Cameron was winner, say our panellists
DAVID Cameron won last night’s debate convincingly, according to a rapid response panel of City A.M. readers.
We asked a rapid response group from our panel of London’s financiers and business professionals to score each of the leaders out of 10 for their performance in the debate, and to give them a second mark for content.
The Tory leader won by a clear margin, in a remarkable turnaround on last week when he pipped Nick Clegg to the post.
Cameron scored 6.9 out of 10 for performance and 6.8 for content, compared to 6.7 and 6.5 last week.
Nick Clegg scored an average of 5.8 for performance, compared to 6.3 last week, while content was marked at 4.9 against last week’s 5.3.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown scored 4.6 out of 10 – exactly the same mark as last week – while he was marked 4.4 for content, against 4.3 last week.
“Cameron was the only one with any radical approach to the major issues, particularly the economic black hole which we all now face, which Brown is responsible for,” said one panellist.
• PoliticsHome.com interviewed 150 panellists from the City A.M./PHI Panel by email last night. Apply to join the panel at www.cityam.com/panel
RAPID RESPONSE | A SELECTION OF COMMENTS
• “Clegg’s mask has slipped. Style but little credible substance.”
• “Why are they in denial about what needs to happen in terms of cuts?”
• “Nick Clegg demonstrated that he and his party are not one of the major political parties – most of his policy statements were naïve and his grasp of the economy and the markets, in particular a Glass-Steagall-type Act is obtuse. Zero substance.”
• “No real clear winner this time – boring and repetitive. But Clegg just edged the others out again.”
• “Brown was desperately dull and utterly uninspiring. Clegg was more patronising than a schoolboy who thinks he knows better than anyone. We finally saw Cameron spark into life and this debate will probably be seen as his victory.”
• “Good to see Cameron being more aggressive.”
• “Better show from Brown, but he still comes across as old and dithering.”
• “Cameron is sounding like a stuck record. Clegg is the only one with something fresh to say which is what makes him so contentious.”
• “Worryingly, Clegg now thinks he is Obama. Cameron was much improved this time and Brown was typical Brown.”
• “Clegg is playing to the audience – god forbid if they became government.”
• “Cameron was very professional.”