A POLITICS expert has called out STV for a “very British” approach to its General Election debate which will only involve the Holyrood leaders of the Scottish parties.
The debate will be aired on Monday and will involve First Minister John Swinney, Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar, Conservative leader Douglas Ross and Scottish LibDem leader Alex Cole-Hamilton.
The broadcaster has already come under fire from the Scottish Greens and Alba who are furious they will not have a chance to take part.
Alex Salmond has gone as far as to report STV to Ofcom over the issue.
But criticism of a different brand has come from political science professor Ailsa Henderson who has said the debate could confuse voters and imply devolved politicians can influence reserved matters.
On Twitter/X, she described the set-up of the debate as “very, very British”.
Henderson told The National it made sense to have a dedicated Scottish debate, but it should involve candidates for Westminster seats who can discuss reserved matters.
She said: “There are rightly concerns that a lot of the UK General Election campaign may feel like it makes little difference in Scotland.
“UK party leaders will be talking about their plans for education and health, and that is devolved in Scotland, so their plans will apply in England alone.
“In that environment it makes sense to have a dedicated Scottish focus for some debates but the participants in those debates should be candidates for Westminster seats, they should focus on reserved matters, and ideally discuss how they would approach the role of Secretary of State for Scotland.
A UK election debate among 4 Scottish leaders, none standing for election, or who can legislate on reserved matters, is so very, very British. Any time folks blame voters for not understanding devolution or legislative competence I point to stuff like this. https://t.co/jfIbRDJRvP
— Ailsa Henderson (@ailsa_henderson) May 29, 2024
“Otherwise there is a risk of confusing voters and implying that devolved politicians can influence reserved matters.
“The devolved party leaders might have bigger profiles in Scotland but it’s not obvious why they are the most appropriate participants in a UK General Election debate. If other Scottish MPs have lower profiles then that’s an argument for inviting them to a debate not excluding them from it.”
STV's political editor Colin Mackay is set to oversee proceedings from the broadcaster's Pacific Quay headquarters in Glasgow, grilling each leader in turn before allowing them to cross examine one another.
Sharing news of the debate on Twitter/X, Henderson said: “Any time folks blame voters for not understanding devolution or legislative competence I point to stuff like this.”
After STV journalist Paris Gourtsoyannis defended the programme, she argued broadcasters needed to “recognise they live in a multi-national state” and not “pretend devolved politicians have any say on reserved outcomes”.
She added: “A British political culture that misunderstands devolution is aided by a media that likewise obscures it (discuss, 20 marks).
“An hour of leaders arguing about the SNP's education record illuminates no one in a UK General Election.”
The row comes after Swinney said it was "ridiculous" that the SNP were being excluded from ITV's head-to-head debate between Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer, which will be broadcast the following day on June 4.
An STV spokesperson said: “STV’s election coverage, including the upcoming leaders’ debate, is consistent with Ofcom’s Programme Code.”
