The Run-up to the Election (UK)

Living as I do in the UK where I pay taxes but do not vote I pay particular attention to the political process as I will be affected by it but cannot influence it. One of the idiosyncrasies of the political process here is that the Party in power declares an election which will take place a month later thus sparing the nation and the candidates the trials and tribulations of a year-long slog to polling day.

Yesterday I listened to an interview on Radio 4 with Gordon Brown followed by an interview today of David Cameron. I patiently waited for today's interview as I was somewhat taken aback by the Fox News mad dog approach in Mr Brown's interview and so waited to see how Mr Cameron was treated. To my (relative) dismay he got a firm but fair and civil questioning.

I have always held up the BBC as an example of how reporting should be-fair, stern and non-partisan. I have also always held ex-President Reagan responsible for the removal of the requirement in the US for the media to be fair and even-handed in their reporting regardless of their editorial slant.

Therefore I believe Reagan is responsible for the rise of Fox News and its' brethren and thereby a massive decline in the level of the political debate in America. Partisan politics are now allowed to override truth and rational analysis. It was thus with surprise and disappointment that I listened to the outrageous interrogation of Mr Brown on the BBC, a broadcaster that I had previously held in high regard.

But back to the UK election. Through the rage of Mr Brown's grilling he maintained his poise and position with just a touch too much of blaming the financial crisis on a global phenomenon rather than admitting that the UK too rode the wild horse of credit excess and soaring tax income. Otherwise he presented a balanced account of what he had done and what he would do.

Mr Cameron on the other hand squirmed and twisted speaking in platitudes about dealing with the causes of problems rather than with the problems themselves. But, among others, when pressed, admitted that part of the "hard decisions" the Conservatives would take would be to decrease the size of the Public Sector i.e. dismissals and that the pay scales in the Public Sector would have to be changed as it was unacceptable that managers in the Public Sector should earn significantly more than their subordinates.

He went on to say that this pay differential was fine in the Private Sector. Wait a minute. Is Mr Cameron not suggesting a Marxist approach to public service and a Capitalist approach to the private sector? Is he not telling the ambitious of Britain to avoid public service and pile into the private sector and let the public sector be filled by the less ambitious, possibly the less capable and oh lest I forget the charitable do-gooders?

About the only thing positive I can say about these first two interviews is that Mr Brown came out much more statesmanlike than Mr Cameron- but then Mr Cameron does come from a Corporate Communications background....