How do you think the head-to-head debate went ?

[Papaumau]

Papa I don't really take much notice of poles I know that one two have given the top spot to the Lib Dems but I wouldn't put money on what they say. I just have that feeling that the Lib Dems are going to do very well. We are getting nothing new, out of new labour and the cons have really gone off the boil. The next debate going to be very interesting.

I agree that opinion polls are just snapshots of how the people are thinking at a particular time and even if they are not all that accurate I think that they CAN influence voting just by suggesting who is leading the poll. The polls nearer the time will be the ones to watch as they are often spot on with their predictions.

I, like you, hope that even if the polls are not all that accurate they CAN make people change their vote so that they are no longer voting for the perceived losers.

The Liberal Democrats have been suffering from the "first past the post" system for many years as they often get very high shares of the vote without gaining many extra seats.

[PHARRI]

As it is now a week since the first televised debate, I am gradually being persuaded into voting Liberal Democrat after being a Labour voter all my life. I shall be very interested to see the second debate and whether this reinforces my opinions.

[Hugh]

As it is now a week since the first televised debate, I am gradually being persuaded into voting Liberal Democrat after being a Labour voter all my life. I shall be very interested to see the second debate and whether this reinforces my opinions.

We are going to see tonight just how he deals with pressure. One thing for sure he's going to have a hard time.

[Ivanhoe]

The next debait is tonight on Beeb 2, at 11.30 pm, what a bloody stupid time, unless one has Sky which I dont.

[Hugh]

The next debait is tonight on Beeb 2, at 11.30 pm, what a bloody stupid time, unless one has Sky which I dont.

Its live on sky and I believe its also on ITV much earlier than the beeb 2 repeat

[Ivanhoe]

No, its not on ITV at all tonight.  Its on BBC 2 at 11.30pm. bloody stupid.  I guess the beed dont think people will care because the three are discussing international affairs.

[Hugh]

Have a look at ITV at 10pm,  on ours its news and debate

[Ivanhoe]

Not on ours.  It's the 10pm news for 35 mins.

[Hugh]

Not on ours.  It's the 10pm news for 35 mins.

You would have thought with such an important issue it should have been live to every one. Sorry you are missing out.

[Ivanhoe]

London ITV arent carrying it, but Welsh ITV are.

[Papaumau]

Well it looks as if Nick Clegg did it again, if you read the less partisan mediums.

Here is a report from my mail-client news-service:
http://www.mail.com/intl/Article.aspx/world/europe/APNews/Europe/20100422/U_EU-Britain-Election-Debates?pageid=1

This is NOT the Daily Mail BTW !

[Hugh]

I don't think there was a whisker between all three but for the leaflet Labour have put out and Brown said he knew nothing about it??? Lost points for G Brown. The truth is voters want a change and Nick taking the lead at the moment A vote for Lib Dems is a wasted once said, but not any more. The debates have done Nick a world of good.

[Papaumau]

Dead right Hugh !

It is BECAUSE it has been seen previously that the Liberal Democrats have no chance of winning an overall majority that many people have not voted for them. "Nobody likes to be attached to a loser" they say.

Now that Nick Clegg has brought the Liberal Democrats slap-bang into the centre of British politics many of these people are now considering that a vote for the Lib Dems is no longer a lost vote.

The only problem that the Liberal Democrats have still to overcome is the first-past-the-post voting-system where it does not matter how large a share of the vote they get, they might still not win enough seats to become an effective third force.

It is sad that because the Labour and Tory safe seats are in concentrated and small-numbered constituencies that the FPTP system actually does them good and makes them more liable to win seats.

Only a change to the Proportional Representation voting system whereby the single transferrable vote is used will ensure that fairness in votes-sharing decides how many seats are gained by all - including the minority parties.

That one is certainly for the future !