Election debates

The SNP, in its efforts to address the BBC Trust (your report, 5 April), may well reflect on the joint BBC and IBA (the then Independent Broadcasting Authority) analysis, "Television Coverage of the 1983 General Election", published in March 1984.

It clearly stipulated that, for 25 per cent of the electorate, "television coverage seems to have a significant influence upon particular groups of voters whose decisions are central to the balance of power".

A paper entitled "Television and the 1987 General Election Campaign" by Robin McGregor, Michael Svennivig and Chris Ledger stated that "between five and six out of ten (56 per cent) said they had learned 'a great deal' or a 'fair amount' from television".

If these broadcast debates go ahead without a representative from the SNP, the party of government in Scotland which is contesting every Scottish constituency in the forthcoming general election, then the BBC will be in breach of one of its own editorial guidelines.

This guideline states that, under the title "Principles of political impartiality": "We must not campaign, or allow ourselves to be used to campaign".

ALAN McKINNEY

Beauchamp Road

Edinburgh