The London mayoral contest is hotting up, and tonight ITV1 broadcasts a debate at 11.05 pm (London only; or Sky channel 993), with Lib Dem contender Brian Paddick, and the Tory and Labour candidates, Boris Johnson and Ken Livingstone.
The London Evening Standard previews the debate here, reporting that:
Brian Paddick looked and sounded the part. He relied on notes but was polished. He ably deflected questioning of his “softly, softly” approach to cannabis possession while Lambeth borough commander.
He boasted about not being a career politician yet appeared as slick as the best. If TV debating is less about what you say and more about how you say it, Mr Paddick will have impressed many. … Much remains to play for – and from this initial skirmish, it’s going to be a hell of a battle. But we may just have seen the first signs of the end of the Livingstone era.
If you’re able to watch, and want to sound-off, please feel free to use the comments thread.
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29 Comments
Unfortunately only available in London, or on Sky channel 993 up north.
Thanks, Kevin – have updated the post.
Oh well as I’m out in the sticks in Somerset and can’t work out how to view London ITV thingy guess I’m out of this one!! I’ll just have to imagine it…
:@)
Sadly, we in the east of England have Anglia Soccer Night instead (not that we have any successful teams lately!). I will rely on the feedback from this forum….
Weird! It’s like me starting a thread on a debate programme only available to the nether regions, sorry, the South-West!
By the way what does everyone think of the Bristol Old Vic?
:@))
very strong performance by brian
for those outside london broadcasting, the format of the show is each of the three candidated take turns being questioned.
First the other candidates question him for three mins, then supporters of his opponents in the audiance have a go.
brian stood up well to all these oposition questions – ken and boris are up next, lets see how they do
http://www.itvlocal.com/london/news/
click on latest news for a link
not live but next best thing
Ken is up now and is having a bun fight with Boris
What kind of questions? Harsh? Easy? What topics?
to brian he had to face drugs in lambeth, merderers in shools and bendy buses (asked by boris), congestion charge and affordable homes (from ken)
must point out the first two came from the audiance not boris
ken – typical yah boo politics stuff, wasnt listening properly due to typing here (men cant multi-task)Boris up next, should be fun
very good so far – answered all the questions well, looked relaxed and on top of the policy. Having K and B just shouting at each other won’t do Brian any harm eiter.
Yes, yes, I agree…
Boris has his fan club in, whooping and clapping his every word. But all his answers are just blustering and avoiding direct answers. More bun fighting with the audiance questioning.
Brian won this – he answered questions with passion and had the aududiance listening and not baracking him.
What’s a ‘bun fight’? Am I being stupid here?
:@)
Oh…you’ve gone to bed…sensible chap…
maybe I use the wrong metafore – basically they were all tring to talk over eachover whilst the audiance is either baracking or shouting support.
Bit like the house of commons at question time
Hmmm…or like a Lib Dem Voice Forum!
Gosh is that the time? Must dash – cheers!
:@) x
Is it just me, or were the Tory supporters really irritating. Polite clapping would have been enough, but their cheering and braying made them look like loons*
*I’m just jealous because although I was invited to be a Lib Dem in the crowd, I couldn’t make it . . .
Brian was very good, and came back with good solid responses.He also seems to be relaxing more and enjoying himself. Boris really didn’t answer a single question. The Labour supporters in the audience were heckling him a lot (which was edited out)He got vey upset with my question about his description of black people etc, and instead of coming back with a good reply, went into denial. Ken seems genuinely rattled by Boris, and kept flattering Brian. Ken looked and sounded tired.
Hi Meral, I thought it was a good question of yours – I hope people watching will have seen how often Boris fails to answer the question that’s put to him!
I was a little put off by the tribal nature of the audience
Yes, yes, so was I…
I don’t know if Stephen Williams is attending any debates on the Bristol Old Vic but if it happens can we have an open thread on it? I’d really like the feeling of excluding some of the members on here that don’t live in the South-West!!!! [The Lib Dem capital & number one region…]
Best
:@))
Blundering Boorish Johnson did not impress. What did the Tory supporters club have to drink before the programme?
I thought Brian came over really well; more to the point so did my less biased partner.
Ken’s opening pitch was OK but he was tired-looking and snappy.
Boris was all over the place (I really don’t think restrictions on 2nd degrees is Londoners’ number 1 issue).
Brian gave well-timed opening and closing remarks. And his questions to answers were very good. Spinners ignore the question and just make their point; the inexperienced let hostile questions distract them. Brian managed to answer the questions and make his point; excellent.
By this performance Brian will have significantly improved his chances of being accepted as a serious contender by the public (and the media)
I agree with assessment of Ken by others above – he looks tired and vulnerable
This election has every chance of becoming a two horse race between Brian and Ken
yeah, Brian shone. He was as others have said, an uncanilly slick politician, but that was probably because what he was saying and how he is selling himself, he believes. He seemed to totally melt the black conservative woman who was accusing him of letting murderers and rapists into the classroom.
He seems to have done everything at the right time to look cool. Winning hearts and minds of the dreads in Brixton, resigning after the De Menesez shooting.
yeah. Ken seemed tired. he seemed to be looking at Brian as “the younger ken Livingstone” at times.
Boris was an idiot. i like him but he and his supporters came across like the monster raving loony party.