So everyone, the BBC included, are ignoring polls and giving the Green Party in the London Mayoral race a shot with the big boys while freezing out UKIP.
LBC, the London Evening Standard and now the BBC are making a clear differentiation between the Greens and UKIP despite this poll in February 2011 that has UKIP leading the Greens. And this one in January 2012. Oh and this one from last month. Tenner to the person who can find any London poll that has the Greens leading UKIP.
Fine, the Greens have Assembly Members. But using that as justification to ignore polls doesn't really work because the BNP also had an AM elected and aren't being included in any of the debates.
So just why UKIP are excluded from the big debates in London? It can't be on the basis of not having AMs currently. Nor can it be down to poll ratings. Is there, dare I say it, a hint of bias going on?
The point is, these things really matter. As demonstrated in the Norwich North by-election that I worked on heavily back in 2009, the Beeb's pushing of the Greens ahead of UKIP has been shown to be embarrassingly unjustifiable at times. But the damage of not being included as one of 'main options' for voters is very real. As a Party that is frequently running the LibDems close in national polls (something the Greens haven't come close to doing), UKIP deserves a better deal.
2 comments:
Trouble is, if the UKIP candidate is not standing under the name UKIP - Then I guess the party opens it self up to this sort of own goal...
When it comes to crying "bias" the party literally doesn't have a platform to stand on :(
It wouldn't have anything to do with the BBC being biased, would it?
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