What's Cameron's game with the TV debates?

[d000hg]

It is much easier to whine about "what's wrong" and to be negative than it is to be positive. Cameron would be on a hiding to nothing.

That may be true, but getting in the headlines for not wanting to participate means everyone gets to give him a kicking anyway.

[TheFaQQer]

That may be true, but getting in the headlines for not wanting to participate means everyone gets to give him a kicking anyway.

Apart from the newspapers read by 85% of the population this this is a good thing.

I wonder why?

[minestrone]

What is the format of this big debate anyway? is it just going round the group asking the same questions?

And if you think Milliband is bad at debating wait till you hear Sturgeon, absolutely hopeless, while she is fine at delivering speeches and quick sound bites she just can't hack one on one stuff, she is getting brutalised every week and FMQ.

[vetran]

The BBC has confirmed that Ed Miliband may end up debating with an empty chair if David Cameron refuses to attend their head to head showdown before the election.

Paddy Power and Ladbrokes immediately installed the chair as odds on favourite to win the debate if that actually happens.

[vetran]

I'm not surprised that David Cameron's insisting the TV debates include at least 7 political parties.

He's well known for being a mass debater.

[Zero Liability]

To be fair, an empty chair is better suited to someone of Miliband's aptitude...

[minestrone]

I'm sure there is deeper though to this.

The other parties will be battering on about the debates for weeks and weeks, maybe it gives the conservatives more space just to promote the economic upturn unhindered by petty squabbles.

They would have expected all of this stuff today, I don't think this is unplanned and has strategy we might not be clear on yet.

[Unix]

I'm sure there is deeper though to this.

The other parties will be battering on about the debates for weeks and weeks, maybe it gives the conservatives more space just to promote the economic upturn unhindered by petty squabbles.

They would have expected all of this stuff today, I don't think this is unplanned and has strategy we might not be clear on yet.

Time will tell, it's not looking good at the moment for Dave, being seen as a coward could prove fatal for his career and could lose him the election. Even Brown had the bottle to do them knowing he would get slaughtered.

[minestrone]

Time will tell, it's not looking good at the moment for Dave, being seen as a coward could prove fatal for his career and could lose him the election. Even Brown had the bottle to do them knowing he would get slaughtered.

If he goes out on the first one and does some stuff then the coward tag will be lost, he then gets to get on with the campaign.

Milliband will just turn the one on one into anti banker and class warfare debate looking for cheap votes. Better off out.

Yup, I think he has done the right thing.

[d000hg]

To be fair, an empty chair is better suited to someone of Miliband's aptitude...

In reality he offered to be grilled by Paxman for the "debate". That sounds like a tough gig.