Question Time, 16th June

I couldn't agree more volcer

The Brexit Broadcasting Corporation continues to use QT as it has done for many years to promote division.

It continues to allow Alison Fuller Pedley, an ex UKIP member who has tweeted support for numerous ultra right wing racist organisations, to select the audience. Hence the high number of angry inarticulate red faced men (usually men) who spout vehemently anti-immigration soundbites. Why has this been allowed to continue?

Angry inarticulate men are as entitled to a view as anyone else. As uncomfortable as that may be. I think QT is showing its age, most political discussions programmes (via podcasts etc) are long form now, QT doesnt give enough time to explore any issues so you get snapshots of opinions that help no one.

If the audience selection was less biased we might expect a few angry inarticulate men but the number of them is grossly disproportionate and does not improve the quality of debate.

I loved Question Time in the days of Robin Day. The current presenter is very poor in my opinion.

DH and I over q cup of coffee basically just discussing the idea that Angry inarticulate men are as entitled to a view as anyone else. And of course they are.

But what if that view is based on incorrect inforamtion? What if they are forming that view without any idea how the world actually is? And listening to lies told to them by the government? e.g. The Tory MP's contention that we have helped 200,000 people come here by legal means when earlier this week his boss was telling us it was 20,000? Or the man who was trying to equate going for an hour long walk during lockdown with a full blown party and a Karaoke machine?

Democracy should be based on an informed electorate, not on lies.

I dont think you can have any kind of debate in the time allocated to each question to be honest.

It is claimed that the QT audience represents the voting patterns of the local area in which it is filmed. Bias is always denied...

Like maddyone, I used to like Robin Day.

I might go and try to find some old episodes online. But it's called Question Time; to me that's an opportunity for members of the audience to question the people on the panel, and hear what they have to say about things. But what we have just now is a starter for 10 then a lot of people shouting at each other.

Its biased, the audience is vetted ,its common knowledge .They dont even try to hide it anymore .

The biased selection of the QT audience is exactly what you would expect if you gave the job to a UKIP supporter with racist views.

I seldom watch QT these days but I remember an edition broadcast not long after the Leave / Remain voting patterns had been analysed. The program came from Liverpool, one of the strongest Remain areas and we were told that all the members of the audience were under 30, the age group most likely to vote Remain. Even so the vast majority of contributers from the audience were Leave suporters

The selection of panel members is also biased. The only MEP who ever appeared in the years before 2016 was Farage who appeared 29 times. LibDem panelists are seldom invited. Although the LibDems are widely seen as the main challenge to the Conservatives in next week's by-election at Tiverton and Honiton, there was no LibDem speaker last night. (and no LibDem speaker on Radio 4 "Any Questions" this week either).

Yes, interesting to hear- but the man who said he only stayed a member of the Tory Party so he could get Johnson out was then referred to by another member of the audience as "the man who joined the Tory party in order to get Johnson out.
I'd like it better if the chair chipped in and corrected people when they make stupid and incorrect statements such as this. The second man ridiculed the first one (and labour/snp) by saying that was the action of the "other side".
The first man could have put him right.

Just rather annoying.
Lots of things like this - it has me screaming "no! That is not what they said!"

Argggh!

I'm afraid I was shouting at the TV when the lady said she didn't like Starmer comparing Johnson to Obi Wan Kenobi.

Not big on details, then, Madam.

volver

I'm afraid I was shouting at the TV when the lady said she didn't like Starmer comparing Johnson to Obi Wan Kenobi.

Not big on details, then, Madam.

^less like Obi Wan Kanobi more like Jabba
the Hut^

I believe is what Mr.Starmer said

We need the votes of those not big on details though. As in terms of politics that's a lot of people. What is it? 7 mins a week that most people spend thinking /talking about politics

I switched it on halfway through but turned it off after 5 minutes. It had been improving recently but seems to have reverted back to being a quasi political version of the Jeremy Kyle show. I was only just discussing it with DH saying that I never missed it back in the day.

This program was filmed in Newcastle and many locals have expressed disgust about the audience

www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/bbc-question-time-misrepresenting-newcastle-24255139

Bless. That's just someone who wanted to slag off Newcastle and had to do a quick reverse ferret when she realised she had made an arse of herself.

Who are you accusing of "wanting to slag1 off Newcastle"????

The woman in the article 'remind me to never visit Newcastle' and then she has to apologise when those in Newcastle point out the QT man isnt representative of a city.

Apparently the audience was chosen to reflect the national, not the local vote. i.e. reflecting the tory parliamentary majority...

If it had represented the Newcastle vote it would have been well skewed towards Labour.

Lots of people are very angry about it and not just Geordies...

I stopped watching this show a while ago. Unless it's from Belfast. Can't get enough of a Belfast accent

The bias of the Brexit Broadcasting Corporation against the LibDems knows no bounds.

Today, on the Sunday before the by-election at Tiverton and Honiton, not only did Sunday Politics feature Labour and Conservative politicians, but no LibDem, even more outrageously Sunday Politics West, the regional discussion program following Sunday Politics also had Labour and Conservative politicians but no LibDem.

In both programs the by-election was referred to and we had a mini party political broadcast from the Conservatives.

Surely it is time for the blatant bias of the BBC to be investigated by OFCOM and The Electoral Commission?

It's no longer a serious programme. It's entertainment of a sort, I suppose.

You are right about QT Grantanow but Sunday Politics and Sunday Politis West are still serious political discussion programmes and should at least attempt to be fair and balanced, especially in the days before an election.