There's no debate, Scotland has been let down

 
Scotland is missing from the leaders' debates 

 

 

My column in the Sunday Times There’s no debate, we’ve been let down, argues that exluding the SNP from the UK leaders debates lets down the whole of Scotland, not just the SNP. I am well known for my support for independence. But this is as much about testing the SNP policies as it is about the other parties'  The leaders' debates offer a chance to discuss decisions affecting Scotland in particular, that are still taken in Westminster. This election is our only chance to influence these decisions while we remain part of the UK.  Alex Salmond said today that the SNP were launching a legal action against their exclusion from the leaders' debate on the BBC this Thursday.  He explains the decision here on the Andrew Marr.

 

Offering separate Scottish debates is not good enough. The Sky Scottish debate today had more gravitas than the previous one on STV, but there was still a lot of point scoring. I expressed my views on the debate in real time on Twitter where the #scotlandspeaks commentary became the second highest trending topic in the UK - after the London Marathon. I thought the Sky audience was good, the questions reasonable. Boulton's presence showed Sky took it seriously and the venue - The Hub - was impressive. Shame about the adverts, that do not appear during UK debates. 

 

However Scotland also needs themed debates that allow big issues to be scrutinised in depth...like the economy. which the column discusses at some length

Here is an extract:

 

This week's debate, on the BBC, will focus on the economy. Though this is a fully reserved issue, you could examine it entirely through a Scottish prism. Our deficit versus the UK deficit has kept economists busy for years. So what is the truth? Is the Scottish block grant fair? Will it be squeezed in the future? Is the SNP’s campaign, focusing on London cuts, realistic — shouldn’t Scotland take its share of cuts? What about those “Scottish banks”? How much revenue did they provide for the Treasury before they collapsed? Why is the SNP so reluctant to back Vince Cable and Mervyn King’s proposal to break them up? Why not use state ownership to reassert Scottish control of some institutions?

The rest is here at timesonline

Kenneth Roy also writes well on this topic in The Scottish Review

For more on the legal challenge see Bella Caledonia

Comments

[Neil]

50,000 raised in 31 hours.

Note to the BBC: nemo me impune lacessit.

[cynicalHighlander]

Not only are the SNP being discriminated on over the debates the BBC is doing the same on its Iplayer.

http://newsnetscotland.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=139:snp-election-broadcast-missing-from-bbc-iplayer&catid=1:politics&Itemid=2

I also read that D Canavan is backing the SNP in Falkirk not a cheep on the Beeb.

[CWH]

Gordon Brown is now complaining to the BBC about their coverage of the election particularly the BBC's concentration on the debates rather than policies. If I could be bothered commenting further it would be using words like 'hoist' 'own' 'petard'

If a party has MPs in the Westminster Parliament then it has the potential to influence policy which may affect all of the people in the UK e.g DUP voting with Labour in the 2008 Terrorism Bill to ensure it passed when Labour backbenchers revolted against the increase in the period of detention without charge from 28 to 42 days. So all parties with MPs in Westminster should have been represented in the debates - Canada can do it.

This would have been the fairest option but the 3 largest parties decided to opt for naked gerrymandering and are now reaping the consequencies. But we, the people, will be the ones who actually pay the price.

[Hamish Scott]

Good news about the legal challenge. I think there is genuine anger at this.

The only thing I would disagree with you Joan is you've left Wales and Ireland on the map!

[Dougie Kinnear]

To make an informed decision you need access to all the information, the leaders debates don't live up to that. I wish the SNP luck with their legal challenge but have no faith that the courts will back them.