The Brown-Cameron-Clegg Show – Dont Switch Off – Switch Over!

I was in the United States during the Presidential debates – I was especially keen to see the Vice-Presidential head to head with Sarah Palin and Joe Byden. I was looking for the (then) Alaskan Governor to make some stupendous gaffs which would cause me great amusement. As it happened I was disappointed. Both conducted themselves very well with admirable decorum. Indeed, Byden appeared restrained and gentlemanly, and Palin said little that was controversial. It was a very civilised event.

Tonight, for the first time the British public have the opportunity to see their own version of televised debate between the three main contenders for Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

The Brown-Cameron-Clegg show will last 90 minutes and the very thought of it fills me with apathy. I wonder if this is a media event for the media, more than a genuine tool to enlighten an already tired electorate.

If the three leaders hope to engage the voter, it's because they have fallen to populist media pressure. We are not voting for a President – we are voting for a party to govern. We are not voting for personality, we are voting for policy. The UK has fallen victim to razzmatazz American style politics, and now that the genie is out of the bottle, things can only get worse. The 24 hour TV and radio news channels will analyse the event with a fine tooth-comb – over and over again. Pundits will seep from the woodwork, presenters will wax lyrical and all but the most die-hard viewer or listener will switch off.

Don't believe what the BBC, ITV or Sky say when they try to convince you that this is the most exciting chapter ever in British politics. They have vested interests. In fact they are leading the agenda and not merely reporting on it.

Perhaps we should just let them entertain us on X-Factor or Pop Idol. Voters can ring in and that will be that!

Welcome to celebrity Britain, where even the politicians must dance and sing to feed a short attention span populace.

My advice is to switch over to BBC2 where the documentary "Welcome to Lagos" is on. It took the reporter a year to make it and suddenly his programme has been shafted by three preening politicians. He must be gutted!