Friday, May 13, 2016
Leave campaign resort to bully-boy tactics
In-fighting amongst the Leave campaign has got so bad that key figures in the official organisation have now resorted to threatening broadcasters in revenge for them choosing rival figures to represent the anti-Europe cause in key debates.
The Independent reports that ITV, Britain’s main commercial broadcaster has been warned that it faces “consequences for its future” after scheduling a debate between Nigel Farage and David Cameron in the run-up to the EU referendum:
In an extraordinary statement issued late last night Vote Leave accused ITV of “lying” over its plans to invite Mr Farage to take part in the debate instead of Michael Gove or Boris Johnson.
They suggested ITV News’ respected political editor Robert Peston was biased in favour of the EU and accused the organisation of “secretly stitching up a deal” with Downing Street.
“ITV has effectively joined the official IN campaign,” said a Vote Leave statement to journalists.
“There will be consequences for its future - the people in No10 won't be there for long.”
This morning a spokesman for Vote Leave refused to back down from the threat of “consequences” for ITV but refused to say what they might be.
Mr Cameron is widely expected to be forced to resign if he fails to win the referendum with Mr Johnson most likely to take his place. He will now be under pressure to say what those “consequences” might be.
This is not the behaviour of people committed to the democratic process. Instead it smacks of desperation and disunity. Who do these people think they are?
The Independent reports that ITV, Britain’s main commercial broadcaster has been warned that it faces “consequences for its future” after scheduling a debate between Nigel Farage and David Cameron in the run-up to the EU referendum:
In an extraordinary statement issued late last night Vote Leave accused ITV of “lying” over its plans to invite Mr Farage to take part in the debate instead of Michael Gove or Boris Johnson.
They suggested ITV News’ respected political editor Robert Peston was biased in favour of the EU and accused the organisation of “secretly stitching up a deal” with Downing Street.
“ITV has effectively joined the official IN campaign,” said a Vote Leave statement to journalists.
“There will be consequences for its future - the people in No10 won't be there for long.”
This morning a spokesman for Vote Leave refused to back down from the threat of “consequences” for ITV but refused to say what they might be.
Mr Cameron is widely expected to be forced to resign if he fails to win the referendum with Mr Johnson most likely to take his place. He will now be under pressure to say what those “consequences” might be.
This is not the behaviour of people committed to the democratic process. Instead it smacks of desperation and disunity. Who do these people think they are?
Comments:
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Good to see your still blogging, the Assembly is missing the Lib Dems already
Off topic thought you’d be interested in a new website Transparent Wales, which has a searchable database of all Welsh Government expenditure over £25,000 since 2011 http://transparent.wales/ they’re also on twitter https://twitter.com/transparent_wal
Also the UK Government has pulled funding for Cornish language and there’s a Parliament petition to get the grant reinstated, if you think it’s worth supporting sign it and pass it on https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/128474
Off topic thought you’d be interested in a new website Transparent Wales, which has a searchable database of all Welsh Government expenditure over £25,000 since 2011 http://transparent.wales/ they’re also on twitter https://twitter.com/transparent_wal
Also the UK Government has pulled funding for Cornish language and there’s a Parliament petition to get the grant reinstated, if you think it’s worth supporting sign it and pass it on https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/128474
# posted by 
: 1:56 PM
: 1:56 PM
Strange how the focus of your blog and the mainstream media seems to be on the “bully boy” tactics of the leave campaign. Whilst completely overlooking why they are aggrieved in the first place.
It is patently obvious that the PM has chosen his opponent in Farage and all he has to do is stand up there and draw on the zenophobic/racist card and chalk it up as debate won. ITV are totally in the wrong to have not consulted the leave campaign on this and it is nothing short of a stitch up.
But lets face it, there is nothing democratic about this so called referendum. Even in the last twenty four hours we've had the governor of the Bank of England and the IMF chief both predict the apocalypse should we vote to leave. Though if their track records are anything to go by, that should be seen as a whopping great endorsement for the leave campaign.
Everyday I look at the BBC website and I find I am bombarded with news stories warning of impending doom and gloom should we vote to leave. We’ve had union leaders, presidents, CEO’s, and politicians from all over the world churn out this alarmist nonsense, though what it has got to do with them I don’t know.
We will vote to stay of that there is no doubt, the whole thing has been so stage managed from the very start that it is no more of a contest than a WWF wrestling match. This is why when you knocked my door and asked me if you could count on my vote, I explained that I would not be voting. You see I didn’t want to be one of those idiots hollering on the sidelines foolish enough to think I could make a difference, I didn’t want to be complicit.
I will be voting to leave in this referendum however, if with a great sense of futility. I see it as a last chance to take democracy back, though I am not hopeful. But I am shocked that you can call into question the democratic sensibilities of the leave campaign, yet support this farce of a system which is not in the least bit democratic and getting more orwellian by the day.
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It is patently obvious that the PM has chosen his opponent in Farage and all he has to do is stand up there and draw on the zenophobic/racist card and chalk it up as debate won. ITV are totally in the wrong to have not consulted the leave campaign on this and it is nothing short of a stitch up.
But lets face it, there is nothing democratic about this so called referendum. Even in the last twenty four hours we've had the governor of the Bank of England and the IMF chief both predict the apocalypse should we vote to leave. Though if their track records are anything to go by, that should be seen as a whopping great endorsement for the leave campaign.
Everyday I look at the BBC website and I find I am bombarded with news stories warning of impending doom and gloom should we vote to leave. We’ve had union leaders, presidents, CEO’s, and politicians from all over the world churn out this alarmist nonsense, though what it has got to do with them I don’t know.
We will vote to stay of that there is no doubt, the whole thing has been so stage managed from the very start that it is no more of a contest than a WWF wrestling match. This is why when you knocked my door and asked me if you could count on my vote, I explained that I would not be voting. You see I didn’t want to be one of those idiots hollering on the sidelines foolish enough to think I could make a difference, I didn’t want to be complicit.
I will be voting to leave in this referendum however, if with a great sense of futility. I see it as a last chance to take democracy back, though I am not hopeful. But I am shocked that you can call into question the democratic sensibilities of the leave campaign, yet support this farce of a system which is not in the least bit democratic and getting more orwellian by the day.
# posted by : 2:25 PM
: 2:25 PM<< Home
