Sky News: Mark Penn Says Politics is the Real Winner of the UK Election Debates
US Expert Reveals The Real Debate ‘Winner’
By MARK PENN, US debates expert
Published April 30, 2010
After the media frenzy around “Bigotgate”, last night’s third and final TV debate took place took under a surreal backdrop.
Gordon Brown’s comments about Gillian Duffy were disastrous not just because of the offence it may have caused to (former) Labour voters.
It also took away the one remaining opportunity for Labour strategists to change the narrative of the election and it meant all eyes were on Brown to see how he would handle it.
…The final debate is over. The moment of choice will soon be upon us. After three debates, the clear winner has actually been British politics. Facing public anger and disillusionment for the past few years, especially after the expenses scandal, Iraq and the recession, the introduction of US-style leadership debates transformed a dull and formulaic campaign into something that truly engaged the country in politics once again….
