Are you two the best we can do?

They are the best that their respective parties can find as leaders, compared to the previous recent leaders they are better.

I must admit, I’ve thought the same myself, but I wouldn’t be rude enough to say it in the event that I had been there.

I don't watch the debates now but it seems a reasonable question, it's what I think, could apply, perhaps more so, Trump and Biden.

I think it would have resonated with a good many people.

But I dare say it would apply even more across the pond - and I know my sister, who’s over here at the moment from across the pond, would agree..

I’m so disappointed that the BBC decided to allow that silly, ill mannered question to be asked.

What was the point of it?

It wasnt just rude it was conspiracy theory stuff, whenever I hear the trope of controlled by powerful figures I get a bit uneasy.

Given that the audience were all actors, were they actually their own questions?

I watched the debate, and thought the question was rude and a bit 'look at me'. It contributed nothing to the debate, politics is not about personalities, it is about policies and I think that the man in question made himself look rather silly.

We have no problems at all when you look at the choice facing the American voters.

The polls show Farage getting less support from women after his comments on Putin and Ukraine.
I might struggle to understand voters remaining loyal to the Conservatives in light of recent chaos But - I know decent people who vote Conservative. I remember Clark/Heseltine/Stewart/Alex Chalk/theresa May and others as decent people.
How anyone can see Farage or any of his candidates as decent is beyond me

In your dreams Nicenanny. Do you really support the BNP?

I thought it rude , unintelligent and unproductive.

It’s entirely possible to be direct without being rude. The question wasn’t direct because it wasn’t intended to encourage debate. It was sneery passive aggressive and didn’t contribute anything useful to this debate

Why didn’t the two leaders say something along the lines of, I’m sorry what can we do so that you don’t feel that way? It could have been a good starting point for why a lot of the electorate are fed up with the same old ways.

As for the charges of bad manners I think it’s the brits lack of dealing with people directly and just moaning instead. My mum would never ask questions when she was perfectly entitled to because she didn’t want to be rude.

ronib

But this is the sort of non question the BBC promotes. At least I found a kindred spirit in my delivery driver who is refusing to watch any tv and sent off his postal vote the moment he got it. Also agreed with him that the lies are tedious but what can you expect from politicians?
However my husband tells me that politics is like supporting a football team- and you never switch sides. I keep twittering on about boundary changes affecting outcomes and he’s not convinced!

Plenty switched sides when Nigel Farage's Brexit Party stood aside for the Conservatives and Boris got an 80 seat majority 'to get Brexit done'. Red Wall seats which had always voted Labour switched to Blue. Unfortunately Boris/Conservatives let us down.

Plenty of unhappy Tory voters now turning to Reform and previous Labour voters I would suspect as well.

What did he expect them to say?

“Oh yes, we totally agree. Perhaps someone like yourself thinks they could do a better job maybe?”

But this is the sort of non question the BBC promotes. At least I found a kindred spirit in my delivery driver who is refusing to watch any tv and sent off his postal vote the moment he got it. Also agreed with him that the lies are tedious but what can you expect from politicians?
However my husband tells me that politics is like supporting a football team- and you never switch sides. I keep twittering on about boundary changes affecting outcomes and he’s not convinced!

I think he simply articulated what a lot of us, mere mortals, are thinking.
It may not have elevated the debate but it was not much of a debate.
Political debate seems to consist of name calling and shouting over each other.
Nobody... NOBODY.. seems able to present policies or explain how they will be financed or rolled out.

No.

Agree with posters here - he was trying to be ‘clever’ but made himself look childish - and quite aggressive. It added nothing to the discussion.

It was MayBee. I was disappointed the BBC selected it , especially when so many important issues weren’t covered.
I wasn’t impressed by Mishal the moderator’s management either. Grump

I didn't watch the debate but from what I've heard there were no questions about mental health or education. So what a complete waste of a question.

Joseann, no it was a question he submitted before the programme. He was one of other members of the audience to have his question selected to be used
It’s interesting that so many of us responded negatively to Mr Blackstock’s question. I think Annie is correct, Mr B thought it clever. Says more about him than Sunak or Starmer

I thought he was very arrogant and condescending. I did not see the point of the question.
Whatever I think of Sunak and Starmer I think they did well not to rise to him.

It's somewhat rude, but my thoughts are exactly that on the dire choice the Americans face.

Germanshepherdsmum

I don’t think Sunak was dire, but I thought Starmer was.

Vice versa, of course.....

I didn't see the debate, but from what I read it was tacked on to the end of something else he said.
They weren't going to answer him anyway, so he got his comeuppance.