If there is one thing on which The Guardian and the Daily Telegraph agree, then it is that UKIP is beneath derision.
Therefore, Nigel Farage can whistle for inclusion in any Leaders' Debate organised by those two venerable organs.
A French-style event would already be guaranteed by the inclusion only of those parties which already had, like, you know, seats in the House of Commons.
French-style in size.
And French-style in diversity of opinion.
For there are 11 such parties. Eleven. That many have managed to get in. UKIP has not.
Lest it be imagined that this is for Celtic reasons, while Scotland returns MPs from four parties, Wales from four, and Northern Ireland from four (although only three turn up), England has five parliamentary parties.
But none of England's five parliamentary parties is UKIP. At most, UKIP is the sixth party of England and the twelfth party of the United Kingdom.
Moreover, probably the only Leaders' Debate that is going to be held in relation to the next General Election is going to be organised by two newspapers neither of which would pass water on UKIP if that party were on fire.
While I am not in favour of a proportional voting system, and not particularly a supporter of UKIP, if the leaders' debate is to be in any way representative of the degree of support nationally for the various parties (and their influence), I think UKIP certainly ought to be given a place in it.
ReplyDeleteWhy? We either have a parliamentary system, or we do not.
ReplyDeleteUKIP has no "influence" whatever. And both of the organising newspapers revile it.