Leaders debates

En route to the Leaders Debates with Patrick Harvie MSP, Ross Greer and Cllr Jillian Creasy.

All good fun at the Leaders Debates for me in Manchester this week at Media City. I was part of the Green Party Team in the 'Spin Room' to provide commentary on the debate. The Spin Room was in a seperate building from the place where the debate proper was held. It was in a building called 'The Pie Factory' which I guess it might have been once. It looked like it had been very hastily put together as a studio to contain all the camera crews and milling politicos and their press teams.

 In the end I did a piece to camera for the Press Association and that was that, but interesting to be there nonetheless. Green MSP  Patrick Harvie described the atmosphere as being like a Count without the ballot papers and it was. The room was full of  prominent Politicians waiting around for hours many of whom I don't like much. it was just that instead of your common or garden Tory Cllrs we had George Osborne and Teresa May accompanied by their Special Branch minders. Reps from all the parties were there all in their huddles just like we were.

Natalie gave solid and substantial answers to the questions posed and the social media response to her was very positive. Nicola Sturgeon shone with righteous anger and Leanne Wood took first blood. She laid into the contemptible Farage. He seemed to have completely defaulted to his BNP factory settings by blaming immigration for every question posed to him. 

Cameron and Clegg we learnt nothing new about as a result of the debate. Clegg in denial of the harm he's caused and Cameron as 'smooth' and oily as ever. It was Miliband who was 'odd'. Now I know it isn't a revelation to say he is odd but Sheffield Central Candidate  Cllr Jillian Creasy reckoned he had over rehearsed. It was the way he stared directly at the camera as if he was trying to enter your very soul when he answered a question that freaked me out. It was obviously something he had been told to do but it didn't come across as natural at all.

Afterwards the team all met up and had a few shandies and got an early night. Nah!