By I. Hansana, Jadetimes News
With the first head to head leader's debate scheduled for Tuesday evening and more to follow, the public will closely observe the impact on the campaign. While election debates feel like a longstanding tradition in the UK, they are relatively new.
No rule mandates their occurrence, but typically, the party leader trailing in the polls challenges the frontrunner to a live debate. No politician wants to appear afraid during an election campaign. This practice began with the first televised debate in 2010, where the memorable catchphrase “I agree with Nick!” emerged.
The 2010 election featured the inaugural televised debate between Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Tory challenger David Cameron, and the Lib Dems' Nick Clegg. Clegg, positioning himself as an outsider, appeared most comfortable, directly addressing viewers with his message: “I believe the way things are, are not the way things have to be.” Despite this, the Lib Dems lost seats in the election, although Clegg's personal ratings were favorable.
David Cameron, frustrated by Clegg’s positive coverage, limited the number of debates in 2015, according to his former director of communications, Sir Craig Oliver. Oliver likened a poll lead to a fragile Ming vase, with the debate being a polished floor the leader must navigate carefully. He noted that while everyone claims to want debates, frontrunners prefer to protect their lead.
In the 2017 election, Theresa May did not participate in any TV debates and subsequently lost her Conservative majority in the House of Commons. Over the last four elections, various debate formats have emerged, including head to heads and multi party debates. The challenges remain similar across formats.
John McTernan, former political secretary to Tony Blair, advised leaders like Jim Murphy and Julia Gillard for their debates. His key advice is authenticity: “Avoid making dad jokes. Dad jokes are not funny and are not zingers. Zingers come from naturally witty individuals. Don’t pretend to be witty; just be natural.”
Despite over 9 million viewers tuning in for the first election debate in 2010, viewership has declined. So why continue? Joe Twyman, co founder of Delta Poll, suggests the significance lies in the “zingers” that generate clickbait, extending the debate’s impact through clips, comments, and social media analysis over subsequent days and weeks.