UKIP Supporters Speaking Out After BBC Audience Bias Revealed

Following the leaders’ debates where Nigel Farage called the studio audience “pretty left wing even by the standards of the BBC” UKIP supporters have made a concerted effort to even out the balance.

It was clearly on display at a recording of a special Question Time programme for BBC Look North to be broadcast tonight. Statistics seen by Breitbart London showed the ‘independently selected’ audience included only four declared members of UKIP –  the same number as the Green Party and the Liberal Democrats who are polling about a third and a half of Farage’s party respectively.

But as the debate got going, those who had been dwarfed by the pro-European arguments made themselves known, putting forward coherent arguments on trade and jobs that panellists including Labour’s Diana Johnson failed to counter.

Answering a question on whether the general public was well enough informed about the EU to make a decision on British membership of the EU, she said, “why would the EU give us beneficial trade deals if we weren’t members?”

She was challenged by an audience member who tried to explain that Britain had been trading with the world for hundreds of years before the creation of the European Union and would be able to engage in global trade should the country leave the EU.

And one also spoke out, saying that the N in NHS stood for National, not International Health Service in stark contrast to the reaction Farage received when he tried to make the argument previously where Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood told him he “should be ashamed of himself.”

The breakdown of the 35 people selected included nine from Labour and the Conservatives, two undecided and two non voters. The latest poll puts UKIP on 15 per cent, the Lib Dems on 7 per cent and the Greens on five.

In an email, the BBC defended the make up of the audience saying:’We have built the majority of the  audience ourselves and asked for top-up from the same company which the BBC uses for Question Time and which enjoys a very high reputation.

“So far, provided everyone who we have invited turns up, we have 9 Labour, 9 Conservative, 4 UKIP,  4 Libdems, 4 Greens, 2, Undecided and 2 non voters.

“They will be spread in age range from students to retired, their social make-up stretches from Headteacher through small business owner, life coach, consultant surgeon and Charity worker (to give just a few examples). Geographically they will stretch from such places as Hull, Skegness, Boston, Gainsborough, Grimsby, Scunthorpe and Lincoln.”

The party’s campaign manager in the region replied saying he was “not sure this is something I can work with.

“I was hoping we would have something that more accurately represented the polls. To have four greens, who are dwarfed by both UKIP and the Lib Dems is not representative at all. I trust something can be done about this.”