2015 Election and the Leaders Debates

The Green Party are standing in NI, as are UKIP. Conservatives NI are too (but you could debate whether they are actually connected or not to the main party)

Labour used to stand in NI but eventually gave up.. you could in a way put Liberal Democrats / Alliance as 'one' but not very well.

I see their reasons for wanting to be part of the debates, but also reasons for them not to be. What Plaid Cymru bring to the table will have no relevance to that of the rest of England or Scotland who are watching so the same principal applies.

Edit: Interestingly today, the DUP have started to more reference 'the broadcasters' decision rather than a 'BBC decision'

I think the BNP are also standing in NI or have done in the past, but the Greens is a common misconception. While they do have links to the Bennett Green's - the Green Party of Northern Ireland and the Scottish Green Party are separate entities with different manifestos to the Green Party of England and Wales. While they do cooperate with each other they are technically separate parties unlike the national branches of Labour, Lib Dems and the Tories.

It's interesting that the Conservatives NI (which are part of the UK Conservative Party) are standing in NI as what does that do to the UUP alliance. Alliance are of course Allied to the Lib Dems and SDLP to Labour, but that was my point about the DUP. In response to 62058, I was trying to say that the minute you included Plaid (which there is no logical reason for) then you destroy your argument about not letting the DUP on. But I would add that you couldn't include the DUP without Sinn Féin as that would not be balanced.

The Green Party in Northern Ireland are part of the Irish Green Party, not the one in England and Wales. The Conservatives are part of the main UK party. Alliance are connected to the Lib Dems, but the Lib Dens also have a branch in NI (albeit one which doesn't contest elections). Some Alliance members are members of both parties but their MP, Naomi Long, isn't and she sits on the opposition benches rather than the goverent ones.

The Labour Party did organise in Ireland until 1913 (holding its 1907 conference in Belfast) but since 2004 has a branch in NI again, though it too doesn't contest elections (you may have been thinking of the NI Labour Party, a separate organisation). Interestingly, though the nationalist SDLP are considered part of the parliamentary Labour Party and take the Labour whip in the Commons.

Edit: Covered in the other thread in the other forum

http://www.tvforum.co.uk/tvhome/2015-leader-debates-confirmed-40638/page-2

Final Agreement today ....



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MEDIACENTRE on BBC.CO.UK
21-Mar-2015 @ 15:17

Interesting the Lib Dems are out of the BBC debate. Thought it was questionable when they proposed excluding Labour and the Lib Dems on the basic Cameron refused.

Jeremy Paxman and Kay Burley co-hosting is something I never thought we'd see.

Read the PR, Conservative, Liberal and NI Party representatives, but not the leaders, will feature in the programme.

THAT never lasted 24 hours, Sky news has a new promo on the books.

The BBC Debate is an Opposition debate. The LibDems are in Government with the Tories, so they are not opposition

It's only become an opposition debate at the request of David Cameron who reportedly asked for Clegg to be excluded so he wasn't the only leader absent. It's disgraceful that the BBC agreed to it.

The new promo featuring the 'Decision Time' music. I forgot just how mood building that music is.