The Elections Debate

The UK will be holding its elections this year. The most significant change to the elections is the inclusion of the UK Elections Debate.

This is a live debate, broadcasted on television, amongst leaders of the nation's top 3 political parties. Questions are fielded by a live audience of 200 who live within a 30-mile radius from the debate venue, selected by the polling company. There are 76 rules to the debate.

CNN explains the format of this debate via this video.



Here's the vid of the 90-minute debate.
The first question is also currently very hot in the Singaporean scene, i.e. IMMIGRATION. Check out the range of answers. It's never "You are low-productive, that's why!"



Love this line by Gordon Brown: You can't airbrush your policies like you airbrush your posters.

By the end of the debate, polls were taken, and they demonstrated that for this first round, the leader of the Liberal Democrat Party, Nick Clegg, has come out tops.

Check out how some British voters gathered together at a pub to watch the debate, as if they were watching a soccer game.

Just 24 minutes after the debate had ended, there were 200,000 tweets on it, with each of the 3 political parties participating as well.

The idea, of having such an election debate, such open participation by members of public in elections, is very alien to me. In Singapore, our elections are like... a week-long kampung event that is shunned by most 'better-bred' citizens who are too good to stand in the muddy grass fields with thousands of other sticky Singaporeans just to listen to the candidates speak live.

Of course, I wonder about what the elections debates can achieve. Because of the nature of a debate, the candidate, who is more quick-witted and telegenic, will gain more of an advantage. It's so unfair for the candidate who is not as good-looking + speaks with a heavy Singlish accent + unable to think on his feet. But then again, that's what politics is about anyway. This is merely one more avenue to help the voters to get to know their political candidates. It is certainly more engaging for the voters to see the candidates in action.

If we want this, we should start mooting the idea of having such a debate NOW. Coz in the UK, this idea was first mooted in 1964. It took 46 years for it to happen. It may take a century for the same debate to take place in Singapore.