Today’s the day we have all been waiting for, the day when the first televised debate between the countries major political leaders will take place. The fact is, for all three party leaders, the outcome of this televised debate is more important then any of them could have ever conceived initially and the gloves are most certainly off.
Cameron – presented by the media as the strongest public speaker of the three – has been practising non stop for weeks. Gordon Brown, who has been perceived as being the less strong ‘image politician’, has hired a ‘debate advisor’ who worked on the Obama campaign, while Nick Clegg is said to be ‘looking forward’ to the opportunity. Regardless of how tonight’s debate pans out, the fact that it is taking place marks a historic juncture in contemporary politics and highlights the pressure that’s on all party leaders.
Prior to the debate, all political parties announced their party manifesto and – as expected – pledges to help the small business sector featured heavily in all of them. The Liberal Democrat party was the last to present their manifesto and again their budget focused on small businesses, companies which have recently been formed and enterprise.
Clegg spoke of the importance of creating a ‘fairer Britain’ and he also pledged to reduce the bureaucracy involved in running a business. The manifesto also included plans to increase social enterprise and pledges to help make Britain’s businesses greener.