There are 40 days left before Britons head to the polls in a defining general election — one that will either see an end to the traditional two-party system that has dominated for more than nine decades, or set the United Kingdom on course to exit the European Union and leave it as an isolated but independent island off Europe.
For voters, the stakes could not be higher. And now, with the parliamentary session at Westminster formally brought to a conclusion, the campaigns begin in earnest. On Thursday night, Conservative party leader David Cameron squared off for 9 minutes live on television against Labour leader Ed Miliband. If the pundits and an immediate poll of viewers are to be believed, Cameron was mauled during the contest but still managed to come out on top. He was hit hard for his plan to find Dh65 billion in revenue savings from welfare programmes, an austerity measure that will see one pound in ten in total savings sought by the government coming from the pockets of those underprivileged who receive state benefits. He was also lambasted for his ‘old school’ network of privileged and wealthy friends who play fast and loose with income tax laws and loopholes.
Where Cameron did score well was on his experience. Yes, he did make an announcement earlier in the week that he will not seek a third term as prime minister — a seemingly desperate ploy that screams to voters: “Pick me one more time and I promise to go away”. That’s hardly a sentiment that oozes confidence, but it plays well against those who might be leaning towards putting a vote in Labour’s camp.
For Miliband, the debate meant he had to prove himself as a leader of merit and experience — a difficult task and one that had him liken his experience to being a “north London geek”. What the debate did do, according to pundits and the audience poll, was to increase his standing in overall leadership ratings.
Yes, let the games begin — there are about six more weeks of this political hyperbole to savour.
