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Britain's first-ever TV debate between candidates for prime minister was hyped as a showdown between an embattled incumbent and his main rival, but it was a political outsider who stole the show. Liberal Democrat Nick Clegg, the leader of the country's third-largest party, still seems unlikely to become prime minister May 6. But his meteoric rise in opinion polls Friday could further scramble an unpredictable race - and even, in the longer term, shake up Britain's centuries-old two party system. Nearly 10 million people watched the debate Thursday, and polls showed Clegg was judged the clear winner. Some called him "the Barack Obama of British politics." Others said his solid and affable performance won their votes. One newspaper headline read: "Clegg smashes through two-party system."
Apr 16, 2010
UK: Third Party Outsider "Smashes Through the Two-Party System" in Televised Debate
From the Ledger Enquirer:
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2 comments:
Thanks for this good report.
It seems absurd to refer to the LibDems as "breaking through the two-party system." Before the rise of the Labour Party, the British "two-party-system" was a competition between the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats (called the Liberal Party before merging with the Social Democrats, a breakaway from Labour). UKIP, the BNP, the English Democrats, and the Greens are the parties that are breaking into the "two-party system."
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