The Iranian elections and the elephant in the room

The BBC seem determined to convey the impression that the Iranian presidential elections are in some way democratic. What is almost never mentioned and indeed appears only at the very end of one of the BBC's web pieces is that:

"All candidates are vetted by the powerful conservative-controlled Guardian Council, which also has the power to veto legislation it deems inconsistent with revolutionary principles."

In other words the only candidates standing are those that the Guardian Council have approved to stand. It would be like the UK having a directly elected Prime Minister but only candidates approved by the Labour NEC being allowed to stand.

I was going to make a joke about how in those circumstances we might have a choice just between Gordon Brown, Harriet Harman, David Miliband and Alan Johnson BUT then I realised that we wouldn't even have that choice as Gordon and Peter would ensure that there was just the one candidate - Gordon Brown.