Clegg in ascendancy as rivals go back to the drawing board
JAMES CUSICK
Nick Clegg was able to capture and control territory left empty or incomplete by his rival party leaders
ANALYSIS: They came, they spoke and even if no-one quite conquered, the General Election was enlivened by an at-times dominant performance by the Liberal Democrats leader, Nick Clegg.
His ability to capture and control territory either left empty or incomplete by the combative answers of both Gordon Brown and David Cameron, leaves the Labour and Tory campaigns with a problem they didn't have before the debate's opening titles ran. Mr Clegg, if his party can capitalise on his performance, is now a player the two main parties cannot ignore. For the Conservatives there will, however, be big questions over their leader's inability to shine. For the debate favourite – Cameron was expected to be the star turn in Manchester – a rethink will have to take place.
For the Prime Minister, there will be relief among his advisers that his performance was relatively competent, relatively assured, and even if there was no start dust, it won't involve a change of campaign tactics for Labour.
For the Liberal Democrats, Mr Clegg delivered more than was asked of him. Their campaign is without the big bucks and the Tory dazzle that took place inside Battersea power station earlier this week. But from his answers on immigration, and then on law and order, he was able to capitalise on the in-fighting between Labour and Tories, and stake his claimed "honesty" against their records.
The audience were supposed to be silent, but it was Mr Clegg who began coaxing them out of their agreed muzzle. The odd sound of group laughter could be heard.
If this changed the way the other two party leaders had to adapt to the rhythms of the televised debate, Mr Clegg's ability to trade hand-to-hand blows and look as if his delivery hurt, now means the Liberal Democrats voice could figure in key swing constituencies where it matters.
On addressing the deficit and the way armed forces are funded, the policies of Labour and the Conservatives were exposed and the Liberal Democrats' middle-ground strategy sounded convincing.
This morning there will be a rethink in the camps of the two main parties. Strategists will have to ask if their message on key issues like health and state care are working, getting through. Mr Cameron too often looked anxious to divert attention back to safe ground where he believed he could score points. Gordon Brown was often found repeating himself.
But the format of the debate gave Mr Clegg a platform he is usually denied; a platform to attack and avoid being ignored. But now his advisers have to deliver; convince the media that their man deserves more time, more attention. His performance has to matched by his election team upping their own game.
Is this possible? The Liberal Democrats' campaign resources are miniscule compared with the £25m at the Tories disposal. But it was both David Cameron and Gordon Brown who looked like they could use an extra tutorial before next week's lesson, not Mr Clegg.
Both main parties may be additionally concerned that Trident has been raised by Nick Clegg as a potential campaign issue. There was a degree of consensus between Brown and Cameron about the need for a Trident update. However, Clegg scored enough points to leave the main party agreement looking shaky.
But what may now require the largest re-evaluation was the continuing absence of economic figures. While Cameron and Brown were trying to slug it out on National Insurance and issues of waste, Clegg focused on the you-can't-have-it-both ways debate. This left Cameron sounding hesitant rather than confident.
And it left Brown, though he tried again and again, to break it and deliver a convincing and unanswerable case for "securing the recovery".
So after a week of manifesto launches, and the widespread assumption of a simple two-horse race, the Liberal Democrat leader has upset the cosy simplicity of Tory or Labour, Brown or Cameron.
Overnight success is usually never achieved in one performance. But the drama of the 2010, its outcome, and the odds for a hung parliament, just increased last night.
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