In 2009 the Sun and Sky told Gordon Brown to grab the TV debate or else
Compare and contrast the the Sun’s view on televised leadership debates. Tory leaders Theresa May will not be taking part in one.
April 21 2017:
THERESA May would make mincemeat of Jeremy Corbyn and Tim Farron on TV. She is the only credible option as PM, as would be blindingly obvious to anyone watching. But The Sun doesn’t really care how much or how little TV she does if she thinks her election campaign is better spent touring marginal constituencies. We DO object to self-important broadcasters acting like their debates are a cornerstone of our democracy…
Broadcasters who try to shame the PM by “empty-chairing” her in her absence will be playing with fire. How would that remotely be impartial?
2009 (via Private Eye):
…if Iran and Afghanistan can have TV debates between party leaders, so can we. David Cameron and Nick Clegg are backing a debate before we vote next year. There can be no hiding place for Gordon Brown.
In September 2009, Sky TV launched a petition for a televised leaders’ debate.
We, the undersigned, support the campaign for a leaders’ debate.
Sky News has launched a national campaign calling for a live television debate as part of the General Election, the first of its kind in Britain.
John Ryley, the head of Sky News, has written to the Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Conservative leader David Cameron and Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg to invite them to take part.
He told them faith in politics and politicians has been shaken, and a debate during the forthcoming election campaign would offer a unique opportunity to re-engage disillusioned voters.
“There is a chance here, not just to do something that has never been done, but to energise an electorate, to reconnect with the millions of people who have been alienated by politics and the way it is so often covered, to achieve something that is truly democratic,” Mr Ryley wrote.
Sky News is calling on readers and viewers who support the campaign to sign the online petition here.
This was supported by Sky News’ Adam Boulton telling Sun readers that “the people want it, politics needs it and Gordon Brown should grab the opportunity with both hands.”
Such are the facts.
Posted: 5th, May 2017 | In: Reviews, Tabloids Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
