The two main political leaders did not even have the opportunity, Tuesday during the debate programmed on ITV, to return on their wonderful promises of countryside.
The staging was perfect: a huge dark stage, neon green neon lights, a packed room. The staffs of the two major parties had been mounting pressure throughout the afternoon on social networks with Labor for Jeremy Corbyn snapshots refreshing his beard at the neighborhood hairdresser, and for conservatives, videos of Prime Minister Boris Johnson training in shirt arms on a boxing ring, wearing gloves: "Get Brexit done".
And yet, three weeks before a decisive general election (December 12), the exceptional debate, scheduled on the ITV channel, Tuesday, November 19, between the two main British political leaders, will not frankly decide between them. Nor probably to electrify an electorate weary of Brexit, and in a crisis of confidence vis-à-vis its political class.
Was it the fault of the chosen format (short, one hour stack), with millimeter response times? Boris Johnson avoided the blunders without sparking, essentially contenting himself with praising his "Great deal" of divorce with the European Union (EU) and to repeat as a mantra the slogan forged in the summer: "let's get Brexit done".
Jeremy Corbyn was hardly better. However, he had less to lose, remaining a good second in the polls – according to an average set by the Financial TimesConservatives are 42%, Labor 29%, Liberal Democrats 14%. Labor leader has confirmed his willingness to renegotiate a divorce agreement with Brussels "Within three months", then to organize a new referendum "Within six months," without specifying whether he would campaign to leave the EU or to stay there; the question was nevertheless asked several times in a row Tuesday night.
Stay on the Brexit ground
The goal for Boris Johnson was to stay as long as possible on the ground of Brexit, to better exploit the lack of clarity of his opponent on the subject. And he has, more than half of the debate devoted to it.
Three and a half years after the referendum, "We, the Conservatives, are the only ones with an agreement ready to be approved by Parliament and all our candidates MEPs pledged to support him ", hammered the prime minister. Pushing the exercise to its maximum, he even suggested that to choose, he would offer for Christmas "A copy of his deal" to Mr. Corbyn. And to the question of who his favorite foreign leader was, he said without laughing: "The twenty-seven leaders of the EU, because they signed me a great deal. "
