Election debate - Closing Opinion

Well, a whirlwind 90 minutes from out 3 leaders again tonight. Who came out on top? Perhaps surprisingly the YouGov/Sun instant poll said it was Cameron on 36%, followed by Clegg on 32% and Brown on 29%.

Giant leap for Brown and Cameron, and a bit of a fall from Clegg compared to last week. But is this a true reflection? I'm not so sure. Here's my opinion on the three leaders:

Brown - did much better than last week. Still seemed intent on defending his own policies and attacking the other candidates policies then diagnosing and proposing as the other two did.... perhaps the curse of being the incumbent, but he isn't really using his position very well. He kept defining himself by negatively defining Cameron and Clegg as anti-Europe and anti-USA respectively, not the best way to define yourself, Gordon. Also, he will most likely come to regret saying that he never authorised the leaflets that caused Cameron to call him a liar should it come out that he did authorise them, and that might be the end of his campaign if so. Shocking policy on House of Lords - simply cosying up to Lib Dems. Positively, he is still the only one, in my opinion, who speaks with the authority of a national leader.

Cameron - Again, did much better than last week. He seemed more assured about how to deal with a TV debate. However, he nearly lost his temper at one point, and this could reflect badly. Got one over on Brown by calling him a liar and bringing a potentially disastrous denial from Brown. Lost all ground on the environment question because of his use of a private jet to get about the country - actions still speak just as loud, if not louder, than word... especially with our politicians.

Clegg - Just as good as he was last week, but this week he had to face far more probing and attacking from both Brown and Cameron on Lib Dem policy due to the fact that he no longer holds the element of surprise. Dealt with the potential red herring from the Sky presenter on stories in the papers today with ease and wit. Clegg appeared again to position himself in the 'new politics' camp, making sure everyone knew he has had nothing to do with the last two decades of 'bad' politics. Beaten back by both Cameron and Brown on Trident - but surely the issue is worth a proper debate at the least? As much as Clegg is increasingly turning into a very good politician and rhetorician, I remain totally unconvinced that Lib Dem policies are any good at all.

Finally, all three were of no surprise on the issue of the Pope's visit and Catholic ethics & theology... each using the platform to announce themselves as tolerant, multi-faith welcoming, multi-cultural loving, right-to-choose-own-path defending, liberally minded politicians. This high view of humanity is where we are going wrong in the West... none of these leaders will helps us here. Let's get on our knees.

Ready, Steady, GO!

And so today we begin. This will be the closest election for a long, long time. Nick Robinson, BBC political editor, is excited.

Dave Cameron is fighting for 'the great ignored', those who he claims are the honest, hardworking people of our country who want to know whether this country can be great again - but are currently held back by Labour's shocking policies. Cameron believes his plans are exciting, and that real change can come. He hints at a new economic model - but will it really happen? He's also promising to reform the political system... something that has been on Labour's cards for the last 13 years. Will the Tories follow through on their promise if they get in, or bail out like Labour? Can Cameron really be a radical reformer?

Nick Clegg has claimed this is the beginning of the end of Brown, and that seems to be his only certainty - other than Brown being personally responsible for all that has happened in the past three years economically. Are they really in with a shout this time round?

Brown, after seeing the Queen this morning, has said in his speech to the country that he will never forget his lowly working class values, claiming his government have fought hard for families whilst getting Britain out of the recession. 'Britain is on the road to recovery!' is he rallying cry. He promises to get the big decisions right. He subtly damns the Tories plans of severe cut backs, and thus he asks the British people "for a clear and straightforward mandate" to continue his work. He also guarantees to keep Britain's frontline public services - available to us all as individuals when and where we need them. He also asks for a mandate to improve public trust in the politics of our country. Labour will fight for fairness at all times, a future fair for all. "Lets Go To It" are his final remarks.

Oh, and he also confirmed the date as the 6 May. It is now campaign season. Who'll do it? I'm not sure. But it's exciting, very exciting.

Brown Sent to Coventry...

Gordon Brown was sent to Coventry in order to begin the campaign proper at a Labour rally.

One foot in the grave.