Pundit

After one of the 2005 TV election debates, noted Herald political columnist John Armstrong wrote:

Stalemate, pretty much. No clear winner. Devoid of any critical, vote-shifting moments.

Nevertheless, Don Brash did vastly better than in previous debates and showed he can now hold his ground in these confrontational set-pieces. Another solid, assured performance from the Prime Minister. But viewers have come to expect nothing less. Given the polls, the pressure was more on Helen Clark last night to pull a rabbit out of the hat.

…But [Brash] landed a couple of jabs on her, notably questioning why Labour had suddenly adopted National's policy of a deadline on the lodging of historical Treaty claims. All in all, a fairly equal tussle. But, crucially for National, one that did Dr Brash no harm and maybe some good.

Those views pretty much reflect what most media commentators are concluding about last night’s first up effort between Helen Clark and John Key: that Key did well against a tough, experienced opponent, getting his party’s campaign back on track.

While much has been made of Key being the underdog heading into the debate, he is a natural television performer. It is, by some margin, his best medium–certainly when compared to public speaking and performing in Parliament. Readers might recall the last campaign, where Key more than matched Michael Cullen in their televised encounters. He does have a tendency, however, to wing it. It will be interesting to see if media follow up with Pita Sharples on Key’s account of their discussion over the future of the Maori seats.

Clark, for her part, was authorative and confident.  She knew she was up against a polished opponent. She remained calm, scored some good hits, and, like Key, can be very happy with her night’s work.