall: I think that that’s got to go to Nicola Sturgeon. She fought hard on her record as First Minister of Scotland and it played well to her base in Scotland. Her answer on the homeslessness question was a strong answer and a sharp rebuke of the parties in Westminster. She’s been riding a high wave in Scotland and I think it should continue to buoye the nationalist cause.

King: Of the national parties, though, who do you think came out on top?

Goodall: David Cameron and Alistair Darling were pretty evenly matched, staking out the clear differences between them. I guess I’d say Darling came out ahead simply because Cameron’s answer on the House of Lords reform was seen by many who watched the debate as out of touch and representative of the Old Boy’s Club the Tory party has been accused of being. Darling’s best answer was on the Brexit, where he corrected the problem of their manifesto launch and firmly committed Labour as a pro-Remain and a pro-Second Referendum party. Cameron also didn’t provide any concrete answers to the Brexit problems, especially the Irish border.

King: How did Jo Swinson do?

Goodall: Ian, really poorly, if I’m being honest. Her answers were incoherent, especially when pressed on how to Scotland could remain in the EU and the UK at the same time if the UK leaves on October 31. She also said she was opposed to reforming the House of Lords, which did not play well with the Liberal Democrat activist base. Reforming the House of Lords has been a major LibDem policy position for many years, going back to the election of 2010.

King: Nigel Farage didn’t attend the debate, but Paul Nuttall did. How did he do, being the only hard Brexiteer on the stage?

Goodall: He continued to build on the momentum of the first week of the campaign, really. He played to his base, he fired up his supporters, and he made a strong pitch to bring in as many Leave-supporting voters as possible. Solid performance for Paul Nuttall.

King: Mary Lou McDonald and Adam Price; did they do all right?

Goodall: McDonald played well to the Sinn Fein base. She did what she needed to do. With the DUP infrastructure falling apart and their voter-base splintering to other unionist parties, as long as Sinn Fein doesn’t go off the rails they will easily claim half of the seats in Northern Ireland. I think Adam Price was a little overwhelmed by the size of the moment. He seemed shaky, unsure of himself, and lacking in specific policies.

King: Lastly, Anna Soubry. What did we see from the Change UK Leader?

Goodall: Soubry wasn’t bad tonight, Ian, but she still fell a bit flat. She did a decent job of staking out Change UK as more than a single-issue party around Brexit and her jabs on David Cameron were well received. She just didn’t excite any potential new voters for Change UK although fact that Jo Swinson had such a bad night may help Anna Soubry.

King: Lewis Goodall - thank you.

[DKrol]

Second Leaders Debate
September 2, 2019

Questions For Each Leader:

1. Do you believe that Britain can, or should, become carbon neutral in its energy production?

2. Based on all polls and projections, no single party will come close to commanding an absolute majority in Westminister. What is your position on coalition building in the Commons? Do you believe coalitions are an advantage or a disadvantage to the proportional, party-list system?

3. If Britain cannot negotiate a withdrawal agreement with the EU by October 31, how would your government proceed? Would you attempt another extension, would you go forward without a deal, or would you end the Brexit process entirely?

4. There are reports that the American Major League Baseball Association is in talks with local business owners about operating a MLB franchise in the United Kingdom. Having seen the success of the MLB's London series earlier this summer, what is your position on an MLB club calling the British Isles their home?

5. Do you support or oppose such projects as the new runway at Heathrow, HS2, and Crossrail?

Questions for Specific Leaders:

1. Mr. Cameron, how do you respond to comments that the Tories are out of touch and built around Old Boys' Clubs? Does the recent scandal around Jacob Rees-Moog, one of your top of the list candidates, reflect the culture of your party?

2. Ms. Swinson, how do you plan to finance some of the claims you have made on the campaign trail? Specifically the promise to build thousands of new schools and spend millions on the NHS?

3. Mr. Darling, has your position on nationalized rail services changed since your time as Transport Secretary in the early 2000s? What is your plan for Britain's rail networks?

4. Ms. Soubry, would your Government support the public spending that was needed to fund the 2012 Olympics in order to host future global sporting events, including a possible 2030 World Cup?

5. Mr. Nuttall, why do you think your party is failing to breakthrough in the polls? Do you think the party focusing on Brexit as their centerpiece is helping or hindering your success?

6. Ms. Lucas, to what do you attribute your party's success in the polls? Are people becoming more aware of, and concerned about, environmental issues or is it, as some have suggested, because of sub-par campaigns by the Liberal Democrats and Labour?

7. Ms. Sturgeon, how do you respond to comments by some, Ms. Soubry included, that the SNP has an obsession with independence and that the party would be better served by becoming a more general left-wing party?

8. Ms. McDonald, do you attribute your success in the polls to a groundswell in the nationalist movement or to the general vacuum left by the collapse of the DUP? What are your thoughts on ChangeUK contesting seats in Northern Ireland?

[DKrol]

Post-Debate Analysis
Sky News - September 3

Adam Boulton: Last night, the leaders of the eight political parties contesting next week's election met in Manchester to debate their visions for the country. Let's talk to Sky's Beth Rigby about what we saw last night.

Beth Rigby: Yeah, hello, Adam.

Boulton: A clear winner?

Rigby: Jo Swinson came out with a very strong performance. She was able to counter a lot of the criticisms against her in this campaign so far. She presented clear positions and laid out steps to get there. Swinson's debate performance probably saved the Liberal Democrats' campaign from going underwater.

Boulton: How did the Prime Minister do?

Rigby: David Cameron had a very different night from the Leader of the Opposition. Many people have scoffed at the timeline he laid out for Britain becoming carbon neutral. His answer on Brexit left people angry and confused. Throughout this campaign, in both debates and on the trail, the Conservatives have failed to lay out a plan for actually leaving the European Union by October 31.

Boulton: Nicola Sturgeon won the first Leaders' Debate. How did she do last night?

Rigby: Her first debate was a smashing success. Last night was not. She did what she needed to do and she had no flops, but she didn't do anything to bring new voters toward the SNP. I don't think she'll be hurt by the debate, but I can't see her getting much help from it either. There are only so many pro-independence Scots.

Boulton: What about the rest of the field? Darling, Nuttall, Soubry, and Lucas?

Rigby: Alistair Darling had a great night. He probably pulled up second in my opinion, behind Jo Swinson. He came out punching and staked out Labour as the party of ideas and policies against David Cameron's pie in the sky slogans. His change of heart on nationalizing rail service from his time as Transport Secretary also helped him bring some of the more Far Left supporters of former Chancellor Jeremy Corbyn back into the fold.

Paul Nuttall and the BFP, like Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP, did what they needed to do. Nuttall's answers were weak on specifics but strong on hammering home the Brexit and independence message. He probably didn't help his cause too much, but he also probably didn't hurt himself in the process either.

In the first debate, Anna Soubry won points for her attacks on David Cameron. In this debate, she picked up right where she left off. In her first answer, she landed sharp blows over the Prime Minister's carbon neutral proposal. She also landed a hit on Jo Swinson over the proposed American baseball franchise in London, which earned her a few votes. What I expect to see out of this debate is ChangeUK gaining some traction with voters who were planning to cast blank ballots or vote for fringe, local parties as opposition votes. Anna Soubry showed she can stand toe-to-toe with the bigger party leaders and not blink.

Caroline Lucas also had a decent night. Some have said that the debate questions set the Greens up for success, but her answers were sharp and clear and her jabs at the Prime Minister played well. I don't know how much of an impact her success will have, though, given that the other parties of left also had good nights themselves.

Boulton: Lastly, Sinn Fein and Mary Lou McDonald. How do things look in Northern Ireland?

Rigby: Mary Lou McDonald is basically running uncontested in Northern Ireland. I expect Sinn Fein to win over 40% of the vote. What she had to do tonight was throw some scraps to her base and bash the unionist cause. She did both of those. Her attacks on Anna Soubry and ChangeUK were well received in Northern Ireland.

Boulton: Beth Rigby, thank you.