Seven-party TV debate cannot be serious

The new proposals unveiled by the BBC and ITV make a mockery of the TV debates for the forthcoming election.

Firstly, it is questionable how a serious political debate can occur involving the leaders of seven political parties, only two of which have any chance of being voted into Number 10.

The proposals would give Welsh nationalists, who received a mere 0.6 per cent of the UK-wide vote (only 11.3 per cent of the Welsh vote), equal treatment to 
both Labour and the Conservatives, who received 29 per cent and 36.1 per cent respectively at the last general election.

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Furthermore, these debates will no doubt entail discussions over matters already devolved to Holyrood and Cardiff such as health, education and transport policy.

It would therefore be a moral outrage to have Scottish and Welsh nationalists dictating about how the English NHS and education system is run.

Whilst it is right the voices of these parties are heard in the forthcoming election, is it not more appropriate to include them in regional debates (as happened last time) rather than forcing the rest of Britain’s population (87 per cent) to listen to parties whom they cannot even vote for.

How can the broadcasters legitimately include these separatist parties, who care nothing for the rest of 
Britain and will naturally 
use these debates as a 
platform to break up the United Kingdom, when 
voters across the whole of Britain are faced with 
the most important electoral decision in a generation?

William Beddows

Links Crescent

St Andrews

Now the SNP has “won” the debate about the election debate, any idea what’s on the other channels that night? As usual, the SNP make pointless points about irrelevances.

Ken Currie

Liberton Drive

Edinburgh