Lib Dems Lodge Complaint Over Party Leaders' General Election Debate

[naomi24]

//The Lib Dems have made a formal complaint after ITV said its head-to-head election debate would only include Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn.

Party president Sal Brinton said leader Jo Swinson should appear alongside the Tory prime minister and the Labour leader in the 19 November debate.

Baroness Brinton said Ms Swinson's exclusion risks "misrepresenting the current political reality".//

For Baroness Brinton's information the current political reality is that the Conservatives have 298 seats, Labour 244, Scottish Nationals 35, Independents 25, and Liberal Democrats (oooo - 'Democrats' - that lie sticks in the craw!) just 19.

Jo Swinson's party is pretty low down in the pecking order. Is her feather bristling and cage rattling and to be taken seriously - or is she just falling off her perch?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-2019-50276679

[gulliver1]

05.57 Spot on PMSL,

[ynnafymmi]

Oh.I dont know.We have a totally incompetent PM buffoon called Boris on one side,we have an even more incompetent Leader of the Opposition(and IRA stooge)called Corbyn on the other side.Perhaps Swinson would bring a bit of sanity to the show.

[Mozz71]

Seeing as you've agreed with me about Garage being an idiot plenty of times in the past, I'm honoured that you now deem a cheap shot at me more important than a dig at Nige.

Or would be if anything you said mattered.

[Mozz71]

Fecking "Garage". Damn you autocorrect.

[CrapAtCryptics]

Misrepresenting Jo Swinsons probably over inflated idea that, when Brexit is resolved, the Lib Dems wont slide back into obscurity.

[ToraToraTora]

I just wish they'd abandon this US style BS, totally pointless anyway if it sways a single voter I'd be surprised.

[gulliver1]

Are you OK Mozz 71 ,? I am starting to get worried about you.

[davebro]

It's unfair to exclude ANY of the contenders from TV debates - so don't have TV debates at all! (Re-runs of Steptoe & Son are available)

[10ClarionSt]

Every time there's a GE, one of the party leaders will complain about unfair coverage. They always do. Even the Labour and the Tories. It's nothing new.

[gulliver1]

I think the Lib Dems are going to do very well at this G/E .

[Gromit]

Surely Boris will wimp out asusual.
A Corbyn Swinson head to head would be far more 3ntertaining anyway,she wouldrun rings around him.

[gulliver1]

Spot on again Gromit, as usual.

[10ClarionSt]

I don't think so, Gromit. Corbyn is a very experienced campaigner and public speaker. I think people underestimate him because of their political views. I'm not taking his side here, but I think he would do better than anyone in a public debate. If you've ever noticed his reaction to jibes from the Tories in the commons, he never gets rattled by them and always sticks to the points. I've never heard him call anyone names. That doesn't mean he hasn't, but he would never call anyone a "big girls blouse" as Johnson did in the commons. However, it would be interesting if it was a three-way debate.

[naomi24]

Corbyn is an extremely capable speaker …. one of those charismatic types easily able to rally a crowd. That said, he stumbles badly when faced with direct questions – and for obvious reasons. He doesn’t have the answers.

[Old_Geezer]

Unsure what there is to complain about. At best they hope to hold some sort of balance of power, which wasn't considered sufficient for the debate. Parties with a chance of forming the next government and opposition were asked. The no-hopers weren't. That's the political reality, and fair enough. But I guess for the Illiberal Undemocrats any publicity is considered good publicity, so a fuss is made and the media fall for it.

[ToraToraTora]

Naomi, he'll be fine as long as he gets Dianne Abacus to prepare him with the figures.

[ichkeria]

Let the two of them fight it out.
Swinson may arguably be better off leaving them to it

[ynnafymmi]

I wonder what Jeremys respose will be when he is asked by Boris about his connections to the IRA and Hamas terrorist organisations?Cant hardly deny it,can he.After the Brighton bombing he had a few of the terrorists over to the HoC for tea and cake.

[10ClarionSt]

He'll answer the same way he did when previously asked about them, I should think.

[ichkeria]

The British government of course were meeting with the IRA from the early seventies.
They even arranged a ceasefire in 1974 which meant the IRA no longer attacking forces of the crown, while they continued to murder other members of the security forces.
Of course, maybe there was less tea and cake, I don’t know.