Lord Grade: Playing Politics?

This blog does not agree with Lord Grade’s opinion that broadcasters are playing politics if they leave an empty chair when Cameron fails to turns up to one or all of the TV debates. This blog does admire Lord Grade’s long history and experience in all facets of broadcasting and recognises the dynasty from which he comes, which has done so much to develop the entertainment industry in our country. We are less familiar with him in his role as a Tory peer, which seems to be at least part of the motivation for his intervention.

These debates are not actually the property of either broadcasters or politicians. In a democracy they are the property of the voters, who cannot be denied the opportunity of seeing party leaders compete with each other because one of them does not like the format. Or to put it brutally would like to scupper the whole idea. The Cameron camp believe the debates last time cost the Tories an outright majority. It is possible they are right. There was a chance that the Lib Dems would lose a good many of the seats they had harvested during the New labour era when the Tories made themselves unelectable, but because Clegg did so well in the TV show, they lost a few but not as many as they might have.

The advantage, if it can be called that, in an unwritten constitution is that it works on precedent. If it happened before it must be done again. Broadcasters and politicians and those who live in the bubble of Westminster, which definition includes Lord Grade whichever hat he wears, have a view of everything from within. They lose sight of the view from without, which is why their activities turn people off. But millions tuned into the leader debates last time and it would be literally a constitutional outrage for  a repeat of that opportunity to be now denied. No prime minister, or indeed anyone, should have a veto on how it is organised.  It is incumbent on all the leaders to behave like grown ups if they want us to take them seriously and as for Lord Grade? It is time to put a sock in it. Where have I heard that before?