I failed to give a decent explanation of how unprecedented the Prime Minister debates are. Because these candidates aren't really running for the office of Prime Minister--they're simply running for reelection in their own constituency--the UK has never actually held debates with the top PM candidates. Until now. See, unless you live in Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath (Scotland), Witney in Oxfordshire or Sheffield, you won't have any of these 3 on your ballot. And even then, you'd only have 1. So basically they're making the case for their party's candidate wherever you live.
As I mentioned, Nick Clegg appeared to be the winner of the debate, but his party can only hope to pick up a few additional seats, not to gain overall control of Parliament. The day after the debate, BBC remarked that "Despite all appearances of the 'prime ministerial debate', this isn't after all a presidential election. It's very hard for an American-style candidate to break through and overturn the loaded parliamentary arithmetic. "
The New York Times reported about the televised debate too. Get this: "Long after the United States, and even after Iran, Afghanistan and Mongolia, politics in Britain is moving into the television age." Come on, be nice. Grow a little cultural sensitivity, people!
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