Launches and Debates

After Wednesday's lull in the election campaign, things heated up on Thursday (the first and last pun relating to the Icelandic Volcanic Eruption). Firstly the Green Party launched its manifesto in Brighton. The launch was shown live on BBC News 24. Whatever the outcome, the party has received much more news coverage and much of it relatively favourable. When one journalist described the manifesto as "fantasy economics", Caroline Lucas was quickly to refute it. She has developed into a good TV performer during the campaign.

Come the evening and the much hyped first "Prime Ministerial " debate took place. The theme of domestic policy, of course had no relevance to viewers in Wales and Scotland. Nick Clegg, who many people had little knowledge of before the night, was bound to come out on tops. British politics has been dominated by the Tories and Labour for almost a century, so it was easy for him to blame them for Britain's ills, and offer himself as something new and fresh. The media were not slow to present him as the victor.

We await the first opinion polls taken after the debate. Brown and Cameron will undoubtedly be prepared to take Clegg down a peg or two by next week. The name Clegg was of course one of the characters in Last of the Summer Wine. I've spent the day thinking of Cameron, Brown and Clegg sitting in a tin bath sliding down a hill,a dominant theme of he long running TV series.

Last night the Dons qualified for the London Senior Cup final so there is still the chance for some silverware at the end of the season. Meanwhile Surrey struggled in the first day of their County Championship game at Hove, as news leaked out that the Club were talking to Brian Lara about the possibility of playing T20 cricket later this year.