THREAD: I’ve spent hours, days even behind the scenes advising politicians on TV debate prep. I advised Alistair Darling in the #indyref, Jim Murphy in 2015 and even role-played Nicola Sturgeon for Ed Miliband. I took part in a few myself too 
Make no mistake - leaders, or at least their teams will take these occasions really seriously. Working on policy detail, building the political argument on top of that before refining a few soundbites
Then you do the same from your opponents perspective, drafting rebuttal for lines you know are coming your way. Strategy is important too - especially in larger debates like the 2015 - 6 way. Who is the target? Who do you ignore, who is coming for you?
In a 2 way clash like tonight each side will be thinking about moments of clash - what’s the fight they want to be on the 10 o’clock news? The issue they are instinctively comfortable with is not necessarily the one that matters to swing voters...
Look out for the moment which is for the viewers at home. A policy or a moment of empathy delivered down the barrel of the lens.
Look out too for how the leaders try to address any presentational weakness the polls tell them they have
Look out too for how the leaders try to address any presentational weakness the polls tell them they have
So does it all matter? Do TV debates matter? Thanks to @electoralreform , we know a bit about the impact of the 2017 debates...
In May 2017, there was a suggestion neither Theresa May or a Jeremy Corbyn would take part in the debates. ERS research said that 56% of people thought debates were key to helping them decide who to vote for.
4 million people tuned in to the BBC Question Time Leader’s special with just over 1/3 saying the debate influenced their decision.
The same research said voters are looking to their leaders to do 5 things: 1) put their points clearly 2) provide factual evidence for claims 3) offer a clear choice 4) engage them in the debate 5) show they understand people like me
The first tv debate of 2019 is on ITV tonight at 8pm
