Debates about debates about debates
Let me lay my cards on the table: I thought it was a good idea to have leader debates in 2010 and I thought that a set of debates - perhaps one with DC and Red Ed and one with the leaders of the Conservatives, Labour, Lib/Dems, Greens and UKIP - in March would have been a good idea.
However, I can see the argument that debate about the debates hijacked some of the more important issues during the 2010 election campaign and debates about debates are certainly doing so now.
Case in point, PMQ's this afternoon - six questions about debates, none on the NHS, none on the Economy, none on the very dangerous situation in foreign affairs.
There have been absurdly funny displays of double standards about this; if we are totally honest, from both sides; perhaps the most ludicrous "split screen" quotes being from Alistair Campbell:
Alistair Campbell in 2001 as the Prime Minister's Press secretary defending Tony Blair's decision to refuse outright any debate against William Hague and Charles Kennedy:
"The UK is not electing a president and our constitutional positions are entirely different," Mr Blair's official spokesman, Alastair Campbell, told reporters yesterday ... he and other senior advisers concluded this week that media obsession with election "process" - of which two TV debates would be an obsessive example - would only serve to detract from Labour's policy message.
(Source - The Guardian Jan 18th 2001)
Alistair Campbell in 2015 accusing David Cameron of trying to avoid debating other leaders (exactly as Blair did in 1997, and 2001 when Campbell was his press secretary):
'Alastair Campbell has called the Prime Minister's stance on the TV leaders' debates "morally cowardly and democratically wrong".'
(Source - ITV news March 5th 2015)
I shall resist the temptation to call Alistair Campbell a two-faced hypocrite.
I were to call him that, someone would undoubtedly find a prominent person on my side who called Blair a chicken in 1997 and/or 2001 but defended David Cameron this week and ask if I would say the same about him or her.
So I shall not say any such thing - though the late Ian Richardson as the character Francis Urquhart from the TV version of "House of Cards" had a great response for all such situations:
Perhaps the best response to the "Debates about debates about debates" was given on a spoof website called - wait for it - "The Spoof" who have written an article called
Labour leader decides to campaign on tv debates
which represents Ed Miliband as declaring his party's main campaign issue as follows ...
"As a party we have in the past fought elections based on the economy, the future of the NHS, unemployment and education. However we have to be realistic and honest about what has emerged as important today. It is therefore my position that the party will henceforward campaign on a platform to force David Cameron to debate policy with me in a pre-election debate." ...
"I understand that some people would see this as an immense waste of public money,", he added "but they have to see that in proportion to the cost of bailing out the banks after we failed to regulate them properly when we were last in power, this is small change by comparison."
The article adds that when asked which policies he would likely discuss in this debate,
'Miliband looked at his watch and said, "I'm sorry, I have to dash to another interview." before running away.'
You can read the whole article, which is of course entirely fictitious, here.
However, I can see the argument that debate about the debates hijacked some of the more important issues during the 2010 election campaign and debates about debates are certainly doing so now.
Case in point, PMQ's this afternoon - six questions about debates, none on the NHS, none on the Economy, none on the very dangerous situation in foreign affairs.
There have been absurdly funny displays of double standards about this; if we are totally honest, from both sides; perhaps the most ludicrous "split screen" quotes being from Alistair Campbell:
Alistair Campbell in 2001 as the Prime Minister's Press secretary defending Tony Blair's decision to refuse outright any debate against William Hague and Charles Kennedy:
"The UK is not electing a president and our constitutional positions are entirely different," Mr Blair's official spokesman, Alastair Campbell, told reporters yesterday ... he and other senior advisers concluded this week that media obsession with election "process" - of which two TV debates would be an obsessive example - would only serve to detract from Labour's policy message.
(Source - The Guardian Jan 18th 2001)
Alistair Campbell in 2015 accusing David Cameron of trying to avoid debating other leaders (exactly as Blair did in 1997, and 2001 when Campbell was his press secretary):
'Alastair Campbell has called the Prime Minister's stance on the TV leaders' debates "morally cowardly and democratically wrong".'
(Source - ITV news March 5th 2015)
I shall resist the temptation to call Alistair Campbell a two-faced hypocrite.
I were to call him that, someone would undoubtedly find a prominent person on my side who called Blair a chicken in 1997 and/or 2001 but defended David Cameron this week and ask if I would say the same about him or her.
So I shall not say any such thing - though the late Ian Richardson as the character Francis Urquhart from the TV version of "House of Cards" had a great response for all such situations:
Perhaps the best response to the "Debates about debates about debates" was given on a spoof website called - wait for it - "The Spoof" who have written an article called
Labour leader decides to campaign on tv debates
which represents Ed Miliband as declaring his party's main campaign issue as follows ...
"As a party we have in the past fought elections based on the economy, the future of the NHS, unemployment and education. However we have to be realistic and honest about what has emerged as important today. It is therefore my position that the party will henceforward campaign on a platform to force David Cameron to debate policy with me in a pre-election debate." ...
"I understand that some people would see this as an immense waste of public money,", he added "but they have to see that in proportion to the cost of bailing out the banks after we failed to regulate them properly when we were last in power, this is small change by comparison."
The article adds that when asked which policies he would likely discuss in this debate,
'Miliband looked at his watch and said, "I'm sorry, I have to dash to another interview." before running away.'
You can read the whole article, which is of course entirely fictitious, here.
Comments
Well its all good
"LITERATURE PRIZE: The US Government General Accountability Office, for issuing a report about reports about reports that recommends the preparation of a report about the report about reports about reports."