Thursday, May 03, 2007
03/05/07 – THE ROLE OF MEDIA IN WELSH DEMOCRACY
Forgive me for writing this prior to posting it, the results of the election might have made this post a mute point, or just incorrect, but that is a chance that I’m willing to take.
I speculated in my last post about the affect of the lack of media on democracy in Wales, which would probably result in poor turnout. Coupled with the fact that there is not a great deal of differentiation possible when they have so little power, so they are hardly likely to set alight an ideological debate about the future of Wales because they just don’t have dominion over it. However, it didn’t occur to me that a lack of major media coverage, could not only have a detrimental affect upon turnout, but could have a detrimental affect on plaid and other solely Welsh parties, like forward Wales, although the fact that John Merik(?) the main force behind forward Wales is (as I understand it) running as an independent again rather than under the banner of FW would make this point irrelevant in fact.
My point is that the lack of media coverage surely makes it more difficult for parties such as Plaid, FW, Welsh Christian party, and I am sure that there are others, to get there message across, plaid being the second party in the assembly (second assembly) so people might have been alerted to the election from receiving a poll card, or seeing a snippet on the radio, (did I just write seeing a snippet on the radio! – try that again) hearing a snippet on the radio, over hearing something on the bus or in the pub etc… but the fact that there is not a great deal of media coverage would starve the ordinary person (lets face it I’m pretty unique seeking out and reading all the manifestos that I could – granted I only typed commentary on the big four parties) of information that would lead them to vote on the perceptions of parties at the UK level, which are most commonly shown on the news. This would place parties such as Plaid who do not exist on a UK level, at a great disadvantage, so even though Plaid have an excellent manifesto – and in my opinion the best – with excellent and original ideas of how to take a new approach to tackling issues, in addition to an inspiring nation building ideas, the lack of publicity of the election would omit them from even being considered by the vast majority of the public, as people revert to how they vote at UK general elections.
There is the problem how then do you combat it?
1) Lower voting age to 16 – this would mean that some students would still be in full time education when there is an election happening permitting lessons on democracy, schools hosting debates between candidates, things that would make politics more personal and engaging – the same affect would result from extending education to the age of 18 and leaving the voting age as it is. The best results would come from lowering voting to 16 and extending mandatory education to 18, as this will mean more young people are in an environment that will teach them about elections and the issues of the day and the importance of voting.
2) Increase print media, welsh based print media. This would work providing there wasn’t a development of Murdock type papers who are solely there to scaremonger people into voting for whoever is in the favour of the billionaire (i.e. mail, sun, express etc…) but rather more independent newspapers or ones that do not intend to fill people with dogma, (i.e. independent, etc…) but at least intend to try and educate people: meaning that who won the newest reality TV show isn’t mentioned.
3) Increasingly demand, news channels like, sky, to broadcast meaningful coverage of Welsh elections. The BBC does well, however with the plurality in channels they can’t guarantee to reach all areas. (Bearing in mind I don’t watch sky news so I can’t tell you what their coverage of the election was like)
4) Establishing, televised debates between the four major parties (well all major parties – but at the moment there are only four) however, this may have a negative affect on independents like John Merik(?) and Trish Law.
¶ 2:15 PM I speculated in my last post about the affect of the lack of media on democracy in Wales, which would probably result in poor turnout. Coupled with the fact that there is not a great deal of differentiation possible when they have so little power, so they are hardly likely to set alight an ideological debate about the future of Wales because they just don’t have dominion over it. However, it didn’t occur to me that a lack of major media coverage, could not only have a detrimental affect upon turnout, but could have a detrimental affect on plaid and other solely Welsh parties, like forward Wales, although the fact that John Merik(?) the main force behind forward Wales is (as I understand it) running as an independent again rather than under the banner of FW would make this point irrelevant in fact.
My point is that the lack of media coverage surely makes it more difficult for parties such as Plaid, FW, Welsh Christian party, and I am sure that there are others, to get there message across, plaid being the second party in the assembly (second assembly) so people might have been alerted to the election from receiving a poll card, or seeing a snippet on the radio, (did I just write seeing a snippet on the radio! – try that again) hearing a snippet on the radio, over hearing something on the bus or in the pub etc… but the fact that there is not a great deal of media coverage would starve the ordinary person (lets face it I’m pretty unique seeking out and reading all the manifestos that I could – granted I only typed commentary on the big four parties) of information that would lead them to vote on the perceptions of parties at the UK level, which are most commonly shown on the news. This would place parties such as Plaid who do not exist on a UK level, at a great disadvantage, so even though Plaid have an excellent manifesto – and in my opinion the best – with excellent and original ideas of how to take a new approach to tackling issues, in addition to an inspiring nation building ideas, the lack of publicity of the election would omit them from even being considered by the vast majority of the public, as people revert to how they vote at UK general elections.
There is the problem how then do you combat it?
1) Lower voting age to 16 – this would mean that some students would still be in full time education when there is an election happening permitting lessons on democracy, schools hosting debates between candidates, things that would make politics more personal and engaging – the same affect would result from extending education to the age of 18 and leaving the voting age as it is. The best results would come from lowering voting to 16 and extending mandatory education to 18, as this will mean more young people are in an environment that will teach them about elections and the issues of the day and the importance of voting.
2) Increase print media, welsh based print media. This would work providing there wasn’t a development of Murdock type papers who are solely there to scaremonger people into voting for whoever is in the favour of the billionaire (i.e. mail, sun, express etc…) but rather more independent newspapers or ones that do not intend to fill people with dogma, (i.e. independent, etc…) but at least intend to try and educate people: meaning that who won the newest reality TV show isn’t mentioned.
3) Increasingly demand, news channels like, sky, to broadcast meaningful coverage of Welsh elections. The BBC does well, however with the plurality in channels they can’t guarantee to reach all areas. (Bearing in mind I don’t watch sky news so I can’t tell you what their coverage of the election was like)
4) Establishing, televised debates between the four major parties (well all major parties – but at the moment there are only four) however, this may have a negative affect on independents like John Merik(?) and Trish Law.
SUPPORT TAFFIA DON: MERCHANDISE
DAILY CARTOON
- 02/05/07 – WELSH DEMOCRACY
- 01/05/07 – SCOT WILL BE PM SOON: BLAIR
- 01/05/07 – ‘THE NEW STATESMAN’
- 01/05/07 – WALES IS TOO SMALL TO GO IT ALONE…
- 25/04/07 – WELSH ASSEMBLY ELECTION COMMENTARY
- 2007 WELSH ASSEMBLY ELECTION MANIFESTO SPECIAL: LA...
- 2007 WELSH ASSEMBLY ELECTION MANIFESTO SPECIAL: LI...
- 2007 WELSH ASSEMBLY ELECTION MANIFESTO SPECIAL: CO...
- 2007 WELSH ASSEMBLY ELECTION MANIFESTO SPECIAL: PL...
- 07/03/07 – THE IDIOSYNCRASIES OF LABOUR
ARCHIVES
- June 2005
- September 2005
- October 2005
- November 2005
- December 2005
- January 2006
- February 2006
- March 2006
- April 2006
- May 2006
- June 2006
- September 2006
- October 2006
- November 2006
- December 2006
- January 2007
- February 2007
- March 2007
- April 2007
- May 2007
- June 2007
- November 2007
- SMILING UNDER BUSES
- BRITISH NATIONALISTS IN WALES WATCH
- BIG STICK SMALL CARROT WORLD
- WALES COMMENT
- INSIDE SWANSEA COUNCIL
MAP
