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« Q11: Open primaries | Main | JP vs DD »

Comments

Simon C

Thank you for this Tim - it has been a brilliant day's blogging - and has refocussed our attention on ideas.

Here's hoping that the candidates take some notice.

Selsdon Man

DD's Newsnight interview has just finished. IMO it did not go well. He got bogged down on whether his tax policy is a promise, guarantee or strategy. He said that it was a strategy rather than a promise or guarantee. I was none the wiser at the end of the exchange.

CJ

Agree the Newsnight interview wasn't great, but I tend to think that was in part because Newsnight couldn't allow more time to is and Paxman wanted to get too much in. On the tax issue DD repeatedly stated it was a strategy but Paxo wanted to get him to say promise or guarantee - not sure why he was hung up on that. I suppose he felt it would be easier to skewer DD if he said promise?

Strange choice of questions at the end though. Why did Paxman decide to end the interview by asking DD if he believes in God? Does it matter? Has DD ever given the impression of being a religious nut a la the Bible Belt Republican types?

Guido Fawkes

Thought he cleverly handled the "Tory MPs reckon you are a treacherous, bullying, shit of the year" point, errr, errm, in the manner of Vicky Pollard.

Wonder who Cameron will impersonate when he is asked if he was a coke-head 18 times...

Daniel Vince-Archer

Kate Moss?

James Maskell

Paxman actually said that? If he did DD shouldve turned the question round and asked who had said that.

Maybe the God thing is about whether he is religious enough for it to affect his political views...abortion, euthanasia, death penalty, stem cell research...

loyal_tory

"Yes. I favour an electoral college system." is about as much a commitment from DC to retaining the members say in the final choice as his "sharing the proceeds of growth" formula is a commitment to lower tax.

In some ways, flipping the current roles of the MPs and members could lead to more of a say for party members--if members voted on every candidate who entered the contest with the two who got the most votes going forward to a ballot of the parliamentary party.

"I can’t promise that this will be the first act of a Cameron-led Conservative Party!” People shouldn't necessarily relax when they hear this. Don't forget that Michael Howard made it the top priority of his last six months to remove the franchise from party members when previously it had not been a priority for him.

michael

We should perhaps consider not just the answers the two Davids give to these questions - but the focus they have given them in their respective campaigns.

The problem with the Davis bid, is that many of these issues do not feature prominently enough in his core vote strategy. It's been tax, europe and grammar schools. An agenda on which we keep losing elections.

loyal_tory

"It's been tax, europe and grammar schools. An agenda on which we keep losing elections." Er, these hardly featured at all in the last election. The % of voters who thought we were serious about tax cuts last time? 3%.

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