Leaders' Debate: Joe Public's Verdict

Clearly Nick Clegg won the debate in Manchester. He looked at the camera, which Brown and Cameron didn't too often, and was able to aim a good few digs at the two "old parties".
The exposure for the Liberal Democrats was great for them but will it gain them any more seats? Only time will tell.
Clegg will face a more difficult second debate because he won't be able to continue using the "old parties" line. He also cleverly ignored Gordon Brown's efforts to get him to gang up on David Cameron.
David Cameron for someone who normally looks so assured was clearly nervous and tried to avoid being drawn into a policy debate with Gordon Brown, who took too long to make his point. He proved he's not great behind the camera although did put some pressure on the Tories after a uncertain start on immigration - Labour has been in government since 1997 but is now only just getting to grips with it.
David Cameron and Gordon Brown weren't pressed hard about why we need a Trident system in a post-Cold War world and spend an absolute fortune on it when things are so tough.
There wasn't much in this debate for us in Wales or those in Scotland - questions about the NHS or education service didn't mean a row of beans to us in Wales because those functions are devolved to the Welsh Assembly. Both countries were really ignored and that is not good enough.

Legal Aid for Scandal MPs: A Disgrace

It is rarely - if ever - Dyn ar y Stryd agrees with a statement by Conservative leader David Cameron.
But his description of the decision to give Labour MPs David Chaytor, Elliot Morley and Jim Devine legal aid to fight false accounting charges as a complete outrage was spot on.
Cameron was speaking for just about every right thinking person in the UK.
However, since his public outburst it has been brought to my attention that it was the last Tory Government under John Major which abolished defendants' contributions to legal aid in the first place.
It was apparently costing about twice as much to administer as they were collecting from defendants.
But what is clear is that relatively rich people such as these three MPs should not be able to claim legal aid.
If this case had happened at the end of June they would have undoubtedly had to pay themselves as the Labour Government has introduced means-testing on Crown Court cases.

Same Old Tories: Still Avoiding Tax

Despite all David Cameron's spin, the Conservatives really haven't changed.
Major Conservative donor and deputy party chairman Lord Ashcroft today admitted that he is "non-domiciled" in relation to tax.
That will no come as a surprise after years of questions from opposition politicians about his tax status.
But it is still a disgrace. Lord Ashcroft said that he expected "to be sitting in the House of Lords for many years", suggesting he would change his tax status if the law changed. How generous of him after years of ducking and diving to avoid tax on earnings and capital gains from overseas.
Quite how Lord Ashcroft could be recommended for a peerage without being resident in Britain for tax purposes only the Tories know. But I guess he was only recommended for it because of its financial backing for the Tories.
He and fellow Conservatives, including David Cameron, refused to say what his tax status was, declaring it was a private matter. However, Information Commissioner Christopher Graham has called for the full details of Lord Ashcroft's status to be made public.
Lord Ashcroft, who has given a reported £4m to Conservatives in recent years, because there is a general election just weeks away. Perhaps he ought to pay the tax on overseas earnings since the time be became a peer.

Cameron steals a march on Brown - Again!

David Cameron and the Liberal Democrats have stolen a march on Gordon Brown once again.
They've called for the law to be changed to prevent three Labour MPs charged with theft over the expenses scandal arguing that Parliamentary Privilege means that they cannot be tried.
Cameron has asked Sir George Young to provide a new Parliamentary Privilege Act while the Lib Dems want to amend existing legislation this week in the House of Commons to ensure that those charged with abuse of expenses cannot evade the law.
Sure, it is pure opportunism from Cameron and Clegg, but shouldn't Brown's advisers seen that coming - and told him or perhaps Justice Minister Jack Straw to make it clear that the Government would look to change the Parliamentary Privilege law to stop any possible attempt by MPs using it to avoid justice?
Gordon Brown's advisers continue to be out of tune with public mood - just as no one appeared to have spelt it out to the PM what an awful idea it was to axe the 10p tax rate which hit the poor and vulnerable very hard. Perhaps they ought to take a tgrip outside the Westminster bubble and start speaking to people on the streets to gauge the man/woman on the street's mood.

Cameron scores own goal over teaching training plans

David Cameron has been scoring some own goals recently, notably his recent uncertainty over whether the Tories were going to give help to families.
Now he's decreed that he won't allow graduates with a third-class degree to become teachers.
Academic excellence doesn't mean you will be a good teacher and, conversely, a third-class degree doesn't mean you can't be a good teacher. There's much more to teaching than qualifications. Similarly, the best nurses are not necessarily those with the best qualifications and that applies to many jobs.
And you certainly don't need top academic qualifications to make it in business - ask Sir Richard Branson who hasn't done badly for himself
And remember Carol Vorderman, Mr Cameron's maths tsar, got a third from Cambridge. So don't judge a book or a teacher by its cover but by what's inside.