Cornwall MP George Eustice calls for shake-up of party political broadcasts
London Editor
A former Press secretary to David Cameron has launched an attack on the media as he called for a shake-up of the rules governing party political broadcasts.
Cornwall MP George Eustice, who was an aide to Mr Cameron when he was leader of the opposition, claimed politicians were not given credit for "saying what they believe" and were subjected to interviews designed to make them look "evasive and on the back foot".
The Conservative MP for Camborne and Redruth called for greater flexibility for party political broadcasts so politicians could put their case directly to the public.
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Mr Eustice told MPs in Westminster Hall the UK probably had "the most draconian laws and restrictions on political advertising in the democratic world" and could be in breach of the European Convention on Human Rights .
With the influence of newspapers in decline, Mr Eustice said, broadcast media was becoming more important but restrictions enforcing impartiality affected TV and radio journalism.
"They are required to balance both sides, so they often come up with anodyne reports that do not help the public to reach an opinion," he said.
"There is always an emphasis on the two-way with the political correspondent, so a party leader who has just given a speech may be given 12 to 18 seconds to explain what they are trying to do, so that there will be plenty of time for a one-minute or two-minute two-way with the correspondent when they try to put a gloss on what the party leader is supposedly saying.
"That has led to over-emphasis on process and political strategy instead of giving politicians credit for doing what they do most of the time – saying what they believe."
The MP added: "A further problem with too-powerful broadcasting media is a tendency to have hostile interviews with a duel between the interviewer and the politician, because the programme's objective is to make the politician look evasive and on the back foot."
The larger political parties are usually given three party election broadcasts during an election period, each lasting up to 4 minutes 40 seconds.
Mr Eustice's proposal allocates each party 12 minutes to use how they wish, allowing up to a dozen 60-second party political bulletins.
"That would introduce flexibility, and the advantage is that public engagement and the chances that the public would see those broadcasts would be increased," he said.
Culture Minister Ed Vaizey said party political broadcasts "provides the opportunity for the main political parties to share their policies, explain their views and engage fully with the electorate – without the gloss of a BBC political editor overlaid on top" as Mr Eustice hinted.
He said Mr Eustice had some "interesting proposals" which he should submit to Ofcom's consultation on the broadcasts.
2 Comments
by 28daysearlier
Monday, January 21 2013, 5:25PM
“The problem is George, that politicians (especially the ones from your party) seem to think that what you 'believe' is the same as something being true. I can imagine that being challenged by actual facts and being asked for evidence to back up what you 'believe' must be inconvenient. Poor you...
The press has a vital role to play. The job of the interviewer is not to make you look 'evasive and on the back foot' but to challenge your version of the facts and give people a chance to make up their own minds. So here a tip. Get your beliefs 'evidenced' and understand the 'facts' then you won't look foolish. Put in the work and make your case...and people might actually believe you. Stop preaching to the converted...it's everybody else you need to convince.”
by josdave
Monday, January 21 2013, 2:58PM
“The interviews are not designed to make the MPs look evasive. What does that is the MPs refusing to give a direct answer to a question and the interviewer having to repeat the question. Often when only "yes" or "no" is required the MP will waffle on hoping that it will not be noticed he has not answered the question. I have witnessed Mr Eustice doing just that and he is no better than the rest of them.”