Friday, March 04, 2016
Our future reduced to an argument between two old Etonians
As if we are not sick to death of the European referendum already, the Telegraph informs us that it is to climax (if that is the right word) in a debate between Boris Johnson and George Osborne in front of a 12,000-strong audience,
just 48 hours before the nation makes its decision on 23 June.
And therein lies the problem with the whole fiasco. All we are hearing are a bunch of posh men arguing with each other as to whether they should cast the nation back to the 1950s or not. So far not a real person in sight.
The paper says that the BBC debate at Wembley Arena will be the broadcaster's biggest ever "campaign event". It will also be the first time that the two most likely successors to David Cameron as Tory leader have faced each other in front of a live audience.
It is planned as a potential political extravaganza: The BBC is understood to be lining up Mr Johnson, along with Tory Cabinet minister Iain Duncan Smith, Ukip leader Nigel Farage and Respect leader George Galloway for the “out” campaign.
Mr Osborne, Green leader Caroline Lucas, former Labour Home secretary Alan Johnson and Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron are understood to be in talks or about to be approached for the “in” campaign.
David Dimbleby, the veteran BBC broadcaster, will be joined by Mishal Husain and Emily Maitlis, to present the live debate at Wembley Arena for what the national broadcaster has described as its "biggest ever campaign event".
The BBC has already said that it "will be inviting thousands of voters to question representatives from the “leave” and “remain” camps" that day.
However, all the media will focus on Boris and Osborne rather than the case for and against Brexit. Effectively, our entire future as a nation will boil down to an argument between two old Etonians.
This debate is more about political theatre than education. Is this what we have to put up with for the next three and a half months?
And therein lies the problem with the whole fiasco. All we are hearing are a bunch of posh men arguing with each other as to whether they should cast the nation back to the 1950s or not. So far not a real person in sight.
The paper says that the BBC debate at Wembley Arena will be the broadcaster's biggest ever "campaign event". It will also be the first time that the two most likely successors to David Cameron as Tory leader have faced each other in front of a live audience.
It is planned as a potential political extravaganza: The BBC is understood to be lining up Mr Johnson, along with Tory Cabinet minister Iain Duncan Smith, Ukip leader Nigel Farage and Respect leader George Galloway for the “out” campaign.
Mr Osborne, Green leader Caroline Lucas, former Labour Home secretary Alan Johnson and Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron are understood to be in talks or about to be approached for the “in” campaign.
David Dimbleby, the veteran BBC broadcaster, will be joined by Mishal Husain and Emily Maitlis, to present the live debate at Wembley Arena for what the national broadcaster has described as its "biggest ever campaign event".
The BBC has already said that it "will be inviting thousands of voters to question representatives from the “leave” and “remain” camps" that day.
However, all the media will focus on Boris and Osborne rather than the case for and against Brexit. Effectively, our entire future as a nation will boil down to an argument between two old Etonians.
This debate is more about political theatre than education. Is this what we have to put up with for the next three and a half months?
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Agree Peter, but this referendum has been about securing a major media 'event' from the very beginning. There has been nothing organic at all about the 'growth' of UKIP over the last 10 years, it has been sponsored and choreographed by the mainstream media all along. It is no coincidence that media consumption, and therefore income, will increase considerably over the referendum period... always follow the money.
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