CHANNEL 4 came in for strong criticism yesterday after it emerged Scotland would not be represented on the panel of its live Brexit debate.
Senior SNP figures hit out at the broadcaster for its refusal to extend an invitation to any party representatives other than Nicola Sturgeon. The National reported yesterday that producers “went silent” when told the First Minister would only appear on a “like-for-like” basis alongside other party leaders.
Commenting on our story, Michael Russell tweeted: “Poor show from @Channel4 ... thought it was trying to shed its metro-centric image”.
Scotland’s Brexit Secretary was referencing the channel’s recent decision to move a significant number of its staff out of London, with CEO Alex Mahon saying in March: “This is a significant and exciting moment of change for Channel 4 as we evolve to ensure we are best suited to serve all of the UK.”
Twitter users responded with dismay to the fact that Scotland – which voted 62% to Remain – was to have no representation on a panel for a show that promised to discuss “what the nation really thinks” – with many suggesting the “nation” of the title was England rather than the UK.
Many suggested Russell would have been the obvious second choice for producers looking to represent both Scotland and the Remain position. Stephen Gethins, the party’s spokesman for international affairs and Europe, and MEP Alyn Smith were also identified as suitable panelists.
SNP MP Joanna Cherry pointed out that neither Theresa May nor Jeremy Corbyn was appearing on the programme, and that the SNP had many other MSPs and MPs who could have been invited. She added that Sturgeon is “party leader, FM of Scotland and has a country to run”.
The show’s presenter Krishnan Guru-Murthy waded into the row, claiming our front-page headline was wrong because Sturgeon was among the first invited to take part, and adding that he had been “very keen to have her on”.
However, as we reported yesterday, producers failed to get back in contact with the SNP – the UK’s second-largest political party – when advised that Sturgeon would not be taking part alongside less senior representatives of Labour and the Conservatives.
Pete Wishart, the SNP MP for Perth and North Perthshire, also expressed disappointment at the lack of representation for both his party and Scotland as a whole, tweeting: “The SNP (and Scotland) has been treated with nothing other than contempt from the day after their Brexit vote was concluded.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel