Stepping up the debate

I am not sure any of the party leaders "won" last night's debate on STV. And watching the “Twitterati” in action pretty much confirmed that it was a largely dull, policy light event - minus a couple of interesting "set-to's"and the interesting attire of one member of the audience (Moustache Man, we salute you! The focus on post electoral permutations killed any chance of real debate stone dead.  The "would you or wouldn't you question" dominated.  Yes, we know this is the closest election for a very long time; most of us can pretty much guess what the various options for forming a government might be.This issue was overplayed and dragged out to within an inch of its life! It was only later in the debate that we got into the good stuff.  The focus on benefit sanctions gave Willie Rennie an uncomfortable moment; the ex forces man trying to get HE funding for his child highlighted the battles people can face in the public service sphere. The challenge to Ruth Davidson on the creation of low paid and zero hours contracts was an interesting moment.  Meanwhile, the First Minister took a few hits on college cuts and policing. For those of us in the third sector, apart from one mention of “disgusting” food banks (what Mr Murphy??), charities and voluntary action just didn’t feature. And there was a moment at the beginning of the debate which touched me – the woman who had been battling the NHS for a diagnosis for her husband - a battle which had clearly brought her to her knees. Her despair was clear to see.  It was in these glimpses of real life that the debate became more animated - a space was created where politics and people's daily concerns became connected.

It was in these glimpses of real life that the debate became more animated - a space was created where politics and people's daily concerns became connected.

As for me and for many other carers, the lack of reference to a significant group within the electorate (latest figures suggest over 700,000 people provide unpaid care to a loved one) did not go unnoticed.  My Twitterati carer friends asked – “does no one care for carers, apart from us?” These debates are of course limited in what they can achieve, and our politicians find themselves having to resort to sound bites.  But ignoring or failing to acknowledge significant groups in society just serves to further alienate the electorate.  There was, for me, a lack of passion.  Add to that the “policy light” debate, I am not sure I want to put myself through another night of purgatory. As one friend commented, "that's two hours of my life I'm not getting back". So can tonight's debate shed some light on the real life challenges facing so many people in our midst? A final word to our political leaders - don't let the format stifle you or the debate.  More policies and passion please.  Find a way to connect to our lives – in that connection, perhaps people can then see the value of being politically engaged.