Jeremy Corbyn challenges David Cameron to annual TV debate
David Cameron was terrified of going on TV debates with Ed Miliband, despite describing the previous Labour leader as “Weak, weak, weak”. Can we expect any better, now that Jeremy Corbyn is challenging him to annual confrontations?
Mr Corbyn is turning up the pressure.
David Cameron ran away from the televised debates during the run-up to the 2015 general election, prompting many social media images associating him with a chicken (it seems the PR PM cannot get away from farmyard animals; he is now more popularly associated with pigs) – such as the image above.
Already on the back foot due to the Conservative Government’s pathetic handling of flood risk in the UK, it seems Cameron has been served notice that the remainder of his tenure in 10 Downing Street will not be comfortable.
Good.
Jeremy Corbyn has challenged David Cameron to take part in an annual, televised “state of the nation” debate between Britain’s national political leaders. The Labour leader told The Independent that he hoped the Prime Minister would sign up to a cross-party initiative to debate the dominant issues of the year and allow party leaders to be questioned by voters. He said that “no political leader should shrink from the chance to engage more fully with the public” and to “test their arguments in debate”.
Such an event, he added, would help the public to “engage more in politics in way that has been shown to be effective”. Labour sources suggested that, if such a debate had been held this year, topics for questions might have included Syrian air strikes, tax credits and the recent flooding in northern Britain.
The Independent approached the Scottish National Party leader, Nicola Sturgeon, and her Liberal Democrat counterpart, Tim Farron, to ask if they would participate. Both said they would endorse Mr Corbyn’s plan and take part in the debates if Mr Cameron agreed. Last night, a No 10 source said it would be prepared to “look at the formal details of any proposal”.
Mr Corbyn’s move comes after an academic study of the televised debates that took place during the last general election campaign found that they had an overwhelmingly positive effect on voter engagement.
Source: Jeremy Corbyn challenges David Cameron to annual TV debate | UK Politics | News | The Independent
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He’ll be looking for as many excuses not to take part as possible… one for every possible ontingency.
I can’t really see him participating tbh.
I can see no good reason for Cameron or any leader agreeing to such a debate. A government in office is implementing their manifesto and at times things may get worse before they get better. Debating policies is better done before an election. A government has nothing to gain by debating policies outside Parliament. The government is subject to scrutinity by Parliament and committees. Only opposition parties have anything to gain by such debates and therefore should not happen. Our democracy is based on the ballot box and not by TV appearances and sound bites. Policies are often too complicated and detailed to have a sensible debate on TV. It will degenerate into a series if attacks and defences which will be no benefit to the public. Any such debates would need to have all parties involved including the NI parties that did not the part last time. It would just be an immense distraction. Another foolish idea from Mr C (or rather one of his aides).
Under a Conservative Government, for the vast majority of the UK population, things are only going to get worse – never better.
That’s one reason for having annual debates.
If a government has nothing to gain from debating policies outside Parliament, why are the Tories so keen on dominating the mainstream media? They know their future depends on public opinion.
Tory policies are not complicated or detailed at all. They might try to use complicated terms and details to obfuscate the facts, but that’s a different matter. The gist is: Take money out of services to the public; privatise everything possible in return for donations from the businesspeople who benefit. Make the poor poorer and the rich richer.
But then, you’re a Tory. You rely on public ignorance of current events and their meaning. I don’t think anybody else reading this blog (apart from other Tories) would have any sympathy for your viewpoint.
Porky will never agree to a debate! He is too much of a coward, and he will be revealed to be the failure with his snout in the trough!!!!
Cameron will never accept a public debate with Jeremy Corbyn, he knows that he is a superficial lightweight and that Corbyn will wipe the floor with him.
The good thing about this annual debate would be that Jez could read out people’s letters as well as their emails.
Cameron will be running scared. He lacks principle so cant put this type of argument forward.
he relied on the imbeciles for votes, and the non thinking greedy self interested tory voters to reelect him. these are a minority and wont be interested in his poor unprincipled approach to politics.
Did I miss something, ( and the recent flooding in northern Britain)?