Debates and Complaints
You can't please all the people all the time, but in my experience, during election campaigns, it's entirely possible to please none of the candidates none of the time. Back in 2003 after the so called "fuss at the bus" I was asked on air who had won the encounter. Taking the opinion that viewers don't like bland "on the one hand, on the other hand" answers I expressed the view that the UUP had just shaded it. My logic was that, otherwise, the day would have been dominated by the launch of a separatist manifesto from Jeffrey Donaldson who was, at that stage, David Trimble's "enemy within".
Subsequently a senior DUP figure accused me of pandering to my "favourite unionist party". Suffice to say, the then Ulster Unionist leadership would not have recognised that description of their relationship with me.
Fast forward to 2009 and we are once again in an election minefield. My first broadcast about this campaign was at 7.15 am on Tuesday morning on Good Morning Ulster. At 7.57 am I got my first complaint from someone within Jim Allister's camp who didn't like my choice of language. I had talked about how his "intervention" in the campaign might cost the DUP the top spot they have occupied since 1979. The TUV view is that, as Mr Allister is the outgoing MEP, his candidature is not an "intervention".
Later that day Gareth Gordon broadcast a report on Evening Extra. Afterwards the Alliance party made it clear they didn't think they'd been given enough weight visa-vi the TUV.
Then last night I participated in a debate on "Hearts and Minds". The DUP didn't like my contribution one bit, and text fencing went on into the wee small hours.
Of course politicians have an absolute right to make complaints if they think reporters get things wrong or mis-state their position. My DUP sources were particularly unhappy about one answer in which I surmised that they might not be too keen on putting Diane Dodds into debate with Jim Allister, given his reputation as a tough legal cross examiner. I had based this on indications that both the DUP and Sinn Fein may be reluctant to participate in internal unionist and nationalist TV debates during this campaign. However, I pointed out that all the candidates are expected to debate at Queen's University later this month, with cameras present.
Reviewing Hearts and Minds, it would have been better if I had included the fact that both the the DUP and TUV candidates had appeared at hustings events organised by the NI Council for Voluntary Action and the Federation of Small Businesses. Mea culpa.
Last night I chaired a similar event for the Coalition of Aid and Development Agencies, which includes groups like Trocaire and Concern. The DUP weren't there. The organisers told me Diane Dodds had pulled out at short notice. All the other parties were present, although both Bairbre De Brun and Jim Nicholson sent along substitutes.
Highlights included lively exchanges on Israel/Palestine and Climate Change, with Jim Allister very much in the Sammy Wilson sceptic camp, lecturing us about the days when the Thames was frozen over and vines were growing on Hadrian's Wall. When a member of the audience highlighted the role of cattle emissions in contributing to global warming and suggested vegetarianism presented a more sustainable way forward, I boiled it down (probably unfairly) to whether any of the candidates would go veggy if that's what it took to become an MEP. Green Steven Agnew is already a veggy, the rest declined. The UCUNF representative who by his own admission is not the skinniest politician in Northern Ireland, replied with a question: "Do I look like a vegetarian?"
Amnesty International has a report and some images of last night's debate I am led to believe the will eventually have some video of the event.
Back to the TV debate question, Jim Allister recently put out a statement which inaccurately accused the 91Èȱ¬ of conspiring to prevent a debate between unionists. Our programmes would be happy to host such a debate, but there's no law which says such an event must take place. Thinking back to 2003 the DUP took the view that Ian Paisley was best used on their battle bus, charming unionist voters on the streets. We wait to see if they've made the same calculation with Diane Dodds.
Peter Robinson is an ardent Chelsea fan and so I presume he watched their Champions League semi-final with Barcelona. Chelsea played defensively, obviously deciding there was no point trying to match Barcelona's attacking flair. The tactic got the job done, holding Barcelona to a nil-nil draw. Chelsea fans couldn't care less that the Spanish newspapers didn't like it. I suspect that, just like his team, the DUP leader will opt for whichever tactic he believes will get the job done.
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