The power of the rightwing press was vividly displayed during the BBC’s Question Time election special on Thursday night (An audience that smelled blood and went for it, 1 May). The myth that the budget deficit was caused by Labour “overspending” has become such a “fact” in the minds of the public that Ed Miliband was greeted with incredulous abuse by the studio audience when he tried, very mildly, to put the record straight. Have people forgotten that it was the bailout of the banking system by Alistair Darling that created the massive increase in public debt following the financial crisis of 2008? Labour should be constantly reminding voters of this fact, but I fear it has let the lies continue for too long without challenge. And should not somebody also challenge the BBC on how the audience for that Question Time was selected? A group of people dominated by West Yorkshire small business owners hardly seems representative of the electorate.
Richard Crook
Brighton
• The Question Time debate was thoroughly dispiriting. Indeed, it was difficult to decide which was worst: the evasiveness of the politicians, the nauseating self-righteousness of most of the audience or the stale repetition of questions raised in earlier debates. Eight days ago, a YouGov poll found that the subjects people felt had not been properly discussed in the election campaign were, in order of priority, education, the environment, pensions and foreign affairs. Not one of these was discussed in the programme. The same poll found that the subjects people felt to have had sufficient or too much discussion were Scotland, immigration, the economy, the NHS and Europe, all of which featured heavily. It is not only the politicians who seem to be out of touch.
Michael Pyke
Lichfield, Staffordshire
