Frank Murphy

Yet another undesirably unequal general election campaign!

Yet another undesirably unequal general election campaign!

Posted by Alan England on 5 May 2010 | 0 Comments

Am I alone in having noticed the plethora of Peers and other appointees cluttering up our broadcasting media during this 2010 General Election? In recent weeks we've heard the opinions of Lords Mandelson, Kinnock, Tebbutt and Ashdown, to name but four!

As recently as the World at One on BBC Radio Four yesterday (4th May) we heard Baroness Boothroyd pontificating about the electoral system and tactical voting! Later, she was followed by Lord Gilbert, another old Labour hack! Why should we electors be subjected to opinions inflicted at broadcasters' behest by unelected politicians put forward by the Brit parties in preference to other candidates seeking election?

This practice seems part of the cosy pact between the televisers and the political class which has the effect of filling up broadcasting capacity whilst excluding candidates from the minor parties. The BBC has played a prominent part in effectively limiting debate primarily to the Big Three Brit parties, thus creating the widespread but mistaken perception amongst voters that these are the only realistic options and a vote for any other party is a 'wasted vote'.

Electors should not forget that the Big Three Brit parties together account for 95.2% of the MPs in the last rotten Parliament, and ALL [including their respective leaders] were implicated in the Expenses Scandal. All three parties and some of their leading members also accepted dubious donations or failed to properly account for donations.

It should also be borne in mind that, between them, the Big Three Brit parties secured an income in 2008 of over £73million, of which some £5.9 million came from the public purse! Compare this with the shoe-string pittance with which the English Democrats Party has to campaign. This is hardly a level playing field.

A vote for any of the Big Three Brit parties' candidates, is a vote for more of the same ~ a wasted vote!

If the BBC and other broadcasters truly believed in open and equal democracy, they would have given much more opportunity to Robin Tilbrook (and the leaders of other small, registered political parties), in preference to unelected politicians, to broadcast opinions and policies. SHAME on the BBC and Independent broadcasting organisations!

It appears that the Big Three Brit parties are so inadequate that they will resort to any device regardless of whether it confers an unequal and unseemly advantage. Small parties do not receive the benefit of public funds and tend not to have any peers on call to promote their policies.

Now we have the regrettable spectacle of leaders' wives being paraded in order to boost their husbands' respective dishonest campaigns. One wonders how the likes of Ted Heath will fare in future? So much for equality of opportunity!