The importance of TV debates in the upcoming election in UK

Getting the debates on TV will be a great improvement for some or all of the different parties. This is a great way to get publicity.

The TV debates in the upcoming election are to be held with the same model as in the US. There will be held three 90-minute debates during the general election campaign, the first on ITV1, the second on Sky News and the last on BBC One.

Half of each debate will have a theme: the first will be about domestic affairs including health and education. The second will focus on international matters. The last will concentrate on the economy.

The second half of each session will be "free debate."

Each leader will be able to make a 60-second opening statement to each debate.

The use of television advertising in political campaigns has often been criticized for "lowering the level" of political discourse. Watchers claim that television fosters drama and visual imagery, leading to a concentration on candidate images instead of policy issues.

 

 

QUESTION TIME

24^th of February

Question Time is an opportunity for MPs and Members of the House of Lords to ask government ministers questions. These questions are asked at the start of business in both chambers and are known as 'oral questions'. The Prime Minister answers questions in the Commons every Wednesday.

Gordon Brown was debating in a controlled, non-threatening manner. He obviously had a sense of humour, and he used this against his opponents to make them look stupid. He seemed really self-secure and confident. His statements had a lot of credibility amongst his fellow MP`s.

Most politicians use an active body language to make their statements appear stronger, and Gordon Brown is no exception. During the debate, he kept using his hands as gestures to emphasize his statements, and this seemed to have an effect on the other MP`s.

It didn`t seem like David Cameron had prepared very well, because it seemed like he was more focused on criticizing Gordon Brown, than making his own statements clear. He frequently made fun of the way Brown is governing, and he kept repeating the same questions. Cameron seemed to have an agenda to make Brown lose credibility, but Brown didn`t really seem to care about his attempted funny remarks.

At times, the debate got really heated, and The Speaker had to interrupt and calm them down. He explained that the MP`s was acting inappropriately by shouting and calling names. The MP`s seemed to respect The Speaker`s authority, so they calmed down on his request.

In the forthcoming election we predict an intense debate between Gordon Brown and David Cameron, but the outcome of the election is hard to predict, so we will leave the speculations to someone else.

A thing that Liz Blackman wants to focus on is cancer. Cancer is fatal when not treated, and it is important for Liz that the government focuses on the importance of cancer and the treating of cancer. Gordon Brown agrees that this is an important theme, and he mentions some policies that some of the MP's are against, and he expresses his eagerness on the theme.

English Senior Project

Topic:
The United States government

Problem for discussion:
How does the system of government work in the US, and how is the power divided?