EU Debate between Farage and Clegg

[angrysoba]

Didn't see a thread on this. The leaders of the two UK parties jostling for third place had a debate on the EU. Farage is anti-EU and wants out, Clegg is pro-EU and wants to stay in.

Any thoughts?

 

[Soapy Sam]

Who?

 

[The Don]

Farage is IMO very adept at political theatre and plays the part of the "hale fellow well met" very well. That forum will not allow Clegg to expose Farage's weaknesses without coming across as hectoring.

 

[Puppycow]

Who?

UKIP, the main anti-EU party in Britain (Farage) and the Liberal Democrats, currently the junior partner with the Tories in the coalition government (Clegg).

 

[angrysoba]

Who?

The leader of a bunch of cranks who have cobbled together a party with a platform of outrageously populist and attention-seeking ideas trying desperately to appear relevant, versus Nigel Farage.

 

[angrysoba]

Part II



According to the polls, Clegg took a battering.

 

[The Don]

It turned out exactly as I expected unfortunately.

 

[Darat]

It turned out exactly as I expected unfortunately.

Yep.

 

[angrysoba]

It turned out exactly as I expected unfortunately.

Yep.

You expected Farage to beat Clegg in a debate?

 

[The Don]

You expected Farage to beat Clegg in a debate?

I expected that Farage wouldn't let a true debate take place and instead it would be a series of set pieces where Farage would do his usual "bloke down the pub" schtick and in order to counter it, Clegg would have to resort to schoolmaster like hectoring.

"Debating" with Farage is like wrestling a pig, you end up filthy and the pig enjoys it. The whole thing was ill-judged by Clegg, he had nothing to win and everything to lose. Farage on the other hand had the opposite situation.

 

[Seismosaurus]

Good victory for Farage on every level, really.

Wonder if he will try to leverage this to get himself in on the debates leading to the next general election?