Brexit, Brexit, NHS, “NOT FOR SALE”, Brexit, Brexit, Prince Andrew – this, in a nutshell, was the first head-to-head
election debate between
Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn.
If this is your bag then HuffPost
UK has a great rundown here. But if you prefer damson jam and weird
Twitter shenanigans, then keep reading, for this way lies genuinely interesting tidbits. This little insight into Corbyn’s preparationsSalad, tea and a chat – a relaxing evening by anyone’s standards. Well, if you discount the whole live TV debate bit.“I’ve eaten a Caesar salad, had a couple of cups of tea, and read a bit, and talked a bit to my team, it’s been very pleasant”Labour leader
Jeremy Corbyn speaks about his preparations ahead of the first TV debate of the 2019 general election campaignhttps://t.co/CkG0SxpYoVpic.twitter.com/md4MRsgbdh—
BBC Politics (@BBCPolitics) November 19, 2019The stageWell it was certainly... bold.New series of the Cube looks shit. pic.twitter.com/emQpnmL24P— Mikey Smith (@mikeysmith) November 19, 2019The bit about Prince AndrewAs journalist Jennifer Williams pointed out, after an opening in which both Johnson and Corbyn basically said what they’ve been saying for months now, it all felt a little... familiar.Corbyn starts by attacking the rich. Johnson starts by promising to get
Brexit done (twice). I think we can go home now #leadersdebate— Jennifer Williams (@JenWilliamsMEN) November 19, 2019The
Labour leader dismissed the prime minister’s pledge to “get Brexit done” by the end of January as “nonsense” while Johnson suggested his rival was “not fit to lead our country”.
But things got a bit fresh later on when both men were asked about the story of the moment – Prince Andrew.
Asked if the monarchy was fit for purpose, Corbyn replied: “Needs a bit of improvement.”
Contrast that with Johnson, who said: “The institution of the monarchy is beyond reproach.”
Asked if the Duke of York is fit for purpose, Corbyn said: “Before we discuss Prince Andrew I think we should discuss the victims that are there because of what [Jeffrey] Epstein was doing.
“I think there are very, very serious questions that must be answered and nobody should be above the law, but the primary position ought to be the proper treatment of those people who were victims of the most appalling behaviour by apparently Epstein and many others.”
Johnson said “all our sympathies” should be with the victims of Epstein, adding: “The law must certainly take its course.”The crucial question – and the most
British of zingersForget Brexit and the NHS, what we all really wanted to know was what Boris and Jeremy would get each other for Christmas.
No? Oh, well they told us anyway.
Corbyn said: “I know Mr Johnson likes a good read, so what I would probably leave under the tree for him would be A
Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens and he could then understand how nasty Scrooge was.”
Not bad. Your turn Johnson.
Responding, he said: “I would probably leave a copy – since you want a literary reference – a copy of my brilliant Brexit deal.”
Lame.
Host Julie Etchingham pressed for a non-political answer. Johnson replied: “Mr Corbyn shares my love of plants and trees. I think maybe some damson jam.”
Then it came. A lovely little one-liner from the famed allotment enthusiast.
“I make my own damson jam!”
Marvellous stuff.Lines I didn’t expect from #itvdebate: “I have my own damson jam”— Lewis Goodall (@lewis_goodall) November 19, 2019Things got weirdShortly after the debate began, people noticed the Twitter account of the Conservative Campaign Headquarters had undergone a dramatic redesign.This is fucking unacceptable.
Russian level disinformation. pic.twitter.com/ucmKNIvDud— hern (@alexhern) November 19, 2019That’s right, they’d sneakily disguised themselves as “FactCheckUK” which, when combined with their obviously pro-Johnson tweets, created a rather dubious image.They were rightly called out for it and it wasn’t long before people were taking the piss in spectacular
fashion by doing their own rebrands.Fact: Corbyn wants to put Thatchers Ghost in a jar and hurl it into the sun— TechnicallyRon (@TechnicallyRon) November 19, 2019Exactly. We’ll be fine and so will our mates. Now shut your peasant mouth. https://t.co/lrx4D2bzoB— Conservative Press nOtffice (@RalfLittle) November 19, 2019To confirm...Boris Johnson lies— FactcheckUK (@Aiannucci) November 19, 2019So who won after all that? God knows.No clear winner yet between Ant and Dec. Ant landing some early blows on health care provision, Dec strong on his Brexit deal. #ImACeleb#LeadersDebate— Richard Osman (@richardosman) November 19, 2019No seriously, there was barely any difference between the two.BREAKING: Who performed best in tonight's #LeadersDebate?@BorisJohnson 51%@jeremycorbyn 49% According to YouGov poll for Sky News.#GE2019Get the latest #GeneralElection2019 reaction here: https://t.co/PSp6MyS2Vypic.twitter.com/jR3M6gaGzR— Sky News (@SkyNews) November 19, 2019Make sense of politics. Sign up to the Waugh Zone and get the political day in a nutshell.Related... Election Debate: Johnson And Corbyn Fail To Land Knockout Blow In ITV Clash Why There's No Reason To Get Sniffy About Rylan Hosting Channel 4's Election Night Coverage