So, who won the leaders debate last Thursday?

Many of you might have thought Nick Clegg. But who really won it? Objectively speaking. The answer is less clear; it probably depends on what you mean by 'won'.

I didn't find Clegg very convincing. But I don't subscribe to the Vince Cable fan club either; he's too slippery on policy detail for my liking. Supposing just for a second that I'm not unique, how come Clegg is seen by many, backed up by opinion polls, as the runaway winner?

I think there's a simple explanation. In a fairly closely balanced debate, the media said he won, so we believe he won. This is reminiscent of Ray Bradbury's story The Crowd, in which the same crowd seems to materialise quickly following accidents and their actions determine whether the victim lives or dies. The media gave us the steer in Clegg's direction, which has created a feedback loop in his favour.

The Clegg story has made for some interest during the election. It'll be interesting to see what happens at this Thursday's debate. He's now got it all to lose.

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Filed under: Current issues, Politics with tags liberal democrats, nick clegg, ray bradbury