The news that the BBC and Independent Television Commission are planning to scrap party political broadcasts outside election time has prompted a mixed reaction from politicians.

The Minister Without Portfolio, Peter Mandelson, said: "Millions and millions of British citizens look at these broadcasts and listen to what the politicians have to say throughout the year. Now that is their democratic right."

Mandelson: "broadcasts are a democratic right"

Nick Harvey, the Liberal Democrats' Chairman of Campaigns and Communications, admitted the broadcasts were "not always the most popular programmes on television."

But he said: "They do provide an opportunity for politicians to have a direct link with the people who vote for them."

The Liberal Democrats, he said, valued the broadcasts more because they did not have the "uncritical support" of any national newspaper or the "massive advertising budgets of the other two parties."

But he added: "Liberal Democrats are receptive to new thinking about party political broadcasts. We accept that the current rules may be somewhat long in the tooth and that there is scope for innovation.

Harvey: "Lib-Dems will participate in discussions"

"These proposals are interesting, have strengths and weaknesses, and we will actively participate in the discussions about them."

The Conservatives' leader, William Hague, said he thought the idea to limit Party political broadcasts to election times sounded sensible.

He said: "To have broadcasts, to have them at elections rather than between elections, is probably more interesting for the viewer and the voter and probably more useful for the political parties, so, subject to the detail of what is in the report, in the recommendations, I think we would give them a fair wind."

Hague: "Plans seem sensible"

In response, Anne Sloman, the BBC's Chief Political Adviser, said the decision to look at party political broadcasts came after the most recent General Election. It was clear that changes in the constitution would bring a Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly, resulting in more elections.

She said it was not about ratings and the consultation document included the basic view that political parties had a right to free air time - separate from current affairs programmes - at election time.

The argument outlined in the joint consultation document by the BBC and the ITC - which governs UK commercial television - is simply that viewers are not interested.

As well as ending political broadcasts, the TV companies suggest reducing the length of election broadcasts from 10 minutes to around three.

Shorter broadcasts, they add, would merely encourage negative campaigning.

But if the political broadcast does come to an end, it may bring about the beginning of paid for adverts by parties, something until now unknown in the United Kingdom.
 

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