Watching Question Time from Glasgow last night, I thought it was striking that there was no question about the attempts by ITV and Sky to rig the leaders' election debates by excluding the SNP (and also the Liberal Democrats in ITV's case). It's inconceivable that a Scottish audience wouldn't have submitted questions about such an urgent threat to the democratic process in this country, so the producers presumably didn't want the topic to be debated. And now we can understand why. The BBC have done exactly the same deal with Boris Johnson that ITV did, and given in to his demands that all major parties should be excluded apart from his own and Labour. You can easily see what it's in it for both sides - Boris gets his rigged election, the BBC gets bumper ratings. So now we can look forward to
three rigged debates from all three broadcasters.
* * *
The first full-scale Scottish poll to be published since the start of the election campaign has arrived - but it's not what it appears, because the fieldwork is two weeks out of date. But for what it's worth, here is what YouGov are saying the state of play was in late October...
SNP 42% (-1)
Conservatives 22% (+2)
Liberal Democrats 13% (+1)
Labour 12% (-3)
Brexit Party 6% (n/c)
Greens 4% (n/c)
For balance, the same complaints are made about leader's TV debates around the world. Make of that what you will, but the obvious thing is that it is due to the nature of such TV debates. Either that or all TV companies, pretty much everywhere, are biased....
ReplyDeleteSigh. That's not adding "balance", that's an attempt to normalise the broadcasters' outrageous behaviour and to pretend that it's somehow unavoidable, or that it's somehow impossible for them to do the right thing. No, "the same complaints" are not made in every other country. Take the US, for instance. Yes, only two parties are usually represented in presidential elections, and yes, other parties complain about that. But the difference is that every single seat in the US Congress is held by the two leading parties (or by independents who caucus with those parties). There's no credible comparison with the UK, where there are dozens of parliamentary seats not held by Labour or the Tories. And I'd certainly be interested to hear about any other (democratic) country where the fourth largest party is invited to a three-way debate, but the third largest party isn't.
DeleteIt is normal in the Americas and Australia perhaps. But not in Europe. The world is a bigger place than USA, Canada and Mexico.
DeleteCanada just had their election and six parties were included in the national debates.
DeleteAnon at 8.49am: comment deleted. Comments of that sort will always be deleted, so stop wasting your time and mine. If all you've got is ad hominem, take it elsewhere.
DeleteThose leaders' debates simply should not be broadcast into Scotland.
ReplyDeleteIt is about basic fairness. Party Election broadcasts are regulated, aren't they? They show SNP broadcasts in Scotland but not rest of UK. If the rest of UK don't want Sturgeon to interfere with their election, then fine, but there should be a level field for the battle in Scotland.
Time to demand devolution of broadcasting - is that realistic - or is now not the time?
When the allies invaded Iraq in 2003 the first things they took control of were the oil fields and the broadcasting stations.
DeleteSo no, I think broadcasting will probably be the last thing to be devolved. Controlling what we see and hear is too important.
BBC behaviour not unexpected. however, it might help the SNP here we have a debate between England's best: a liar versus a fool. Take your pick as to who is who. Even if one of them manages to survive the ordeal and win - will either convince people that Scotland let alone the UK is safe in their hands?
ReplyDeleteAs I said in a previous post, it's wishful thinking to believe that being excluded can help the SNP in any way at all. Past experience suggests it can only do harm.
DeleteYeah, the only way this is helping the SNP is in the "helping them to lose seats" sense.
DeleteThis election shall now be between Boris and Corbyn. The SNP have exited the game. It's going to be all about Tory vs Labour now.
And when the SNP inevitably stall or lose seats, that will be the final hammer in the nail of independence. Scots, being a nation of studied cuckolds, will go along with whatever Dom Boris says, including opening their back doors for Trump when they're told to.
Knickerless is lying about the NHS. Her Nat si party run the Scottish NHS badly.
ReplyDeleteThe UK PM isn't lying about cancelling the result of future Scottish elections if Scots don't vote the way England wants.
DeleteThe Scottish FM (Knickerless) is lying about the NHS. Her government runs the NHS. She is a wee unscrupulous fibber who has rubbed aff on Skier.
DeleteHow is your party doing Prick puss?
DeleteThey won't be getting my ratings. I will ignore such blatant gerrymandering of our election. Can't think of a bigger turn off than Johnson sneering at Corbyn.
ReplyDeleteIf you want TV leaders debates to involve politicians actually from your country, you need to vote for independence.
ReplyDeleteBBC and ITV are English TV, not Scottish.
I'm afraid the only way to affect the BBC is to cancel your licence, they are impervious to any other form of complaint. You will be brushed of with the normal BBC arrogance. But remember they are like the mafia, you have to pay your protection money even if you never watch them but want to watch other channels.
ReplyDeleteThe more that people see of BoJo and Jezza the more people will turned off by both.
ReplyDeleteITN SKY are private companies and can broadcast what they want, BBC is Westmister government controlled and broadcasts what it's told
ReplyDeleteAll broadcasting is a reserved to Westmister *power* they have consistantly refused to devolve, now you know why
You would think if they wanted ratings they would have all major parties involved.... As logically it would cover more of the populations views. Including the libs and plaid would be funny, as the snp could ask tory lite why she is in an alliance with a separatist...having Nicola on English TV always stokes the embers of England though, so again, you would think it would be higher ratings.
ReplyDeleteAnyone know what the SNP is gonna do about it?
ReplyDeleteOr what ordinary punters can do?
The Nat sis need to keep blaming the Tories for everything the Nat sis get wrong.
DeleteThe SNP doesn't do anything about things, they tell the public what is being done to us and we the people do something about it
ReplyDeleteThe SNP are telling everyone in Scotland regardless of what you vote or who you support that just by being a person of Scotland you are being treated as inferior
Unionists may think by voting Tory or Lib Dem they're winning something over the Nationalists, they're not, because their turn will come too and when it does who will the Unionists look to for help because it'll be too late because they'll have sold out Scotland because of misplaced loyalty to something that doesn't exist or loyalty to a sectarian belief that means nothing to the people who made it up in the first place to use and control people with
All people on the face of the earth are inferior to the English or the English wouldn't have made up insulting nicknames for every other nation, they're so arrogant they don't even know they're doing it, it's been built in to the English psyche since before the crusades and the British Empire, they know no different and the government of England uses it to this day by pretending they're a democracy with a Monarchy all at the same time so wave your Union flag watch a Spitfire fly over Buckingham Palace and tell the world England stood alone
Because Scotland Wales Ireland Canada Australia and every other country becomes invisible just like the broadcasters are doing in this general election, they're blotting out the voices of the rest of the nations
I'd like to see Jo Swinson flying a Spitfire over Princess Marple's house, then throwing her Union Jack knickers at Prince Edward.
DeleteUsual jock gibberish.
DeleteRacist exclusion of black activists from mainstream political debates in the US during the civil rights movement did not succeed in getting black people to vote for racist white candidates. Quite the opposite in fact.
ReplyDeleteThe same will apply here.
We are witnessing open racist hatred towards Scots now; a product of English nationalism being fully unleashed. The 'moderates' have all quit or been kicked out. The extremist 'we hate the piccaninnies with watermelon smiles' now occupy No. 10.
Everyone is allowed the EU deal they want but not you jock scum! Your leaders will not be on our TV debates, and you can forget about the right to vote freely. Rule England! Rule Brexit! Sieg heil!
Sent in the complaint and let them know I'm not renewing my licence next month.
ReplyDeleteAnd Iain, when you receive their begging/intimidation letters don't respond, file them and laugh.
DeleteDefinitely.
DeleteWe're all going to rattle our Wings metal badges, mugs, flasks and Swiss Army knives for the duration of the debates. What do you think about that?
ReplyDeleteAre you willing to form a Broad Popular Front and join in?
Or maybe there is no SGP hardware and merchandise.
[*smirk*]
Is that you Stu Campbell? Talking a load of rubbish from Bath, England, whilst lining your pockets via fleecing the Scots big time, once again? If you support Scottish Independence move your arse and relocate to Scotland fly man. Many of us have your measure now.
DeleteYes, that did look a bit like his prose style, I must admit. Let's hope that's just a coincidence, otherwise people might start to conclude he has a "demented obsession" or words to that effect.
DeleteIn England the broadcasters promote the politics they want to win and they do it 24 hours a day, and there's evidence that suggests the more you can talk about the potential winners the more you can disillusion the opposition
ReplyDeleteSo in Scotland they practically avoid mentioning the election at all because the clear winners will be the SNP and the broadcasters in Scotland don't want to talk about that because their job is to not promote the SNP by mentioning their name at all
The new BBC 9 channel that was specifically commissioned to talk about news in Scotland from a Scottish perspective spent their entire programme last night avoiding news from Scotland instead they talked about Iraq the Berlin Wall Football, in fact eveything they could think of to talk about except the most important general election in the last hundred years, not since 1923 has anything like this ever happened and the broadcasters avoid it
Kim Jong Un must laugh his head off when they talk about him being a dictator
I haven't ever watched the news programme on BBC Scotland. Who would? It'll be the usual propaganda but delivered in matey accents.
DeleteIt's the "BBC" part of the name rather than the "Scotland" bit that tells us what to expect.
I have always been firmly against the use of terms like 'traitor' and 'quisling'. If Scotland is a voluntary member of the UK, it is people's right to wish that and while you might try to tempt them with the benefits of indy, their views should be respected.
ReplyDeleteHowever, if a Section 30 is refused even though Holyrood has requested one with the backing of a majority of MSPs, anyone in Scotland who agrees with that decision is a traitor/quisling. Likewise, England is an occupying enemy state which must be resisted by all means necessary.
This is what the PM of the 'UK' is apparently demanding. He is saying the peaceful ballot box route to indy is being closed to Scots, instead they must 'pick up the armalite'. If you are against democracy, you must by definition be pro-violence. Johnson is pro-violent repression in his own words live on telly.
If people cannot freely vote for something, there will be violence. Maybe not from the people themselves at first (they will try the courts, peaceful civil disobedience etc to begin with), but definitely from the government preventing them from voting.
DeleteIn Catalonia, the moment the Spanish government decided that voting was 'illegal', the violence began. Immediately old ladies were being beaten up by Spanish stasi for trying to cast a vote. You cannot declare voting illegal without enforcing that through violence and arbitrary detention.
There is no state in the world where democratic rights are suppressed 'peacefully'.
This is why what Johnson is saying is extremely scary. He is saying he's ready to unleash violent repression on Scots.
Panelbase UK has no geographical breakdowns, but assuming comparable turnouts across borders, the 4% UK-wide figure would be consistent with 44% SNP here, so in line with current polling.
ReplyDeleteIf Boris Johnson and his crew get their way and win this general election very soon afterwards Scotland will be told the Scottish parliament in the shape of the SNP is not representing the people the way Westminster wants them to and measures will be brought forward to restrict the Scottish parliaments ability to take actions which the UK government feel are contrary to their wishes and the good of the *country*
ReplyDeleteAnd they'll put it in a Queens speech to make it sound more legallyfied sounding
Be aware NO voters, you're not going to get what you think you're going to get
Today is the day the Berlin wall fell.
ReplyDeleteLet's all hope that one day soon the partitioning of Ireland is reduced to just a memory too.
The Berlin Wall did fall and as predicted the Germans have become the strongest economic power in Europe. However who would have thought the joke nats would become their erse lickers and tomorrow is Remembrance Sunday.
DeleteIt's the brexiters that handed N. Ireland to them.
DeleteJames: Having read this I'm ashamed of our 'national' broadcasters....So much so that I've just contacted "Broadcasting Scotland as follows:
ReplyDeleteEvening all... Q. I presume you have/are considering holding a leaders debate pre-General Election..? You're output has improved considerably since your inception and many congratulations on all your work. I'm so glad you appear to have raised enough funding to purchase a tele-prompter..(!)
I think there's a studio available for hire (?) at the Thomson Television complex @ Newton Mearns & wonder if you've considered another fundraiser to cover the associated costs to which I would happily contribute...
Have just added: I'm sure that the SNP, if approached, would be happy to assist with any costs...
ReplyDeleteWhit dae ye make o the Scottish Labour Party using an English based printing company tae print their leaflets. This is treason it should be an EU company.
ReplyDeleteScottish Labour is the party with the English red rose logo, that being the national flower of England. It is a party in England, for England.
DeleteStart of an uptick for Labour in England?
ReplyDeletehttp://britainelects.com/polling/westminster/
Looks like they've gained 2% net from the Libs while the Tories have stalled. A straw in the wind, but this is what happened last time as soon as the election was announced.
It would be great if it's a hung parliament and the SNP can stop England's brexit again; as long as a section 30 is refused that is.
We haven't had the SNPbad smear yet either. Whatever it turns out to be, I bet it comes from the lib dems.
ReplyDeleteIf it does come form the lib dems, they'll want to steal "stop Brexit" votes from the SNP. I wonder if they would try a smear like "the SNP really want a hard brexit"?
If they had some fake evidence, an email or so on, it might be enough. Like they did with the Frenchgate thing.
Could a symbolic mass boycott of the BBC work?
ReplyDeleteFor example can you get a rebate? Then a mass cancellatipn even if for one day? So imposing mass administrative costs. Or something like skye Bridge paying in pennies?
Or everyone just stop renewing in December? Sudden cashflow drop, all those angry reminders still to be typed?