Gordon Brown has agreed to take part in a leaders debate with David Cameron and Nick Clegg in the run up and as part of the general election.
People seem to be happy at this prospect and think it's a good idea; I, for one, am less inclined to think it's a good idea, for 9 reasons.
1. Debating points and issues in the debates won't really be the aim. Instead, it will be used as an opportunity to trade blows, irrespective of the content of those blows.
2. What goes on in the debates is almost neither here nor there; it's how they get spun afterwards that matters.
3. I'm not one of those that complains about the American-isation of politics, and in particular the cult of personality in politics. The leadership debates will do nothing to assuage people who do complain about this.
4. Does anyone remember the one-to-one interviews between Jeremy Paxman and each party leader during the 2005 general election? If you do, you'll remember they were not known for their jibber and jabber on policy issues but instead adversarial tosh focused disproportionately on specific issues (e.g. the number of illegal immigrants in Britain). What makes us think these leadership debates will be any better within the context of Britain's adversarial press and politics?
5. The worry about 'losing' the debate, or being the subject of a terrific putdown ('Senator, you're no Jack Kennedy') is precisely what leads to the score-draw results assigned to most presidential debates of the last 12 years. Even though this is the first time debates have been held here, the tendency will be for the candidates to play it safe.
6. Most people think these debates will be good for Gordon Brown. I don't agree because (1) the Tories are good at precisely this sort of thing, being the presentation of policy rather than what the policy is; and (2) it depends which Gordon Brown turns up. I suspect it will be the one that has turned up at Prime Minister's Questions for the last 2 years, which is no good thing.
7. The spare wheel: there will have to be air time for Nick Clegg as leader as the Lib Dems. This will just be embarrassing for everyone concerned.
8. Which television stations will cover this? If not everyone can cover every debate, what will the implication be?
9. Does anyone seriously think the debates will engage a wider audience than those engaged in politics anyway? I doubt it very much.
Update: In a move of curmudgeonly brilliance, with their heads firmly stuck up their arses, the Scottish National Party threaten legal action if they're not allowed to take part in the leader debates. It's only a matter of time until one fascist, extreme right wing party leader also asks to join the debates...
