Johnson, Corbyn to Square off in 1st UK Election Debate

[brooklynite]

Source: US News & World Report

LONDON (AP) — Prime Minister Boris Johnson and opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn prepared to square off Tuesday in the first live televised debate of Britain’s election, each trying to spark a lackluster campaign to life.

The hour-long encounter — the first-ever head-to-head TV debate between a British prime minister and their chief challenger — offers Corbyn a chance to make up ground in opinion polls, which show his Labour Party trailing Johnson's Conservatives ahead of the Dec. 12 election.

For Johnson, it’s a chance to shake off a wobbly start that has seen the Conservatives thrown on the defensive by candidates’ gaffes and favoritism allegations involving Johnson’s past relationship with an American businesswoman.

Johnson, 55, limbered up Tuesday by donning boxing gloves emblazoned with his campaign slogan “Get Brexit done” during a visit to a gym in northwest England. Corbyn, 70, was photographed having his beard trimmed at a barber shop.

Read more: https://www.usnews.com/news/business/articles/2019-11-19/uk-leaders-square-off-in-first-debate-of-election-campaign

[evertonfc]

1. Corbyn

I have alit of friends in England and visit occasionally, although I don't follow thier politics but no one seems to like this guy

[brooklynite]

2. There's pretty much only one way Johnson can win, and Corbyn has figured out what it is.....

[JonLP24]

5. I follow a lot of Corbyn supporters there are definitely people out there that like him

You can find a lot of Corbyn supporters on #SocialistSunday hashtags.

Here is a recent Tweet from a Corbyn supporter

Link to tweet

[StevieM]

3. Unfortunately, it seems that Corbyn is about to lose by a pretty decent margin.

The polls taken over the past week, when averaged together, show the Conservatives at 42 percent, Labour at 30 percent, and the Liberal Democrats at 15 percent.

The Torries won the last election by 2.4 points. This time they are up by 12.

[mwooldri]

4. Yuck yuck yuckity yuck.

Corbyn is Michael Foot.

Brexit would be a done deal, the NHS will be privatized, and the next government (after a Boris train wreck) would be wishing the UK was back in the EU.