Question Time symbolises how badly broadcasters fail Scotland

It’s quite a shock to the system when you find yourself agreeing with Nigel Farage for the first time in your life.

If you had the misfortune of watching this week’s Question Time, you’ll have witnessed an absurd moment which symbolises just how badly our national broadcasters are letting down Scotland – and the wider British public – when it comes to coverage of the general election.

Host Fiona Bruce put aside her jolly hockey-sticks momentarily to note that her guest Farage had appeared on “virtually every media outlet this week, which has attracted some criticism as you’re not actually standing for election”.

Farage grinned and replied: “Well, you invited me on.”

His dig was right on the money. Farage, incidentally, has appeared on this woeful clickbait of a show – a programme which should shame the BBC if it truly believes in public service broadcasting – 37 times. 

On Thursday, we were one week into a general election and there was Farage again – a man with neither a mandate, nor a reason to be on the programme as he’s not running for parliament. He doesn’t even lead the Reform Party. Farage is its honorary president.

But then the BBC did ‘create’ Farage through the constant platforming the channel has given him – even though the GB News host and pal of convicted felon Donald Trump would happily dismember the broadcaster if he had the power.

On the same edition of Question Time, the Tories were represented, as were Labour – by the increasingly sinister figure of Wes Streeting – but no LibDem or SNP folk were there, no Welsh or Northern Irish politicians, no Green.

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But we did get Piers Morgan. He recently denied knowing about phone-hacking after a judge ruled there “can be no doubt” Morgan was aware of the practice while editor of the Daily Mirror.

I hold no candle for any political party – viewing them all with equal contempt, save for the Tories who I give pride of place as the most contemptible. So I am not batting for any side when it comes to the attention paid to them by our TV channels.

The only side I care about is democracy, and democracy is not well served by this sort of skewing of balance by TV stations at the time of an election.

The first general election debate will take place this coming Tuesday on ITV between Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer. Again, no LibDems, and no SNP – no other party gets a look in. Why? We do not run a presidential system in this country. We elect parties, not leaders.

Previous elections have featured all party leaders in TV debates – including Farage, when leader of UKIP, and Nicola Sturgeon, Natalie Bennett of the Greens, and Plaid Cymru’s Leanne Wood.

The SNP is currently the third largest party in Westminster. So its voice should be heard alongside Sunak and Starmer. The LibDems are the next largest party. Equally, Ed Davey – when he’s not acting the eejit and falling performatively into Lake Windermere – should be on the same stage as Sunak and Starmer.

STV is also failing the electorate. On Monday, it will air a Scottish-specific debate between John Swinney, Labour leader Anas Sarwar, Conservative leader Douglas Ross and LibDem leader Alex Cole-Hamilton. Here’s the problem, though: not one of those men is running for Westminster.

STV is as oafish as an ill-read undergraduate politics student who doesn’t know the difference between matters which are reserved and not reserved.

It should be representatives of Scotland’s political parties who are actually standing at Westminster who appear on STV if the debate is to make any sense or be meaningful.

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Evidently, the Scottish Greens and Alex Salmond’s Alba should also be on the STV stage. They are not.

If STV constructed the debate intelligently, according to who is running candidates for Westminster, then both parties should be there. And under STV’s own rules – which seem to be that a party just has to have representation at Holyrood – then once again the Greens and Alba are eligible but ignored.

To be fully accurate, clearly, we should acknowledge that Alba only has one MSP as Ash Regan snuck across the chamber as a defector from the SNP. Evidently, the same goes for Kenny MacAskill and Neale Hanvey, Alba’s two MPs in London, who will most likely be turfed out on their ear quite soon to the joy of many constituents.

Democracy is in serious trouble all over the western world – and Scotland and Britain as a whole are no exceptions. Young people in particular are starting to lose faith in the democratic process.

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The media is known as the Fourth Estate for a very specific reason: it’s one of the pillars of the democratic model. The media has a vital role in ensuring that democracy functions well, both in acting as a watchdog and providing balance. 

Currently, our broadcasters are blowing their responsibilities. Every political party which has the right to have its voice heard should be heard. It’s that simple.

One of journalism’s most egregious sins is ‘selective editing’: not giving someone a voice in order to silence them. One would be forgiven for believing that this professional failing seems to run strong within our broadcasters.