Off the register

Joan McAlpine’s article (Perspective, 7 February), elaborating on the frustration that many Scots feel towards the BBC’s inbuilt bias to a UK political perspective, prompts an important question about the role of the UK Electoral Commission in the 2014 independence referendum.

The Electoral Commission advertises its aim as “integrity and public confidence in the democratic process”.

But, in its official report on the 2010 UK general election, its only reference to the party leaders’ debates, which were a conspicuous feature of that election, is in relation to voter registration.

It does not mention the damage done to the integrity of, and public confidence in, the UK’s democratic process by the decision by the London party leaders and UK broadcasting regulators to award the UK-wide political parties four and a half hours of election broadcasts throughout the UK, free of any opportunity for direct challenge by non-UK-wide political parties.

I understand the Electoral Commission regards the decision on the leaders’ debates as an “editorial” decision by the broadcasters and therefore, despite its grand aim, beyond its authority to comment on.

Given the refusal of the BBC to establish a Scottish Six or comparable programmes, the Scottish voter will remain exposed in the referendum to the often poorly informed and biased views of mainly English commentators and contributors on UK-wide current affairs programmes such as Today, the World At One and Question Time, usually without challenge by an informed Scottish voice.

Consistent with its silence on the leaders’ debates, will the Electoral Commission consider itself disqualified from issuing guidelines or commenting on UK broadcasters’ coverage of referendum issues?

Will it accept guidance on this from the Scottish Parliament – to which we are promised it will be made accountable – or continue to defer to its pals in London?

Stephen Maxwell

Findhorn Place

Edinburgh