While I knew these debates were to be a vital outlet for all three of the main parties - a springboard for their ideas and arguments for power - what I certainly did not foresee was the mighty surge Nick Clegg was to enjoy after he stepped from the stage in Manchester. Not so much so because I rather wrongfully assumed that the level of Liberal Democrat support would be further personified under a dual between David Cameron and Gordon Brown that would leave the Liberal leader standing there whimpering behind his podium like a little schoolboy that wants to play too, but because, aside from one or two slightly fairer points, he spouted nonsensical rubbish at virtually every question.
Clegg was smart in the first debate, and the man had a lot more tact during the hour and a half he pleaded to the country to give he and his party of swaying policies and 'innocent' centrists a chance than I gave him credit for. Having Mr. Cameron and the (hopefully soon to be not so) Prime Minister girl slap one another while Nick continually said to the audience, "Ha ha, oh my, don't they look frightfully silly," was a developed move I applaud him for. However, what I refuse to applaud him for is the way he took that audience for fools.
To begin with, his immigration policy was absolute idiocy. How can you force someone to stay within the confines of a region and not move about the country freely? That doesn't even seem very liberal to me. How would these 'regions' be defined? Would you have some sort of inner border control sectioning off different counties? It's absurd. He also stated that immigrants adhere to this sort of system in Canada and Australia. As I watched the debate in Canada during my second university year, I was told by those that watched it with me that this was certainly not the case in their nation. Utter, ghetto fostering foolishness.
His accusations towards the Conservatives and Labour who supposedly can't 'clean up' Parliament and shed corrupt MPs is a hypocritical mess. Was it not Cameron who demanded his MPs publish their expenses and apologise, however hollowly, before the expenses review had even begun? Was it not Clegg that claimed wrongly for international phone calls? Sure, this might not be on the same scale as a gold plated duck house or, in fact, a house filled with gold plated ducks quacking miles away from their constituencies, but to me whether you've sipped from the trough or dunked your head right in doesn't matter - you can't point the finger.
Scrapping tuition fees - what a grand idea if we weren't in such a dire economic state as that of a Grecian investor. The number of applications to university has risen to the point where six people are battling for one place, and I'm sure many brilliant, promising minds across the country are going to be sorely disappointed come this September. It goes without saying that if this financial barrier to university is removed many of those that are less well-off would have the opportunity to enter post-secondary education, but, while I think university can be beneficial for the great majority who wish to have the experience and succeed, I just don't think there is the space. Being a student myself, I full well know how expensive university is, but ridding tuition fees just isn't feasible right now.
While I agree with a handful of the Liberal Democrat's environmental policies, everything else they propose - immigration, defence, tax, business - is next to hopeless.
I will conclude by saying to Nick Clegg what he laid onto Gordon Brown regarding House of Lords reform: there's nothing to support.
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