Yahoo Movies Jeremy Corbyn was the only adult in the room during the leaders’ TV debate
The first leader’s debate was a great success for the Labour Party. Jeremy Corbyn came over as the adult in the room, Boris Johnson the petulant schoolboy, constantly interrupting and not doing as teacher told him.
There was also the notable disrespect that most male politicians seem to have for women. It is noticeable how whenever a male politician is in dialogue with a woman, he always seeks to talk over them. Again, full marks to Mr Corbyn, who did not undertake this practice, but accorded host Julie Etchingham the respect she merited.
What was also notable in the debate itself was that the Conservatives are a one-trick pony – Brexit.
If that is all they have to talk about, then they are in trouble. Pandering to Leavers in a general election campaign, something the Conservative government has fundamentally failed to deliver in three years, does not seem a very clever strategy.
The factcheck debacle simply adds to the sense of desperation that seems to have gripped Tory HQ.
Paul Donovan
London
Facts before Final Say, please
Why all the recriminations? It is not important whether Mr Corbyn commits in advance to campaigning to remain in or leave the EU in the event of a new Brexit referendum. The important thing is that he is now committing to hold one.
In that event, the real campaign should be that this time the electorate are given objective information about real options and not be left in an information vacuum as they were in 2016 – this allowed the promotion of a fairy tale version of Brexit.
Asking people to vote for something, then telling them afterwards what it was they voted for, is a charade that should not be confused with democracy. If we do get the opportunity to hold a new referendum, please let’s make it a valid process.
Shaun Wolfe-Murphy
Belfast
Sinking to new depths
As an enthusiastic Remainer and Lib Dem member, I’d like to thank whoever it was who thought up the Conservatives’ “fact-checking” Twitter account. It perfectly illustrates the depths of perfidiousness to which Boris Johnson’s party will sink.
Susan Alexander
Frampton Cotterell
NHS for sale – not when but how much?
John Rentoul is right to point out that Boris Johnson will be desperate for a US trade deal after Brexit, and also that a vastly increased NHS drugs bill as a result would be wildly unpopular.
But he is quite wrong to conclude that it therefore won’t happen. The US pharmaceutical industry sees breaking the NHS’s pricing system as a way to unlock bumper profits not just in the UK but around the globe, given the NHS’s purchasing power. With PM Johnson politically desperate for a deal – any deal – that will give Trump a lot of leverage, the real question is not whether, but how much, Johnson will be willing to pay.
This is exactly why the redacted document that Jeremy Corbyn brandished in the debate (and all the others from these secret trade meetings with Trump’s officials) must be released before the general election. If the price of a Johnson Brexit means putting medicine prices on the table in trade talks, voters should know before going to the polls.
Jonathan Stevenson
London
Only Remain is sane
Surely the only sane position on Brexit at the moment is to remain, as both deals we have seen are bad for the country. Ms May’s was so bad that Mr Johnson voted against it twice and Mr Johnson’s deal was so bad that those arch Leavers, the DUP, voted against it. When it looked like parliament would look at the details of his deal, Johnson ran away and took his ball home with him, hence this unnecessary election.
If Labour wins the election and can negotiate a deal acceptable to more parties – particularly the DUP – then it’s quite acceptable for everyone, including Mr Corbyn, to reconsider their position before voting in a final referendum once they are better informed.
So it’s a bit silly of interviewers, such as Dan Walker on the BBC this morning, to echo Mr Johnson’s demand that Mr Corbyn should choose now between the known, remaining in the EU, and the unknown, leaving under a new deal without details of that, yet to be agreed, deal. This is what happened before the last referendum and is how we got into this mess.
It’s time for journalism and TV interviewers to grow up and ask their own questions and not dance to any political party’s tune. Especially one that twice in this election has produced fake news and has not apologised or censored anyone for this, but simply made up more lies suggesting this is normal behaviour.
John Simpson
Ross on Wye
Labour cyber attack
I read The Independent’s piece by Jamal Ahmed regarding the cyber-attack experienced by the Labour Party this week. I write to correct inaccuracies contained in the piece regarding the Electoral Commission’s statutory remit.
In terms of political parties and other campaigners, the Electoral Commission is the UK’s political finance regulator. We work to ensure a level playing field is maintained among parties and campaigners. We do this by publishing and scrutinising the money that parties and campaigners spend and receive.
Our remit with regards to digital campaigning and the online tools used by parties and campaigners is to look at the money spent on these tools and the information available to voters about who is funding them. We have, and continue to develop, leading edge IT systems that enable us to operate effectively in this context.
The commission is recognised internationally for this and for its recommendations, which have been welcomed but not yet implemented by the UK government, on how to modernise campaigning laws in a digital age.
Contrary to Mr Ahmed’s article, the commission’s remit does not extend to the security measures a party takes to protect its online resources, nor the way it uses data. The Electoral Commission is an independent parliamentary body, whose remit and powers are set by parliament in the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000.
The responsible use of data and compliance with data protection legislation is rightly the remit of the UK’s information commissioner. While the UK government’s National Cyber Security Centre works in support of enabling the UK’s main political parties to defend themselves against cyberattacks in the context of elections.
Bob Posner
Chief executive, the Electoral Commission
