Great (?) Debate; the worm

[Sploosh]

Anyone else watching this right now? I reckon that worm is a bit sus. Every time Rudd answers, the worm shoots up straight away and stays in the positive. When Howard answers, it is usually flat, and gradually drifts lower. If the purpose of the worm is to accurately reflect what the pollies are saying and how it is being received, surely they needed people more willing to listen and be open minded.

Ah, who really cares about the worm...

[heater31]

don't really give a rats rear end. anything like that is more than likely influenced IMO

dead set nothing on the box* tonight as two commercial channels are covering it and I simply refuse to watch the show on the other. Which is probably a good thing since I my final two Uni assignments due in the next 2 weeks


To re arrange the words to the title of a Greenday song "Wake me up when November ends" please

[Interceptor]

Well, pretty interesting info from the ABC's wrap up:

Channel 9 defied the rule against the Worm and the National Press Club demanded that their feed be cut off!
It was, but 9 managed to get a "pirate" signal!

Would have been funny to see 9 without a show to put on air...

[BenchedEagle]

Anyone else watching this right now? I reckon that worm is a bit sus. Every time Rudd answers, the worm shoots up straight away and stays in the positive. When Howard answers, it is usually flat, and gradually drifts lower. If the purpose of the worm is to accurately reflect what the pollies are saying and how it is being received, surely they needed people more willing to listen and be open minded.

Ah, who really cares about the worm...

Maybe it is that the worm really was accurate???? Howard has nothin worth listening to?

Rudd won easily tonight. Watch for Haward to squirm out out of any more debates in ths campaign

[GWW]

Well, pretty interesting info from the ABC's wrap up:

Channel 9 defied the rule against the Worm and the National Press Club demanded that their feed be cut off!
It was, but 9 managed to get a "pirate" signal!

Would have been funny to see 9 without a show to put on air...

No doubt they would have gone for crap like Newhart or something similar like they do when it rains during the cricket.

[heater31]

Well, pretty interesting info from the ABC's wrap up:

Channel 9 defied the rule against the Worm and the National Press Club demanded that their feed be cut off!
It was, but 9 managed to get a "pirate" signal!

Would have been funny to see 9 without a show to put on air...

I caught the wrap up of it waiting for the movie to start. Ray Martin said that due to unforeseen technical difficulties we seemed to lost the feed from Canberra. We had to borrow the Sky News feed so our coverage could continue

[Sploosh]

Despite what the worm seeed to indicate, I reckon it was pretty much a nil-all draw. As is nearly always the case with these things, both gave a fairly polished performance. Really, unless someone makes a huge mistake or really stuffs up big-time, which didn't happen tonight, these things are non-events when it comes to influencing anyone, I reckon.

[TroyGFC]

Can anyone explain to me what the worm is. And how it is determined.

[Brad]

The worm is a waste of time and effort, clearly the crowd were PRO Rudd from the start!

[mighty_tiger_79]

Anyone else watching this right now? I reckon that worm is a bit sus. Every time Rudd answers, the worm shoots up straight away and stays in the positive. When Howard answers, it is usually flat, and gradually drifts lower. If the purpose of the worm is to accurately reflect what the pollies are saying and how it is being received, surely they needed people more willing to listen and be open minded.

Ah, who really cares about the worm...

Maybe it is that the worm really was accurate???? Howard has nothin worth listening to?

Rudd won easily tonight. Watch for Haward to squirm out out of any more debates in ths campaign

i agree I thought Rudd won easily tonight

but Howard wont have another debate

interesting to note the past 2 elections there have been debates v Kim BEazley who won 67-33 and amazingly Mark Latham won the same margin and Rudd won by a similar margin tonight

it may not be all over for Howard.........but i hope it is

[mighty_tiger_79]

Can anyone explain to me what the worm is. And how it is determined.

the worm is the result of an audience who when listening to the debate have a device - they push it up if they like what they are hearing and it goes down if they dont like what they are hearing..

the woman on Ch 9 from the Syd morning herald did say that it is normal for the opposition to have a better response for the worm because people get excited about hearing new plans and someone elses voice, rather then the same old boring old man in howard........

i do agree that when both spoke it either jumped straight up or straight down in howards case even if they had said 3 words.........

[mick]

Can anyone explain to me what the worm is. And how it is determined.

i do agree that when both spoke it either jumped straight up or straight down in howards case even if they had said 3 words.........

Totally agree in many cases it went to maximum positive almost before Mr Rudd opened his mouth. It suggests to me that there were a couple of people pushing the "Rudd button" regardless of what was being said by him. In any case, there is no doubt Rudd is a good/strong performer, whether these debates actually have any significant impact on voters is debatable, unless one or other speaker makes a huge stuff up. Neither of them did.

[zipzap]

unless one or other speaker makes a huge stuff up. Neither of them did.

Hmmm. According to one gaff from doddery old Mr Howard, 15% of the Australian workforce are former trade union officials! Mr Speaker! Mr Speaker!

[mick]

unless one or other speaker makes a huge stuff up. Neither of them did.

Hmmm. According to one gaff from doddery old Mr Howard, 15% of the Australian workforce are former trade union officials! Mr Speaker! Mr Speaker!

Your agism is a worry ZZ, if you or me for that matter are half as good as John Howard (physically, mentally) at 65 you will be doing well. In any case it was hardly a huge stuff up. The debates over now it's back to the real stuff, Channel nine can put Ray martin back in the freezer.

[Leaping Lindner]

Debates are nearly always won by the leader of the opposition. Been that way since Peacock in 84 (which was the first one if I recall).

[noone]

i think debate winners are 4 from 9 when it comes to the election, so yeah little predictive ability

[Snaggletooth Tiger]

The thing about 'Worms' is that they're an irritating parasite in the anal passage!
Kinda like all the palaver surrounding the upcoming Federal Election!

[Aerie]

...whether these debates actually have any significant impact on voters is debatable...

A debate on a debate. I'd like to see that!*

*disclaimer: provided there is a worm involved.

[Hondo]

The worm needs to go .... it distracts everyone and all people want to talk about is about is which way an audience of 30 turned their dial

Anyone needing convincing of the stupidity of the worm go back and look at the "is Schapelle Corby" guilty show when she cried, claimed her innocence and caused 98% of the "worm" audiance to dial that she was innocent. I think if you polled 100 people today, the result would be the exact opposite.

[Psyber]

Let's face it do you think genuinely neutral people bother to be in the audience for the debate, or do they have better things to do. So, each group tries to stack the audience and the better, or more determined, stackers dictate what the worm indicates. That's assuming the people running the show don't want to stack the audience themselves!