Chancellors debate – all very reasonable so far

All very reasonable so far in the great debate.

Alistair Darling says he’s got tenacity and a sense of fairness. Vince Cable says “I told you so” over the economic crisis. George Osborne says cutting can’t wait for 11 months (his team thinks he’s been handed a gift by Labour identifiying “waste” and then not getting on with removing it).

In the first “gang up” Vince Cable has turned on George Osborne – two on one is not where the Tory shadow chancellor wants to be in this debate. But he’s quickly, no doubt very carefully, balanced it with a go at Alistair Darling for not being specific over his cuts announced in the budget.

By the way, there wasn’t a lot of sweetness and trust ahead of this debate. One speaker didn’t want the dressing room next to another (presumably he thought lastminute war-gaming would be overheard by his rival listening with a tumbler at the wall).