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anotheoldgit | 16:00 Fri 09th May 2014 | News
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I don't know how many of you watched Question Time last night but once again against all adversity, Nigel Farage won the night.

The majority of the audience were with him, even a young Asian chap who gave a very good argument for voting UKIP, which incidentally the media in their anti- UKIP reports, chose not to mention.

There was just one member of the audience that opposed Nigel Farage, and he has managed to get on a Youtube clip, now I don't know if this man was specially selected by the BBC, because as I said before the majority spoke in UKIP's defence, but don't just believe me watch the whole programme not just the one clip they want you to watch.

But here is the clip along with other left-wing media reports



http://www.theguardian.com/politics/blog/2014/may/08/question-time-with-nigel-farage-grant-shapps-chuka-umunna-shirley-williams-and-caroline-lucas-bbcqt-live

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/05/08/question-time-nigel-farage-ukip-video_n_5291407.html?utm_hp_ref=uk

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/live-nigel-farage-question-time-3515712

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However minor their support, Mikey, they are entitled to be heard in the same way as everybody else. They are also entitled to be heard without being shouted down. Yes I did watch it, AOG. As usual the anti-UKIP antics displayed by the other politicians was up to their usual standards. Interruptions, denial of facts with no foundation, shouting down. Worst of...
18:12 Fri 09th May 2014
He must quite enjoy it...seeing as his party has zero MPs, but for some reason, he has been on the show fifteen times in the past four years.

More than any other British politician in the same period.

Perhaps he should let someone else have a look in?
Now that's just perverse aog

and very illogical

/The majority of the audience were with him/


/There was just one member of the audience that opposed Nigel Farage ... I don't know if this man was specially selected by the BBC/

So, according to your reasoning, the BBC rig the Question Time audience to be (among other things) anti UKIP

and the way they did it this week was to pick one person who was anti-UKIP and a majority of the audience who were pro-UKIP?

Right-o!
"Perhaps he should let someone else have a look in?"

Should read:

"Perhaps he should let someone else from UKIP have a look in?
Nonsense AOG. According to all the Polls, only about 15% of people asked, say that they support UKIP. In other words, 85% don't. This program wasn't representative in any way of public opinion.

I wish some people on here would put Farage and UKIP into the right perspective. The vast majority of voters do not support the party, nor do they show any inclination to do so. As I have pointed out on here many time, UKIP has no MPs in Westminster, not any sign of getting any. The Greens have one more MP than Farage has. Plaid Cymru has 3 more.

I have no wish to stifle debate on AB, but perhaps we should treat UKIP commensurate with its standing in British politics. They are a very minor party and no matter how well they may perform in the forthcoming Euro Elections, as far as Westminster is concerned, they are next to a non-entity.
However minor their support, Mikey, they are entitled to be heard in the same way as everybody else. They are also entitled to be heard without being shouted down.

Yes I did watch it, AOG.

As usual the anti-UKIP antics displayed by the other politicians was up to their usual standards. Interruptions, denial of facts with no foundation, shouting down. Worst of all was the last question where Nigel attempted to explain that (almost quite certainly in my opinion) that the Pfizer/Astrazenica affair would be settled neither by shareholders nor politicians but by the EU who will allow or disallow the deal under EU competition rules. All the other delegates had had their say and Nigel was left to last, with time running out. As soon as he began to suggest that the EU would be the ultimate arbiters the shouting down began and he was accused of always distilling all questions down to our EU membership. (There’s a simple reason for that - most issues are determined as a result of our EU membership).

It’s hard to say whether the stooge in the back row (the subject of the Youtube clip) was a plant. He certainly demonstrated more of the “swivel-eyed-loon” characteristics than does Mr Farage.

Since Mr Farage last appeared (on 7th November last year), sp, UKIP members Roger Helmer (27/3/14)and Paul Nuttall (9/1/14) have appeared (there may be more UKIP members that I have missed, but certainly not Mr Farage). Interestingly, and since we’re examining the frequency of party members’ appearances on QT, since last November and prior to last night both Chuka Umunna (9/1/14) and Grant Shapps (16/1/14) have put in appearances. So it could be argued that the Labour and Conservative parties, with a far larger membership, are restricting their choice of QT delegates more than UKIP.

Lastly, it is often said that the UK’s relationship with the EU is of little importance to the UK electorate. Last night’s edition devoted 45 minutes to the issue and the debate would have gone on longer if allowed by the chairman, so it clearly is of interest. Apart from the edition which was devoted entirely to Scottish Independence, this was the longest I have seen devoted to a single question. That could be because the programme came from Southampton which has see a huge influx of immigrants from the EU, but who knows?
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UKIP is the protest vote just as the discredited LIB Dems were last time - opportunists, promising anything because they will never have to deliver

Lib Dem University fees promise in writing, anyone?

Plus ca change...
Why is 'Question Time' promoting Farage more than any other British politician?

He has no MPs, runs no Councils, and his party got just 3.1% of the vote at the last general election. Yet he has been a guest on the show 15 times! There is clearly a bias being shown to UKiP.

Perhaps he is not being chosen on merit, but because the Trots at the BBC know he will split the Conservatives' vote and let the Miliband Tenency into Number 10.
that^ could, also explain why they planted the stooge in the audience and why they invited a half-wit, one Natalie Bennett, on to Any Questions where she opined 'ukip only appeals to the drunk man in the pub.'
^I tried to put 'man' in bold letters there, but it didn't work. I'm sure you can imagine the dreadful, ex-guardian, whining, man-hating Australian. Oh, as if that weren't bad enough, she's the leader of the green party.
New Judge...Farage and UKIP are not being treated like everybody else, and that is my point.

As I and others have pointed out, UKIP have no MPs, control not a single council and achieved a grand total of just 3.1% of the popular vote in 2010. They also contested 2 by-elections in 2011 but failed to win in either seat. No Polling company or firm of Bookies gives then any appreciable chance of winning a single seat in Westminster in 2015. And yet Farage is being courted in the media as some of born-again Churchillian figure, instead of the Leader of a very minor party.

There are lots of small political parties like UKIP alive and kicking in the UK, that hardly every appear on Question Time. Plaid Cymru has 3 seats at Westminster and the DUP has 9 seats. But we hardly if ever see any representatives from these parties on Question Time.

As I have said, I am the last person to want to see debate being stifled but we should treat UKIP in accordance with its standing and representation in British politics....ie as a minor party.
Just finished watching it.

The man in the clip was not the 'only' person in the audience who was against UKIP (the people who applauded and cheered him seem to have escaped your attention, for example). The audience appears to have been split roughly in half on the European issue, judging by the questions Dimbleby was drawing.

Also I think it is somewhat strange to suggest that a given person is a plant when they have different views to you. I'm not aware of any instance where QT has been caught out planting audience members - the only people I've ever seen make such an accusation are paranoid right-wing bloggers who essentially list conspiracy theories that support their views.

I must say I normally find QT quite a depressing exercise given how unwilling the participants usually are to actually make substantive arguments and this wasn't an exception.
I imagine that the reason why UKIP are being given airtime which is out of proportion to their poll ratings is that the UK’s relationship with and membership of the EU is currently under scrutiny. It has become more so since 2010, particularly with regard to uncontrolled immigration, and popular polls suggest that currently around 40% to 70% (depending on the question and the poll) of people surveyed are not happy with the current arrangements. This week’s QT emphasised this as even the EU supporters who have answered this question seem to accept that at least half the audience shared these concerns.

The three main parties are not likely to offer the electorate any change to this situation. The LibDems would have our membership irrevocable and extend the EU to encompass half the globe, with Mr Clegg assuming the role of Lord High Commissioner for All Things EU; Labour seem quite happy for it to continue as it is and have no plans for change (other than to acquiesce to all the changes, amendments, alterations and excessive legislation that spews forth from Brussels); the Conservatives make noises about “renegotiating” our relationship (about which, were Mr Cameron truthful, he would say that he has not a hope in hell’s chance of achieving anything meaningful) and then putting the matter to a referendum.

UKIP is the only group prepared to address the concerns of around 50% of the electorate. Other politicians seem content to tell the electorate what is good for them and whether they like it or not they are stuck with it. Politicians in the main parties have only themselves to blame if they lose votes to UKIP as it seems they will tolerate no dissent on this issue, and will not even hear the views of a large proportion of the electorate, let alone do anything to address their issues.

That is probably why UKIP is being given airtime which may seem disproportionate to their importance.
Question Author
Kromovaracun

How come that out of all the members of the audience Dimbleby managed at almost the end of the debate managed to pick out the only one person that disagreed with Farage, and why have the media only bothered to mention this sole objector and even produced a youtube clip of him?

Surely there is something fishy there? Incidentally if was strange that you or the media didn't remark on the excellent argument that the young Asian member of the audience made, had he been against Farage he would have been even more popular than the sole objector they chose to put on a pedestal.

Question Author
mikey4444

///.Farage and UKIP are not being treated like everybody else, and that is my point. ///

No they are not, they receive more flak for the media and some ABers than the other three parties put together.

/// And yet Farage is being courted in the media as some of born-again Churchillian figure, instead of the Leader of a very minor party. ///

You have got to be joking, Churchill was treated with respect, yet Nigel Farage and his party have to endure more insults and accusations than any of the other parties or their leaders.

/// There are lots of small political parties like UKIP alive and kicking in the UK, that hardly every appear on Question Time. Plaid Cymru has 3 seats at Westminster and the DUP has 9 seats. But we hardly if ever see any representatives from these parties on Question Time. ///

Then blame the BBC they choose him hoping that he will get a slating from both the audience and the panel, but on Thursday it came back to kick them in the face, so perhaps after that the BBC will not invite him back too soon.

//// As I have said, I am the last person to want to see debate being stifled ///

Then stop trying to do so.
"How come that out of all the members of the audience Dimbleby managed at almost the end of the debate managed to pick out the only one person that disagreed with Farage,"

He was not the only person. He received cheers and applause from about half the audience. Nor was he the first questioner who appeared hostile to Farage - the brown-haired man sitting at the front (who you can see applauding at 0:50 in your youtube clip) asked a question about UKIP's attendance rate in the Euro Parliament before he did.

"The media" have not produced a youtube clip. Someone on youtube who dislikes Farage has - anyone can do it. This user is called 'Planet Earth Awakens', and if you look at their other videos they make content which is exclusively pro-Farage.

"Surely there is something fishy there?"

Erm, no. I don't think so. You are talking like a conspiracy theorist.

" if was strange that you or the media didn't remark on the excellent argument that the young Asian member of the audience made"

I'm not sure which one you mean. Do you mean the guy who was saying that there was no trust in the mainstream parties?
It took a while for people to respect Churchill -- in the 1930s he didn't get much love from fellow politicians, until it suddenly turned out that he was right all along. Perhaps there is hope for Farage yet...?
"Someone on youtube who dislikes Farage has - anyone can do it. This user is called 'Planet Earth Awakens', and if you look at their other videos they make content which is exclusively pro-Farage."

I wrote the first half of this sentence before I actually went to his account to check whether it was true, and forgot to change it. Sorry.

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