tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post896063792330489044..comments2024-03-04T17:54:32.559+00:00Comments on Iain Dale's Diary: Why Can't We Listen to Political Debate on Polling Day?Iain Dalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03270146219458384372noreply@blogger.comBlogger40125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-55375222419078296692010-05-06T21:20:01.257+01:002010-05-06T21:20:01.257+01:00I agree with others that it is good for voters to ...I agree with others that it is good for voters to have an influence free day,<br /><br />Yes people need to be informed, but they would not be informed if the hours running up to the election were just full of desperate publicity stunts.<br /><br />If people want to find out more about a particular political party they can turn to newspapers websites and blogs.Suzanne Stainforthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13409299821611632422noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-60348946105871030302010-05-06T20:41:36.431+01:002010-05-06T20:41:36.431+01:00Jamie:
No imagination required -- but I have to a...Jamie:<br /><br />No imagination required -- but I have to agree with Ian. The rules should at least be consistent, unless someone comes with empirical evidence that television viewers are thicker and more gullible than blog readers.Craig Ranapiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08923246310584658857noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-4429723753241716442010-05-06T20:41:36.432+01:002010-05-06T20:41:36.432+01:00@ Despairing Liberal
"I tend to take the vie...@ Despairing Liberal<br /><br /><i>"I tend to take the view that it's time to regulate the leading blogs"</i><br /><br />I'll bet you do. So much for 'Liberal'.<br /><br />Who would you suggest 'regulates'? How would these 'regulators' be selected - by patronage, perhaps? <br /><br />And you'd propose 'regulation' of blogs based everywhere in the world? <br /><br />Much like China, then.Unsworthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08307116169498533047noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-50842225096412270842010-05-06T19:49:10.402+01:002010-05-06T19:49:10.402+01:00So wrong! And at such a crucial moment...
There a...So wrong! And at such a crucial moment...<br /><br />There are moments like this when I realise how much you have been captured by libertarian rhetoric.<br /><br />This isn't state intrusion. This is a law designed to protect us from speculators, mountebanks and propagandists. <br /><br />But of course any restriction on our liberty (to drive the wrong side of the road, cry 'fire' in a full theatre etc.) is de facto wrong.<br /><br />No wonder you object to Fascists being called 'extreme right wing': you have a binary mindset focused around state/law which you've inherited from republican libertarian thinking.pj13https://www.blogger.com/profile/11810580300635894211noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-89090187139428105992010-05-06T18:57:17.835+01:002010-05-06T18:57:17.835+01:00God Iain are you not fed up with the BBC's big...God Iain are you not fed up with the BBC's bigging up of the one eyed cretin by now?Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10574081059364644191noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-25651033246348603572010-05-06T18:55:00.259+01:002010-05-06T18:55:00.259+01:00http://news.uk.msn.com/politics/general-election-2...http://news.uk.msn.com/politics/general-election-2010/news/articles.aspx?cp-documentid=153291238<br /><br />If stunts like this were to be shown on TV news today it would make it worthwhile for all parties to stage them - imagine what Draper/ McBride/ Whelan et al would come up with. Need I mention the Dark Lord?Contexthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00859833577724535803noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-55358614000588190232010-05-06T18:09:16.051+01:002010-05-06T18:09:16.051+01:00Could there please be a ban on Mandelson speaking ...Could there please be a ban on Mandelson speaking for another five years? I get flashbacks of the Childcatcher from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang every time he oozes out of the telly. Mummy, make him go away!!!Brianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06358349301959327747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-5180253122715832782010-05-06T17:33:44.004+01:002010-05-06T17:33:44.004+01:00Frankly Iain we hear enough cobblers from Politici...Frankly Iain we hear enough cobblers from Politicians every day between elections.<br /><br />If it was down to me, I'd declare the last two weeks before polling day as a "period of reflection" for the public and ban all media discussion of the election so we have time to think about it all.<br /><br />In my opinion anyone who is so apathetic that they need to listen to the endless lies of election campaigns should not even have the freedom to make a vote.Johnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16200293786155557466noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-56564171753168062782010-05-06T17:02:17.572+01:002010-05-06T17:02:17.572+01:00If memory serves, there was always a (unwritten?) ...If memory serves, there was always a (unwritten?) rule about not showing political satire before 10pm on election night. Tonight I see that Have I Got News For You is on at 8.55pm. How does this fit in with the regulations?Christopher Snowdonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15963753745009712865noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-60704183809384096972010-05-06T16:09:34.105+01:002010-05-06T16:09:34.105+01:00Could be worse - some countries ban polls in the l...Could be worse - some countries ban polls in the last few days before an election. That is no fun.Blackacrehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15808024417861534968noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-62579581578779212492010-05-06T16:00:48.833+01:002010-05-06T16:00:48.833+01:00You would trust the BBC to be impartial.
How quai...You would trust the BBC to be impartial.<br /><br />How quaint.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11684778555377622121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-42193109030368607622010-05-06T15:59:41.377+01:002010-05-06T15:59:41.377+01:00You would trust the BBC to be impartial.
How quai...You would trust the BBC to be impartial.<br /><br />How quaint.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11684778555377622121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-16352849313411696932010-05-06T15:23:10.687+01:002010-05-06T15:23:10.687+01:00Despairing Liberal once again shows just how liber...Despairing Liberal once again shows just how liberal he is by calling for something else to be banned.Moriartyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02636946960473769348noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-82210074819296758152010-05-06T15:08:09.788+01:002010-05-06T15:08:09.788+01:00The BBC are carrying on with political broadcastin...The BBC are carrying on with political broadcasting on behalf of the Labour Party. They are just pretending they're talking about Greece.<br />I gather that if we feel like going out onto the streets, setting buildings on fire and killing people we'll be called "protesters" rather than criminals.Desperate Danhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04961605512194121921noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-19911362985803859742010-05-06T15:05:18.515+01:002010-05-06T15:05:18.515+01:00Sorry Iain, but I think you're wrong on this o...Sorry Iain, but I think you're wrong on this one. Give us all a break from politics over the air for one day - there's bound to be an onslaught ahead. At least we haven't got the BBC going overboard on the 'hung parliament' today or even worse, telling the electorate how to vote tactically.Matelothttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09950479080845577002noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-35850540340016038912010-05-06T14:59:59.011+01:002010-05-06T14:59:59.011+01:00Sorry, completely wrong Iain. What a nightmare it ...Sorry, completely wrong Iain. What a nightmare it would be. In fact I think they should extend it to 48 or even 72 hours.<br /><br />They are BROADcasters - they send their messages out indiscriminately.<br /><br />Blogs - and to a lesser extent - newspapers are narrowcasters. People choose them because of their political viewpoint.Rebel Sainthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17932686715016006056noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-47072869287238819142010-05-06T14:37:12.230+01:002010-05-06T14:37:12.230+01:00On my return from the polling station just now, I ...On my return from the polling station just now, I had a conversation with a neighbour who'd thought about not voting at all but eventually decided to. He said he wouldn't dream of asking me how I voted, to which I replied I didn't have any problem with saying I voted Conservative. At which he went a bit quiet other than saying "we really need a change". I gathered he voted LibDem. The conversation then progressed to events in Greece and mutual agreement on how fortunate we are not to be in the Euro, and further progressed to agreement on how 'something needs to be done' about immigration. Which reinforced my view that a large part of the electorate hasn't a clue what it's voting for. I doubt political debate on election day would make the slightest difference to that!<br /><br />Meanwhile, having bludgeoned my young adult progeny into registering to vote, I'm happy to say they've performed their civic duty... although since the Guardian is the newspaper of choice, I rather think I might have done the Conservatives a disfavour. Can't always win...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-83484917803224416432010-05-06T14:16:33.355+01:002010-05-06T14:16:33.355+01:00Sorry but you're wrong.
Imagine some stunt fo...Sorry but you're wrong.<br /><br />Imagine some stunt followed by a neck and neck finish with arguments that the will of the people had been subverted and having to wait 5 years to put matters right.<br /><br />Think of the effect on public confidence in the democratic system - and the blood in the streets.Weygandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11359751090279735138noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-81500232447546215832010-05-06T14:14:32.948+01:002010-05-06T14:14:32.948+01:00Like most of the rest I disagree. If only for the ...Like most of the rest I disagree. If only for the fact that it gives us a little bit of peace having been bombarded for what seems like a campaign for months now!Darsalonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09458868658777422047noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-61794271228868267092010-05-06T14:12:26.974+01:002010-05-06T14:12:26.974+01:00Iain I do understand where you are coming form on ...Iain I do understand where you are coming form on ths but I truly believe that allowing for a clear day of reflection on polling day itself is very positive. Like other commenters I beieve it would make sense to extend this to newspapers. I know the blogosphere would not be touched but this has to be sought out by the public ratherthan have it shoved in their ears, face etc.<br /><br />Voting is one of the most important tasks of any adult in a democracy and it should be carried out in a considered way not in the whirlwind of hype and spin.Darellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17133061323136929332noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-71415209071684941852010-05-06T14:07:52.848+01:002010-05-06T14:07:52.848+01:00No Iain, I disagree.
It's designed so that pe...No Iain, I disagree.<br /><br />It's designed so that people casting their vote in the morning have had the same amount of 'information' from the various political parties, polling sources etc, as those casting their vote late in the evening.<br /><br />It's meant to be fair, and people are meant to be left free to vote, without a last minute scare story influencing their decision, and without exit polls and political pundits influencing their vote.<br /><br />It's why the US has a ban from when the first polling stations (on the Atlantic) open until those in the in/on the Pacific close, and why they don't declare until the last polling stations have closed.<br /><br />Newspapers tend to print only one edition, which is available throughout the day - usually from before polling starts.<br /><br />So, really, the OfCom code of practice is fair.Mrs Rigbyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02896765062231309345noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-15875225241082935572010-05-06T14:03:41.902+01:002010-05-06T14:03:41.902+01:00There's been no real political debate on TV th...There's been no real political debate on TV thus far, why start now?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-69345882771399470522010-05-06T14:02:33.783+01:002010-05-06T14:02:33.783+01:00BBC impartial?BBC impartial?thespecialonehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06514789597629728269noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-83615725647775391122010-05-06T13:53:27.833+01:002010-05-06T13:53:27.833+01:00Quite agree with commentators - can you imagine th...Quite agree with commentators - can you imagine the stunts? Gordon Brown rescues a kitten? Nigel Farage - er no.Contexthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00859833577724535803noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-49864873175278057532010-05-06T13:47:47.173+01:002010-05-06T13:47:47.173+01:00I don't think you are right on this one, Iain....I don't think you are right on this one, Iain.<br /><br />I think that we have all had enough over the past few weeks and that today should be a quiet day of contemplation for us to carefully consider our options of we have not done so already.<br /><br />Actualy, the Indian system would be nice too - they bar all alcohol sales on polling days so that the people make sober decisions. Can't see that one working here, though!Dioclesehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08139646438543954337noreply@blogger.com