The Independent's journalism is supported by our readers. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn commission.

The Tory TV debates are a pointless charade when most of us don't get to pick our next PM

In the end, the winner will be chosen by a Conservative Party membership that is 71 per cent male, 97 per cent white and 44 per cent over the age of 65

Louis Staples
Friday 14 June 2019 17:54 BST
Comments
Jeremy Hunt taunts Boris Johnson for hiding from media and demands he face rivals in TV debates

As the Conservative Party leadership contest enters its second trimester, a new leader will soon come kicking and screaming into the world. In a packed crowd, which swerves between resembling a series of The Apprentice and a crèche, Boris Johnson looks set to be victorious.

As the competitors in this particular bout are also slugging it out for the chance to be our next prime minister at the most difficult political since the Second World War there will be a series of televised debates between the leadership candidates. Channel 4 will host a 90-minute debate on 16 June, to be followed by a debate on the BBC on 18 June, and finally a special edition Question Time where Fiona Bruce will grill the final two participants. Sky News will also show a head-to-head between two candidates to reach the ballot of Tory members.

As ever with political programming, we won't know exactly who will take part in these debates until moments before. Remember when Theresa May infamously didn’t turn up, sealing her fate in 2017? There are still rumours circulating that Johnson, who appears to be hiding in an escape room in Islington, might not attend, despite lending his support to the Sky News “Make Debates Happen” campaign in 2018. He has since told the BBC that he’s “more than happy” to take part, but also claimed that he doesn't see the point.

TV debates are a mixed blessing. On one hand, when much of the press is labelled as partisan, debates may feel to the viewer like a more neutral setting. They can also introduce the public to politicians that previously knew very little about. Support for Nick Clegg and the Liberal Democrats peaked in 2010 following his barnstorming debate performance. In 2015, Nicola Sturgeon was labelled “the most dangerous woman in Britain” after viewers saw her run rings around her opposition on live TV. A few months later, the SNP secured 56 of Scotland’s 59 Westminster seats.

But there are downsides, too. Broadcast, as a medium, can encourage politicians to speak in soundbites. The remark, for example, “no deal is better than a bad deal” has done untold damage to British political discourse. At times, debates can make politics feel like a reality TV show. In America, TV debates have been a part of the political culture for years – and that country's president is now a reality TV star who suggested during a live debate that he’d incarcerate his opponent as the audience cheered.

The format is also hard to get right. Studies suggest that a studio audience clapping, for example, can influence viewers at home, which is why France conducts its presidential debates without viewers in the studio. But that appraoch can feel sterile, and doesn't necessarily make for engaging viewing, which when engaging the electorate in politics is surely what such broadcasting is all about. Then there’s the impossible question of who to invite, and more importantly who not, and how to ensure that politicians' claims are fact-checked in real time.

Yet for all their imperfections, TV debates are useful in the run up to a general election, where all parts of the country need to be reached and every adult eligible to vote has a say. What's puzzling now is that we’re being subjected to the pantomine of political TV debates for a democratic contest in which just 160,000 are eligible to participate.

Given the new prime minister will be attempting to lead the country through Brexit, there is an argument that the country deserves to hear what their plans are. But these debates create the illusion that we – the people who’ll be most affected by the decisions the new leader makes – have some control over the process, when in the end the winner will be chosen by a Conservative Party membership that is 71 per cent male, 97 per cent white and 44 per cent aged over 65.

If the Tories really want to consult the country, the new should immediately call an election. Since Gordon Brown became prime minister, leaders who are chosen by sitting MPs and party members have faced increased pressure to call an election to give themselves a democratic mandate. But given the fate that befell Brown, Theresa May's lost majority in 2017 and the terrible Conservative result in the EU elections last month, it’s to be expected that the next incumbent will do whatever they can to avoid it.

Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events

In that context, these TV debates seem designed to gloss how undemocratic this leadership election really is. It's like launching national advertising campaign for a ploughman’s sandwich that’s only available to buy in Hull.

The overwhelming majority of the electorate is now forced to sit back and watch while the new PM bags themselves a few free hours of PR. If viewers like what the candidates say, well that's it’s great for them – but if we don’t, there’s really nothing we can do about it.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in