Cowal Councillor, Ron Simon, has written to Sky News to register his opposition to its campaign for the first live debate with party Leaders Gordon Brown, David Cameron and Nick Clegg.
He says: ‘Firstly let me point out that I have no fundamental issue with party leaders debating issues and coming under public scrutiny in such an arena.
‘I am however concerned that only three party leaders are to be invited from what you describe as the main parties.
‘I should remind you that here in Scotland for example, two of these parties are very much minority parties namely the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives.
‘I would be more than happy to support such a debate if all parties were included and all given equal time on the same platform to put their case to the Nation.
‘Not to do so is to deny the electorate a true reflection of which political choices are available to them and Sky News would be complicit in promoting the political ideology of one constitutional position.
‘Election rules would prevent this exclusion during an election campaign period. In fact if voters in some other lands such as Zimbabwe, Iraq or even Afghanistan were denied the opportunity of hearing from one or more party, Sky News would be reporting it as a scandal – and rightly so.
‘The SNP is now the main party in Scotland and should have been invited to share the same stage, as should the Welsh Nationalists, the Greens etc.
‘To invite only 3 party leaders is a very blinkered, dated and flawed view of the diversity of views nationally. A national broadcaster should be completely fair, balanced and consider that its viewers deserve to hear all the arguments on a level playing field.
‘To do otherwise could be perceived as politically manipulative.
‘I strongly urge you to rethink the format of this debate and ensure that all parties have a voice on the same stage.
Given that assurance I would be happy to support your campaign but the current proposal leads me to question its competency and motives’.
Councillor Simon’s point underlines how far we remain distant from grasping the consequences of constitutional change and devolved governments.
It also highlights the instinctively colonial perspective of London-based media stations. What is see there as a ‘national debate’ is a long way from being such in ay of the devolved administrations where the issues, values and choices are very different.
Councillor Simon has done all political persuasions a favour in highlighting this persistently skewed perspective.
does councillor simon want nick griffin of the bnp to be included in the leaders debate ?
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I certainly do not endorse the views of the BNP however in a democracy I believe that everyone should have the right to put their views across. The emphasis should be on the voter and ensuring that he/she can make an informed decision when casting their vote. If the public are denied the knowledge of the options available and the opportunity to scrutinise and challenge the Politicians we will be left with the adversarial 2 party establishment at Westminster which has served us so badly for generations. Worse still, many people will vote for the likes of the BNP without really knowing what they actually stand for! Scottish politics has suffered the blight for generations of the biaise and vested interests of the Media and we still have a long way to go if we are to see a level playing field. This is where the New media, such as For Argyll, comes into its own as it is truly interactive and allows all points of view to be aired.
To deny information to the public, to my mind is a bigger sin than to allow an opinion not to be aired because you dont happen agree with that opinion. Parties like the BNP might be exposed under scrutiny. Its not Nick Griffen that is the issue, its the people who vote for him! Perhaps if better informed they would choose another option!
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thats a yes then .
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Well done Ron Simon for challenging this Suthron media arrogance. Surpressing political expression is how dictators like Hitler behaved. We all know that power corrupts. I wonder if that is the sort of future that kintyre1 would like to see for his beloved Union, a despot dictatorship, led by who? Himself?
Give me democracy any day, but a real one.
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No argument from that response. Kintyre’s gas at low peep now.
Well said Ron.
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Well said, Ron. It is largely ignorance that fuels the support for the likes of the BNP and denying them a platform only feeds that.
Surely it is time that Kintyre 1 lifted his/her head above the lip of the trench and identified himself, or herself? Fairly sure it is a him!
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cowal snp in disarray over bnp – leading snp councillor ron simon wants to give a platform to the bnp (see above) whilst culture minister and cowal resident mike russell msp condemns the bbc for giving the bnp leader a platform quote “scottish viewers will be inflicted with their spiteful and hateful message” its about time the snp got their position sorted out
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My suspicion that kintyre1 is nowhere near Kintyre is strengthened and it would be interesting to know who and where he is.
A range of views are held on whether Griffin should have been allowed on BBC and I agree completely with Ron Simon. It is however not a party political issue.
After the tanking Griffin got tonight it is clear that his appearance was in the public interest. However I don’t imagine it will have changed many views one way or the other as supporters of the BNP are beyond the reach of reason and not motivated the way more normal people are.
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bnp receive poll boost following question time show – mr griffin appears to have gone down rather better with “normal ” people than you imagined .
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In my book people who are taken in by the drivel spouted by Nick Griffin are not normal people. 80% of people say they are not likely to vote or in any way considering voting for BNP. Seems pretty conclusive to me though the programme was hugely unbalanced and a disgrace to the BBC.
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kintyre 1 tries to deflect the dscussion towards the BNP. I am more interested in ensuring that Scotland has a voice. k1 would obviously prefer that to be denied us.
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scotlands voice would be in the wilderness if nationalists like you got their way
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