Everyone's A Winner, Baby, That's The Truth (Yes, The Truth). No, this isn’t an ode to Hot Chocolate’s ability to make banger after banger. We’re here to talk about last night, specifically Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn not quite going head to head on Sky News x Chanel 4's Battle For Number 10, akanot-actually-a-leader’s-debate, hosted by the one and only Jeremy Paxman.
You know that thing, after a breakup, when both sides declare that the decision was theirs as they attempt to shape the PR of their immediate future? Well, that’s pretty much what Theresa May’s Team and Jeremy Corbyn’s spin doctors are up to today.
The truth is, there can only ever be one winner. Theresa May has refused to publically debate the Leader of the Opposition and, as a result, they both faced a studio audience and their questions separately before being grilled by Jeremy Paxman last night. The whole affair made for more interesting watching than anything hitherto in this election but it felt overly stage-managed.
Only time will tell who, ultimately, comes out on top but, in my opinion, Corbyn came off better here. Theresa May’s tactic was to stick to the ‘strong and stable’ script although, at points, it did appear as though she was fighting the urge to deviate from it. She didn’t always answer the question, which is generally the modus operandi of politicians.
However, one unanswered question stuck out like a particularly sore thumb; a young woman asked the Prime Minister directly why Vote Leave leaflets promised £350 million a week for the NHS if we left the EU? ‘That’s why I voted to leave’ she said. Theresa May shuddered slightly and looked noticeably uncomfortable, ‘there were a lot of different and passionately held views’ in last year’s referendum she replied before launching into her bit about ‘the will of the people’ and ‘making a success of Brexit.’ As a member of the Remain campaign, how does she actually feel about working side by side with the likes of Boris Johnson who peddled these spurious claims in a national referendum? We’ll never know. What does she actually think of Brexit? You get the sense that she sees it as her job to deliver it regardless of her personal opinions. Perhaps we should admire her for that? It can’t be easy.
Corbyn, on the other hand, did rather well. He was relaxed, authentically funny and seemed comfortable even when being interrupted by a huffing and puffing repetitious Paxman. He navigated difficult questions about his contentious views honestly and with ease. Watching Paxman’s barbed questions glide off Corbyn like water off a very left wing duck’s back made it easy to understand why she, or rather her team, have opted not to go head to head with him. The Prime Minister is evidently more comfortable inside the House of Commons than she is outside of it.
One particularly interesting difference between the two was what sort of leader they characterised themselves as. It became even more obvious last night that this election is all about Theresa May for the Conservatives. ‘I’m trying to get people to put their trust in me’ she said, making it clear that her ‘team’ fall in line behind this ‘bloody difficult woman’. For Corbyn, on the other hand, it seemed to be all about his party members. When asked why his views on doing away with the monarchy, nationalising this country’s banks or getting rid of Trident were not reflected in Labour’s manifesto, the Leader of the Opposition replied ‘I’m not a dictator who tells people what to do’ before going on to explain that a manifesto is the result of a process in which members vote on policies. ‘that is why I was elected’ he said, ‘to give a voice to our party and its members.’
There’s no denying that Corbyn was attacked by Paxman over his prior refusal to directly condemn the IRA. Agree with his stance or now, his responses felt genuine. ‘It’s only by dialogue and process we brought about peace in Northern Ireland’ he said, ‘and I think that’s a good thing.’
Ultimately, if last night’s studio audience decided on a winner it was Corbyn. There’s also no denying that the studio audience laughed at the Prime Minister and scowled while she answered questions about cuts to the Police made while she was Home Secretary or attempted to answer a midwife who was speaking about underfunded hospitals and exhausted staff. However, despite what today’s papers say, you got the sense they were genuinely laughing along with Corbyn’s unapologetic, sardonic and at times satirical approach.
However, when all is said and done, for all the hype we give TV debates, they don’t really change anything. Today it’s back to business as usual. Whether Corbyn will continue to be held accountable for his past, only time will tell and whether Brexit can win this election for Theresa May remains to be seen. One thing is for sure though: Corbyn is turning up as his unadulterated self but we still know nothing of what the Prime Minister really thinks.
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.