Leadership debates, should the SNP take part?

[Undesired Walrus]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/8289367.stm

The SNP may take legal action if Alex Salmond is not allowed to take part in a UK party leader TV debate ahead of the next General Election.

The BBC, ITV and BSkyB jointly proposed three live debates between the Labour, Tory and Liberal Democrat leaders.

...
Mr Swinney said the SNP was prepared to be flexible, saying of the current arrangements: "It deprives the voters in Scotland of hearing the breadth of political choice that quite clearly exists here in Scotland about the input of Scotland into the UK General Election."

 

[gtc]

The problem is that at the last election they got fewer seats than the DUP and fewer votes than the UKIP.

If there was a debate for Scottish TV then they would have as much right to be there as anyone else, but they wouldn't be relevant for the rest of Britain.

 

[Francesca R]

I prefer the BBC to be politically impartial, hence the first minister for Scotland should not be in that debate. Sure there is a case for another debate with different scope and participants.

 

[gtc]

I prefer the BBC to be politically impartial, hence the first minister for Scotland should not be in that debate. Sure there is a case for another debate with different scope and participants.

Indeed. There is no reason why a political debate should be open to people who aren't actually standing for election.

This happened in Australia in 1987. The Queensland premier tried to intervene in the Federal election despite not actually standing for a seat. The Joh for PM campaign backfired spectacularly but it did lead to the Alf for PM promotion in support of the popular sitcom.

 

[Arcade22]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/8289367.stm

Just a question, what is the SNP:s view on immigration and multiculturalism?

 

[geni]

Just a question, what is the SNP:s view on immigration and multiculturalism?

Pretty liberal generaly.

 

[geni]

But the SNP has threatened to seek to block the screening in Scotland of any debate which did not include Scottish First Minister Mr Salmond.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/8289367.stm

Heh usualy the SNP are fairly media smart but takeing a position that would involve censoring political speach? That's not something that's been tried since they stopped doing it for Gerry adams.

 

[funk de fino]

He should keep out of this farce.

 

[funk de fino]

The problem is that at the last election they got fewer seats than the DUP and fewer votes than the UKIP.

If there was a debate for Scottish TV then they would have as much right to be there as anyone else, but they wouldn't be relevant for the rest of Britain.

nice spin

 

[Arcade22]

Pretty liberal generaly.

What does this mean concretely? Would Ahmed and his family of ten be able to move to Scotland in the event of succession, even if they have no education and no way of getting a job?
Would they permit tax-payers money to be used in "immigrant schools"(if there are any).

Cant seem to find anything concrete on their website other than they want a "Green-card system" and "a fair immigration system".

 

[geni]

nice spin

Not really. The various countries that have debates tend to decide who gets to take part based on:
Seats at the last election
Vote share at the last election
Projected vote share

None of which allow Mr Salmond to take part without hitting issues with UKIP or the northern Irland mob.

Of course if Mr Salmond wished to try and arange a debate between the leaders of scotish parties he would be free to do so. Equaly he is free to arrange a debate amoung minority parties in much the same way the greens and the libertarians in the US do. Of course this still presents the problem of what to do with the northern Irish parties and SNP vs PC would be a very strange debate indeed.

It could be done by vote percentage with UKIP vs SNP vs Green offering some serious entertainment value. Two pro-europe parties verses UKIP. Would be worth watching.

 

[gtc]

nice spin

Snarky, aren't you?

Nothing I said was wrong.

 

[richardm]

What does this mean concretely? Would Ahmed and his family of ten be able to move to Scotland in the event of succession, even if they have no education and no way of getting a job?

Depends on where Ahmed is moving from doesn't it? If he's moving from Leicester then I wouldn't imagine there'd be a problem. If he's moving from Abu Dhabi then I'd expect that the sort of rules that govern immigration into the UK at the moment would be adopted.

 

[funk de fino]

Not really. The various countries that have debates tend to decide who gets to take part based on:
Seats at the last election
Vote share at the last election
Projected vote share

None of which allow Mr Salmond to take part without hitting issues with UKIP or the northern Irland mob.

Of course if Mr Salmond wished to try and arange a debate between the leaders of scotish parties he would be free to do so. Equaly he is free to arrange a debate amoung minority parties in much the same way the greens and the libertarians in the US do. Of course this still presents the problem of what to do with the northern Irish parties and SNP vs PC would be a very strange debate indeed.

It could be done by vote percentage with UKIP vs SNP vs Green offering some serious entertainment value. Two pro-europe parties verses UKIP. Would be worth watching.

BS, spinning that the UKIP vote and the SNP vote are any way tied together or relevant when taken together is just pure crap.

 

[funk de fino]

Snarky, aren't you?

Nothing I said was wrong.

Just irrelevant and meaningless use of voting figures.

 

[Debaser]

It could be done by vote percentage with UKIP vs SNP vs Green offering some serious entertainment value. Two pro-europe parties verses UKIP. Would be worth watching.

Unfortunately, slightly less entertaining without Farage though. He appears to have enough self awareness to realise how ridiculous much of politics is. And certainly had enough 'savvy' (for want of a more ad hom term) to get onto the gravy train and take it for all it's worth, all the while criticising it.

 

[Reginald]

Have a Scotland only one. SNP, Labour, Libs and whatever passes for a conservative up there these days.

Same for Wales and the same for NI.

I don't see it as a big problem. I shouldn't think that the SNP would be very worried about what those south of the border think.

 

[funk de fino]

Have a Scotland only one. SNP, Labour, Libs and whatever passes for a conservative up there these days.

Same for Wales and the same for NI.

I don't see it as a big problem. I shouldn't think that the SNP would be very worried about what those south of the border think.

I agree, unfortunately Salmond's ego dictates otherwise.

 

[Debaser]

I agree, unfortunately Salmond's ego dictates otherwise.

I've got to ask...what IS the perception of Alex Salmond in Scotland?

I don't know, but whenever he's on national TV he always comes across to me as Smugs McSmug, the smuggest man in Christendom. I don't know if this is a genuine reflection of the man or just my rabidly anti-Scottish bile rising.

 

[geni]

BS, spinning that the UKIP vote and the SNP vote are any way tied together or relevant when taken together is just pure crap.

It's a UK debate not a specificaly scotish one. Thus the only meaningful vote totals are the UK wide ones. If Mr Salmond managed to arrange a scotland only debate I would assume it would be based on seat totals or vote totals within Scotland alone.

If you do try and argue that the reduced number of seats the SNP runs in should be taken into account then you are back with the issue of the Northern Irish parties.