First televised election debates in Great Britain

Krzysztof Zuba

English version of the article

The article discusses circumstances surrounding the first British televised election debates of April 2010, whose participants were the leaders of the three main political parties – the Labour Party, Conservative Party, and the Liberal Democrats. Though the idea of such debates had been discussed since 1964, the controversies over them caused that they were not held until recently – exactly half a century after the famous Nixon–Kennedy debate in the United States. The article provides an analysis of arguments for and against debates (as such). There is particular focus on the consequences of debates on the British political scene. While their ultimate impact on the election results has been limited, the debates have nevertheless become a sign of Britain’s turning away from a two-party political system, as well as of a “presidentialization” of its political regime. Another essential post-debate effect has been the “mediatization” of British politics, in which aspects of a political leader’s (media) image play an increasingly important role.

KEYWORDS

election debate, Great Britain, elections 2010, mediatization of politics