I am trying my hardest to try and cast my vote as best I can, so I am trying to read and watch as much about the three parties as I can. So I started with this debate.
The debate begins somewhat like a gameshow and standing there are the three party leaders, Gordon Brown of the labour party, David Cameron of the Conservative party and Nick Clegg of the Liberal Democrats.
Q1. ImmingrationBrown is adament that immigration is already falling
Cameron wants to decrease it, add more police on borders
Clegg wants to add regionalism and use border controls similar to Canada.
To be honest, adding more police to a border just makes us seem more violent. I agree with Clegg- regionalism seems to have worked elsewhere. ...........................................................................................
Q2. Law and OrderCameron begins by slating Brown and says the system doesn't work in regards to the law. Police out on the streets. Addiction on drugs causes crimes- need to confront drug takers. Could save money within police (money put on cars) Brown caused the biggest recession ever.
Clegg Need more police on our streets. Slates I.D card- for the same price could add 3000 police on streets. Young offenders- stop them becoming harderned criminals. Prisons reproduce crime - 9/10 reoffend. Have young offenders apolagize. 4000 short sentences- learn more in prison. No figures put on manifesto (Brown and Cameron)
Brown- official crime figures show it is falling. Effective policing on streets. Parents need to accept responsibility of children. Can take injunctions againt police. Spending on police would arise. Scheme at Reading prison = training for jobs.
Again I agreed with Clegg on this one because I do think that young offenders need to be tackled early. However, it can't be overlooked that Brown has implimented something of this already in Reading prison. ........................................................................................
Q3. MP's expenses.Clegg MP's haven't fully paid for their discrepancies. No Liberal Democrat did. Put forward a law that allowed citizens to vote out their MP- Labour and Conservative voted no. Now they are saying what he has already put forward.
Brown Shocked and sickened. Wants to introduce right of recall to citizens, right to petition in parliment and to reform the house of commons/house of lords- rather than heriditary. (Trying to get Cleggs support and undermine Cameron.) Cut House of Lords by 50 percent. Going to put it to a reforendum.
CameronWants to cut the amount politics costs- better value for money. Defend house of commons reduction 10 percent. (Cameron is smug and attacks Cleggs argument that Lib Dems weren't involved in scandal) When an MP breaks rules need to be able to get rid of MP. (All agreed?)
I do think it is ridiculous that Brown and Cameron are now asking for a law which Liberal Democrats had already proposed. I very much agreed with Brown's idea to completly shake up the House of Commons and to make the House of Lords cut by 50% and to be voted in. ............................................................................................
Q4. EducationBrown already improving. Education needs to be till 18. Young people need to be able to battle with rest of the world. Need to insist on high standards.Allowing federations to overthrown underperforming schools. Can't cut budgets- would cut numbers of teachers and teaching assistants. (Attacks Cameron says he is going to cut it greatly.)
Cameron excite people about learning. Too beaurecratic. Need as much money in schools as possible. Not change the exam process. Need good dicipline. Head teachers shudnt be overruled by appeal panels. 3 million pounds doing up building- less wastage (mentions being a parent repeatidly) (Attack at Brown putting up national insurance which effectivly takes money from every school.)
Clegg 600 pages of national curriculam - Sweden only has 16. Needs an education freedom act- stop micro managing. Smaller class sizes additional resources - 20 children in primary and 16 in secondary schools. "More they attack each other, more they sound exactly the same" More freedom for teachers and smaller class sizes. Need to save money from elsewhere to help fund.
I do agree that we need a national curriculam, just to know that everybody is getting the same level. But 600 pages seems a bit excessive. In that sense, I see Cleggs ideas here- I know that in sixth form having much smaller classes was a massive help because it meant we got more support. Brown and Cameron seemed to disregard the question and focus mainly on attacking each other. ..............................................................................................
Q5. Budget Cameron stop jobs tax- 100 leading businessmen say it is a threat to recovery. Doesn't believe that if they cut waste this year it will endanger economy. Economy wouldn't collapse. (Attacks Cleggs tax cut) (Attacks Brown- waste money now and make money later.) Mentions again the bussinessmen. (Again attacks Brown)
Clegg specified on manifesto their figures for helping the deficit. Constantly argue about little wastage. Want to be clear with citizens. Impose a tax on Banks. Should put people before politics- we get Chancellors/Bank of england all become straight with people about extent of deficit.
Brown Can't afford to take money out of the economy means lost jobs and growth. Don't take 6 billion out. The governement has prevented unemployment from raising. (Attacks Cameron- not support money in economy- take a risk with the recovery.) Gotta make sure we invest this year so we can grow later.
In this instance, I agree with Brown. I don't think we can just take money out to pay off the debts because I do feel the economy would suffer. But I would also like details of how he proposes to do it. Nick Clegg, for that reason, stood out because when prompted, he offered specific ways in which he would do things. ............................................................................................
Q6. MilitaryClegg agrees are underpaid. Need to change priorities. Paid less than firefighter or police. Kind of equiptment we supply. Rollers aren't used by UK but are America. Agrees with Cameron needs a review. If hold that review, need to rule out Tridant- important? Shouldn't spend it on a cold war missile system- need to spend money on other parts.
Brown increased spending on equiptment in the last couple of years. I would not send troops into battle until I was sure they were equipt. Met every requirement asked for. Why in afganistan? Threat. How get troops home? Need to build up their army and police. Need to increase money and support when home. Responded to change in tactics. Tridant- If people respond by all holding nuclear weapons, we need to hold them.
Cameron don't do enough for them. Need to invest in TA. Review of equiptment and army. Tridant- always have the ultimate protection. (Attacks Brown- didn't have enough helicopters)
Both Clegg and Cameron put forward the idea of a review which I think would be brilliant. Consering one has been done since 9/11 or any of the following miliarty actions, I think it should be considered what has changed. To be honest, I feel this should have already been done. ..............................................................................................
Q7. HealthcareBrown home helps - less people in nursing homes. Give people personal guarentees- Cancer specialist, diagnostic specialist, doctor in evenings and weekends and Operation in 18 months. Have more nurses and doctors- the situation has advanced since 1997. Ensure finance is there. (Attacks Cameron- no support for education or other sectors)
Cameron mentions NHS and how helped his son. NHS budget should grow year on year. Managers increasing more than nurses. Need a faster choice driven system.
Clegg how protect the NHS that we rely on. Priorities are wrong- 5000 more management and yet still understaffed. Wasting money on beauraucrats. (Attacks Cameron can cut the deficit/tax breaks and provide huge lashings to the public services.) Strategic moves in management- more front line people. Asked how he could afford- answers.
Brown stood out for me on this one. All the comments he made I feel were correct and given the situation the healthcare was in years ago, I think thats one thing his government has successfully managed to improve. .............................................................................................
Q8. ElderlyCameron guarentee won't have to pay for residential care.
Clegg politicians shud set aside ideas and work together. Use money to respite care to the carers at least a week
Brown shudnt have to decide between home and care.
Nobody was really saying anything different in this one. ..............................................................................................
Overall, I became annoyed with the debate and how much they seemed to bicker between each other. Brown constantly made comments about how everything was already in place i.e. crime rates already falling. It was easy to see why people found Clegg to have come out on top, because he did the intelligent thing and didn't get involved with the bickering. You'll notice I never agreed with Cameron. Mainly because I pretty much know I'm not voting Conservative. My step dad does- end of story.
