I think I kind of missed a key point in my reference to PMQs!
Back to the debate. Alex Salmond is objecting to any debate being screened in Scotland unless he, as leader of the SNP, is involved. Another excuse for STV to opt out then.
Also wonder if Sky will end up being left out of the loop - indeed considering The Sun looked at the polls this week and decided they didn't want to back the losing party Sky's objectiveness must surely be questioned too. On the other hand though, it could be wise for Gordon Brown to agree to Sky's original offer - he then looks to be agreeing to the debate, but with a much smaller audience than BBC/ITV would get. If it went well, he could then agree to others.
I think I kind of missed a key point in my reference to PMQs!
Back to the debate. Alex Salmond is objecting to any debate being screened in Scotland unless he, as leader of the SNP, is involved. Another excuse for STV to opt out then.
Also wonder if Sky will end up being left out of the loop - indeed considering The Sun looked at the polls this week and decided they didn't want to back the losing party Sky's objectiveness must surely be questioned too. On the other hand though, it could be wise for Gordon Brown to agree to Sky's original offer - he then looks to be agreeing to the debate, but with a much smaller audience than BBC/ITV would get. If it went well, he could then agree to others.
But if Sky have now joined forces with ITV and the Beeb surely contracts will be signed between them, meaning if he did one and then pulled out of the other two the other two would be very unhappy that they waited to do theirs until Sky had, only then for GB to pull out. Plus Nick Clegg and David Cameron would pounce on the opportunity to say he's scared of people questioning his decisions, plans and manifesto.
Also even the Sky one I would imagine the key parts of it will be broadcast on every major channel's news programming, so BBC News, ITV News, C4 News, Sky and Five News all broadcasting the best/worst moments for each leader, so that plan wouldn't work anyway. Like when he appears on The AM show and clips are shown on Sky, for example.
I think we're getting slightly ahead of oursevles with all this talk of broadcasters and/or leaders pulling out.
Despite the noises being made by the SNP, I can't see how these debates won't now go ahead. Yes, the small print needs to be worked out, but all 3 broadcasters are committed to this, and will surely continue to co-operate with one another rather than risk giving any of the leaders some kind of pretext for pulling out. And besides, I can't see how any of the 3 leaders could even begin to contemplate walking away from this now, given that they've all agreed to it so very publicly, and that to pull out now would result in a total loss of face not to mention a complete pounding in next year's ballot.
Last edited by Telly Media on 4 October 2009 3:07am - 2 times in total
It's going to take a lot of work to make this happen.
As much as it frustrates me to say this, Alex Salmond almost has a point. It had to happen one day.
Most UK residents don't see beyond the three parties (being English) but in Scotland and Wales in particular the SNP and Plaid have a fair point that their share of the vote will actually probably beat the Tories (the favourites for government).
The logical solution will be separate debates in Scotland and Wales with the respective heads of the parties in those countries. However, there is a potential legal point (not lost on the lawyer Salmond) that the exposure of the three main party leaders from the BBC/ITV/Sky "English" debates will far outstrip the "minority party" debates. And for the general Westminster elections, Salmond as SNP leader IS directly competing against Cameron, Brown and Clegg. I don't think any of the latter three will agree to take the stage with him (and the Plaid leader no doubt), which could lead to an impasse.
... another issue being the overspill (on Satellite and on Cable) of the 'English' debates into Wales and Scotland, on channels which cover the UK as a whole such as Sky News and BBC NC.
There has been separate debates before though, such as a Question Time Leaders Special or on ITV1's Jonathan Dimbleby where the leaders would appear seperately over consecutive weeks. These were shown nationally and I doubt there was any SNP/Plaid Cymru versions.
... The Electoral landscape is different now though with devolution. The SNP are the minority Government in Scotland and Plaid in coalition in Wales. These parties cannot be ignored as a result.
This is complete rubbish and you should all know it. SNP and Plaid don't field ANY Candidates outside of Wales and Scotland, and as such are in no danger of forming a national government at Westminster. If they want to debate the issues for their own respective talking shops north and west, then fair doose.
Think about it - if we included the leaders of ALL political parties up there on the stage we'd have 50-odd people participating in "The Leaders' Debate." And as much as I'd like to see Nigel Farage, George Galloway, the Greens, the Commies, the Monster Raving Loonies and all the rest standing shoulder to shoulder with Brown, Cameron and Clegg, anyone with an OUNCE of sense should realise that it's a three-way thing.
This is complete rubbish and you should all know it. SNP and Plaid don't field ANY Candidates outside of Wales and Scotland, and as such are in no danger of forming a national government at Westminster. If they want to debate the issues for their own respective talking shops north and west, then fair doose.
I agree. The forthcoming election will be for the UK Parliament. A "Leaders' Debate" should be restricted to leaders of those parties who are fielding sufficient candidates to form a majority in the Commons (ie at least 326 candidates).
I doubt whether SNP, PC or any of the NI parties would qualify, although I suspect UKIP may, which would mean a four-headed debate.
... The Electoral landscape is different now though with devolution. The SNP are the minority Government in Scotland and Plaid in coalition in Wales. These parties cannot be ignored as a result.
But they are no more significant in the UK Parliament than they ever were.
Still disagree, voters in Scotland and Wales where there are realistic possibilties of individual contests being won should not be deprived of seeing leaders from ALL such parties debate - it would be a grave injustice so to do. The Nationalist parties are currently based on Electoral Calculus' latest research expected to return 22 members to Westminster at the next Election. So their message cannot be ignored in any debate aired in either Scotland or Wales.
Still disagree, voters in Scotland and Wales where there are realistic possibilties of individual contests being won should not be deprived of seeing leaders from ALL such parties debate - it would be a grave injustice so to do. The Nationalist parties are currently based on Electoral Calculus' latest research expected to return 22 members to Westminster at the next Election. So their message cannot be ignored in any debate aired in either Scotland or Wales.
They are niche parties as far as the UK Parliament is concerned. It would be a grave injustice to include any party who refuse to field candidates for 85% of the population.
These will be NATIONAL debates for the UK Parliament. The debate is the same, whichever part of the UK you happen to live in.
Of course it's reasonable to assume that Nationalist candidates are likely to be returned in their respective areas, but their influence as far as a national debate is small since they will have no overall impact in the resulting assembly. A line has to be drawn somewhere, it would be sensible to only include those with 326 or more candidates, otherwise you may as well have the leader of Respect on the basis that the party a has fair chance of being returned in Bethnal Green & Bow.
