Democratic debate

ChrisIB

Honorable
Lucky enough to be in the audience for the UK's TV debate between the leaders in a Question time special.
A chance to see the levers of democracy in action I thought! And as a slightly cynical creature, to see the integrity of it.

Before air, someone asked the host if it was pre recorded, 'No, absolutely live' she replied. It was.
The seating (150 of us) was just from a line as we were herded in from the nearby canteen.
When applying for a ticket, four prospective questions were required. Twenty minutes before air, we were told if we were one of the ten that had been chosen, to ask it in front of the nation. The girl sat next to me was, and muttered a quiet 'oh god'.

My takeaways? Oddly, an increased respect for politicians. The thought of being asked what I thought on any of my four questions led to a lot of research and an appreciation of the difficulty of giving a good answer.
Secondly, the realization of, with live TV, just how many things really, really could go wrong.

Lastly, would I recommend it? No. When you split from a partner, you think of all the things you wish you had said, it's like that, but ten times worse.
 
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