A lot of fuss over nothing

So what was all the fuss about? In the TV election debate there were no train wrecks,, nobody starred, we learned little we didn’t already know. There is some talk this morning about Nicola Sturgeon’s performance, which was clear and self-assured and radical. I have written before in this blog that the SNP, on economic and social policy, is just a slightly radical version of Labour, so a Labour-SNP coalition or, more likely, a semi formal agreement to support, could be quite stable and logical. True, it would have problems over devolution, constitutional arrangements and nuclear weapons, but on domestic policy it would work. Those who were pleasantly surprised by her were probably mostly Labour supporters who feel the party is not radical enough, so she fed their appetite for a break from cosy, consensual Westminster politics. So too did the Greens, though Bennet’s performance was less assured. Caroline Lucas would have done better, but I suspect Green supporters don’t care too much about slickness. Plaid’s contribution was, as expected, homely but weak. Farage was Farage. His supporters will feel reassured by his message and his detractors will have their view confirmed. Miliband was also Miliband and I feel few will have changed their minds about him. Within his limitations he did well. Cameron looked on the defensive, not surprising as he had six opponents and had a record to defend, but he did well in a difficult position. Clegg was clearly discomforted by not knowing whether to defend the coalition or complain about his partner. So, all rather predictable. The debate changed little and I’ll be surprised if the upcoming opinion polls don’t reflect that.