Censored : the debate

sss555s

I watched it all.

It wasn't all that exciting and the usual points and non points were being argued. There was nothing new and it was often a rabble.
I think Salmond came out on top slightly because of his better debating skills.

They were both stumped for a few minutes not answering each others questions.

I think it has swayed me to vote YES!

BobQ

I thought it was a fairly ill tempered affair as both spokesmen continually spoke at the same time.

The first half an hour was fairly tame but the segments when Darling got to question Salmond and then Salmond questioned Darling were interesting, lots of interjections and sniping.

Darling seemed to get Salmond on the ropes for a while over what was Plan B for the currency.He continually refused to answer. Salmond went off on a tangent for a while trying to get Darling to deny absurd claims about threats from outerspace, but did push the point of agreeing with Cameron's statements of the ability of a small country to thrive.

Overall I doubt it changed much......

BobQ

spingoblin wrote: »

The bits and pieces that are now coming through on the web/social media/political commentary world are that it was at the very least a dead heat or that Alistair Darling instead of getting the expected slaughtering actually 'won'. Didnt see the debate myself though.

Its difficult to objective in this debate. Salmond did seem to debate cleverly but looked vulnerable when asked the difficult questions.

BBC has reported a poll showing 56-44 for Darling but as they said this is much the same as the Yes -No split. Suggests that both sides thought their man won.

The_Angry_Jock

sss555s wrote: »

I watched it all.

It wasn't all that exciting and the usual points and non points were being argued. There was nothing new and it was often a rabble.
I think Salmond came out on top slightly because of his better debating skills.

They were both stumped for a few minutes not answering each others questions.

I think it has swayed me to vote YES!

You were undecided before?

What swayed you, the lack of any answers? The constant repetition of "I only want what's best for Scotland"? Or that we're Safe from alien invasion?

Quite frankly, that debate was a complete waste of 2 hours.

BobQ

http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/scottish-independence-blog/live/2014/aug/05/alex-salmond-v-alistair-darling-the-debate-for-scotland-live

Polling by the Guardian

HAMISH_MCTAVISH

BobQ wrote: »

Polling by the Guardian

Guardian/ICM poll analysis

Alastair Darling emerged as a semi-clear winner of the Scottish Independence debate, according to ICM Director Martin Boon.

He points to the polling showing that the former chancellor convinced 56% of the 512 survey participants that he was the better man on the night. 44% opted for Salmond.

Boon adds:

Darling performed more solidly among No supporters – securing 93% of them who told us their man won, compared to only 82% of Yes supporters who said Salmond won.

And Darling won on the arguments – a majority (51%) said so, with 40% saying Salmond had the better ideas.

On the other hand, Salmond’s undoubted personality helped win over viewers, with 47% saying the First Minister had the better personaility compared to only 39% who said so for Darling.

But the question is how does this impact on indy vote intentions? The answer is ‘not much’.

Of the sample who participated after the debate, views did not move – 53% said they intended to vote No beforehand, and the same figures emerged afterwards. So Darling won on the night, but voters remain steadfast in the way they plan to vote.

HAMISH_MCTAVISH

Poll: Demographic breakdowns

More from the Guardian/ICM poll, which suggests (among other things) that Darling was a winner among the middle aged and the young.

Men: Darling 62% Salmond 38%

Women: Darling 52% Salmond 48%

17-34: Darling 60% Salmond 40%

35-54: Darling 48% Salmond 52%

55+: Darling 61%; Salmond 39%

dave4545454

let's all hope it helps towards scotland getting the independence it deserves.

CLAPTON

dave4545454 wrote: »

let's all hope it helps towards scotland getting the independence it deserves.

Surely you will celebrate the decision of the people of Scotland

dave4545454

CLAPTON wrote: »

Surely you will celebrate the decision of the people of Scotland

of course i will, they've waited a long time for the chance of independence.