The leaders of the Scottish and Welsh nationalist parties have complained that they have not been asked to take part in the election campaign TV debates.
SNP leader and first minister of Scotland Alex Salmond was joined by Plaid Cymru leader and deputy first minister of Wales Ieuan Wyn Jones at a press conference in Westminster this morning.
They have written to the heads of the international press bureaux, claiming the impartiality of the BBC is compromised by the current proposals for the leaders' debate.
Three live 90-minute debates will be held, on the BBC, Sky News and ITV.
Prime minister Gordon Brown, Conservative leader David Cameron and Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg have been asked to take part.
The SNP and Plaid claim that arrangement "cuts out three of the four countries which make up the UK and parties of government in Wales and Scotland".
They have also written a joint letter to BBC Director General Mark Thompson stating that the BBC's insistence in denying fair competition of ideas could endanger the conduct of a free election.
"It is very sad that after almost 90 years of being a world respected independent broadcaster held in the highest regard, the BBC has allowed itself to become politically compromised setting up these debates," said Salmond.
"The debates as they currently stand reflect an overly centralised, metropolitan attitude which fails to meet the needs of three of the constituent nations of the UK."
Jones said the debates in their current form threaten the "legitimacy and integrity of the general election".
"The action the BBC has taken in putting together these plans is nothing short of a betrayal of the principles upon which the editorial integrity of the BBC is built," he added.
The election is expected to be held on May 6 and will be the first to feature live TV debates between the main party leaders.
Article Comments
If you go on the BBC news website there is an English region. In fact there is only 1 BBC network for each of the three Celtic nations, but in England there is one for every region; Manchester, Birmingham, London, etc. I agree England should have it's own Parliament and so should Wales and Northern Ireland should be reunited with the Republic of Ireland. I believe if these bias debates go ahead they should just be held in England as these parties are the biggest there, but the SNP, Plaid, DUP and Sinn Fein are big parties in the other nations. They are also parties in government, whereas the Tories and Lib Dems are not in any national government and they are almost non-existent in the Celtic nations.
11th Mar 2010 at 11:15 am by IagoInteresting comments from Scotland and Wales considering England is the ONLY country in Europe without it's own parliament. What price democracy?
11th Mar 2010 at 10:10 am by Roy RudhamSalmond and Jones are quite correct. The Londoncentric media continue to get recognition of countries and devolution spectacularly wrong. SNP and Plaid Cymru are in GOVERNMENT and the BBC have failed to recognise this. If they proceed with Brown, Cameron and Clegg, it shoud be broadcast in England only as the majority of issues, health, education, public finances, environment etc are wholly devolved matters.
11th Mar 2010 at 9:37 am by Amy DaviesEngland is the country that is left out, we don't have our own Parliament or National Assembly...Gordon Brown never was elected here where he has had free reign any without accountability to those who voted for him. It is England and its citizens who have been ignored, the other countries have their own forums, but not here.
10th Mar 2010 at 11:23 pm by aaran aardvardRidiculous. Where the hell is England represented????!!!!We're the only ones not allowed to elect our own government - AND we aren't even allowed a BBC England - where as there is a bbc Scotland, Wales and NI !!Go to the bbc website - you will see that Enlgand is the only one not given a political link of its own. The BBC says this is because England is not politically recognised as a nation in its own right.Look it up. Ask the Scottish Prime Minister, or the Scottish, Welsh and NI MPs who sit in the British Parliament, voting and debating on what meagre funds the English should be allowed to treat their dying and elderly !!!!!What a crock this article is and what a crock the nationalists are spinning - AGAIN!!
10th Mar 2010 at 10:51 pm by Helen Wright
