SORRY everyone – you've had your quota of Scotland-relevant Question Time guests, so it's back to regular scheduling now. But it's still worth looking at what that means.
Last week's Question Time, live from Edinburgh, was an interesting one. Seeing Ross Thomson (and Fraser Nelson) schooled by a criminologist was an absolute highlight.
READ MORE: I corrected Ross Thomson on Question Time... here’s why he’s wrong on drugs
It would have been a welcome move, then, if the show was to follow this up by having a guest from our public sphere on its next edition too – this time from Guildford, England. It hasn't.
Pat Kane's latest column, citing research by Phil Burton-Cartledge, a lecturer in sociology at Derby University, provided some important research to look at here.
He wrote: "During the LibDems’ Coalition period (2010-15), when they had 57 MPs, they averaged 25 MP slots per Question Time season. When the SNP had 56 MPs (over 2015-17), their average was between 13 and 14 slots for MPs.
"That’s a clear disproportion. And it persists. At 2017’s snap election, the SNP went down to 35 MPs, and the LibDems were restored to 12. However, during the 2017-18 season each party got an equal number of slots on Question Time with six … even though the SNP have nearly three times as many Westminster seats as the LibDems."
Instead, who do we have? Well, we suspect your Thursday night will be free again, readers.
- James Cleverly MP, deputy chairman of the Tories
- Keir Starmer MP, Labour's shadow Brexit secretary
- Michael Dobbs, writer of House of Cards, an adviser to Margaret Thatcher and in the House of Lords
- Zanny Minton Beddoes, editor-in-chief of The Economist
- Nish Kumar, comedian and TV presenter
Join us tomorrow at 10:45pm on @BBCOne and @bbc5live for #bbqt ! A look at this week's panel - @MrNishKumar @JamesCleverly @zannymb @Keir_Starmer @dobbs_michael pic.twitter.com/8uzVToyFrV
— BBC Question Time (@bbcquestiontime) October 17, 2018
You'll have to forgive us for not providing a live blog of this one.
And as a little heads-up, if you're gutted at missing out on being in the audience for the Edinburgh show, you'll have a bit to wait or a ways to travel.
The BBC's "flagship political debate programme" has locations penned in until November 29. There's one in Wales, one in Northern Ireland, and the rest in England.
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