Whoever ends up in the debates, if we have them again (and on balance I think it is better than not), I'd like to see them hosted by Dr David Starkey, rather than a Dimbleby. We need someone as clever and aggressive as Starkey to pin down the weasels who lead the parties, especially when you can be sure thet will have been coached, rehearsed, etc.
I despise Farrage and most of his coterie. However, democracy has got to be about people voting for what they want and they should be aware of the choices on offer. Whilst UKIP may not have a single MP, there is a lot of interest in them. How can the electorate make choices if only the same old parties are the only people allowed on to the hustings? If Farrage and friends have no idea how to run the country then give them the chance to shoot themselves in the foot. Tories, Labour and LibDems are all different shades of the same thing. At least UKIP is differently bonkers. I think that politics and representation are way out of line with the current internet age. People could now be voting on line for what they want, politics could be more immediate and democratic. The Swiss system in which government policy is put together by a coalition cabinet, voted on in 2 chambers but finally put to the people for their say-so is an admirable system. No party whips amongst the people. The people decide on the policy without party boundaries - on the merits of the legislation under discussion. They are helped in their choice by TV and radio programmes where the policy is debated. But they only debate legislation - not budgets or foreign policy. Is Switzerland a well-run place? By and large, yes. Are political personalities interesting and is it a big soap opera? No. So what do you want, wise government, or entertainment on the nightly news?
Despite giving this a 'Like' I don't despise Nigel Farrage although I do recognise he is deeply 'uncool'. Fortunately UKIP have managed to distance themselves from the BNP and EDL. I think they add to the debate, and that is what we need.
Fact: The general public are disengaged in politics. This situation is largely caused by politicians ignoring public opinion. Nigel Farage has captured a lot of popularity by questioning the UK's immigration policy that was out of control through the Labour years, and is now still out of control due to our membership of the EU. This reinforces peoples support for a party that exists to drive the UK out of Europe and you only have to look at the number of UKIP MEP's to see how strong public opinion has turned against membership. By the way, I am not against immigration, only the out of control immigration that we've had. The fascinating aspect is that UKIP's arrival on the political landscape has caused all the other parties, especially the Conservatives who are most threatened, to retune their policies and that has been good to see. I personally think government doesn't know best and we should have a bigger say in the way the country is run. To have UKIP's policies scrutinised under the spotlight in TV debates with other parties would be enlightening for many. That said, Nigel Farage always comes over very well on Question Time and would scare the other 3 to death so will most likely not happen. Getting back to the disconnect with Joe Public. I think we should have online voting as the norm, maybe even on APP's for smartphones. This would dramatically increase the number of people voting and at the same time we should have polls taken on a number of important issues that the incoming Government are then duty bound to honour. We have the technology to tap into peoples opinions and to reconnect us with the powers that govern us. Food for thought?
