First blood?

There seems to be some surprise that Nick Clegg did best in the first TV debate, but really, provided he did nothing stupid, it was always his to win wasn't it? To use a football analogy, he had a two-goal start. Firstly, unlike the other two, he had no baggage. The record of his party couldn't be attacked, because it has no record. In its present incarnation, it has never held power, and even as the old Liberals it never did more than help prop up Labour governments. Equally of course, this allowed him to present himself as a tabula rasa as it were, and appear to be all things to all people. Secondly, neither Brown nor Cameron wanted to lay into him, because they both realise that they might well have to work with him following the election, and it is therefore not in their interests to get on his bad side. It will be interesting to see how they approach him next time, but frankly the same considerations will still apply.