May 7, 2015, a general election will be held in the UK and it could be a tight race. With that in mind was last night, Monday, an appropriate time to air a drama predicting what could happen if UKIP were victorious in the polls? UKIP were seen as a substantial threat to many UK political parties, not least the Conservatives. In last year's European elections they took scalps but in many ways their popularity is waning. At least one pre-election poll this week has claimed that the Tories popularity has experienced a slight increase but at the expense of the Green Party and UKIP. But we should all remember it is election year which means facts, figures and polls are spun until they represent what suits. In the run-up to the election a damning but fictitious drama about one of the political parties could have a negative impact but should it have been allowed? The drama followed UKIPs only female MP as she tried to put her stamp on her constituency. The drama did portray UKIP in a good light at least as far as the NHS goes but as it was a drama the timing must surely be questioned. There were plenty of viewers who complained; according to BBC News there were more than "700 complaints to media watchdog Ofcom since its broadcast on Monday night". Channel 4 aired the drama and have defended it but they also received 250 complaints. Mixing archived footage with fiction the drama depicted rioting on the streets after UKIP win the general election. While some have described the drama as intriguing and entertaining leading lights of UKIP hold a different view. UKIP leader Nigel Farage was asked by Channel 4 to watch the drama before it was aired and be interviewed but he declined. Like him or loathe him can you blame him? "Looks like 100 Days of UKIP may well have backfired on Channel 4. A biased, partisan depiction of the only party that Believes in Britain," wrote Mr Farage on Twitter. He continued: "[Channel 4] can just spout their views and don't actually have to go out and defend them in elections, which we do." In the spirit of fair play perhaps Channel 4 should run similar dramas surrounding each political party. With David Cameron running scared of televised debates this may be the closest the electorate gets to debate.
Channel 4 added: "Channel 4 has a role to encourage debate and engage viewers in political issues. "The schedule will include a broad range of programming in the build-up to the election including news and current affairs investigations, a party leader debate and a major new political drama on the formation of the coalition government." Ofcom will now investigate the complaints, most about UKIP being portrayed in a bad light, and decide if it should take action. But either way the cat is out of the bag and "UKIP: The First 100 Days" will have hit the mark.
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"Plans are already under way to make it illegal to smoke when children are in the car after MPs backed a ban raising the question if mothers who deliberately harm their unborn baby by drinking should also be prosecuted."
A few thoughts. What will follow? Sterilisation of alcoholic women? Imprisonment of pregnant boozers to stop them drinking? Prosecution if you eat unhealthily during pregnancy? Of course, not that one, as government cuts have directly led to that in many cases. The ideas may sound sensible but how to tackle the problems needs a great deal of thought. Any changes need to be workable and surely education must come first? Will middle-class women who continue to enjoy a glass or two of wine whilst pregnant also face prosecution? Again we ask what is excessive drinking? But after all that is said excessive drinking during pregnancy can lead to: "Glenn, 15, was born with FAS after his birth mother drank excessively during pregnancy. He has the mental age of a four-year-old, as well as physical disabilities which affect his movement and vision. He has to wear nappies and is fed through a tube." Sources Sky News Alan Barnes, a frail 67-year-old man who stands at a mere 4ft 6in tall and is visually impaired was the victim of crime. He was mugged outside of his own home in Low Fell, Gateshead, in the North East of England last Sunday.
Mr Barnes is amazed at the generosity saying "I've heard of fundraising for charities but I've only got a fractured collarbone, I didn't expect that sort of response. Thank you doesn't really seem to answer it, does it?" His story however touched the nation and further afield and people responded showing that hooligans are still in the minority. The cash donations are great news but Mr Barnes has also received offers of help from tradespeople such as plumbers and painters. Mr Barnes is disabled from birth; his mother contracted German measles when she was pregnant. You can donate if you want to by following the link here. Latest February 2:
The fund continues to grow. At the weekend it passed the £300k mark and Monday 7pm GMT stands at £313,605. TV news channels have also been showing the moment the fund-raiser met the victim. Katie Cutler and Alan Barnes had an emotional meeting. Mr Barnes family said that the money would go into a trust fund for him. With schools and other organistations still fund raising expect the final total to be much larger. There is little news of the mugger but let's hope he or she is caught. |
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