Remember the last time Labour MPs had to apologise for making dodgy videos? No? Well I bet Tom Watson and Sion Simon so. Well, Dizzy has a good little story HERE about 15 Labour MPs in highly marginal seats filming videos in the Houses of Parliament. He speculates that they are for use in an election campaign - I suspect that they have been filmed as a contingency for an October election. However, I find it highly debateable as to whether the Serjeant at Arms would have given permission for such videos to be filmed on the Parliamentary Estate. Perhaps a question or two should be asked...
UPDATE: Well if the above videos aren't against the rules THIS one certainly is!
26 comments:
hmmmmm, not exactly Grant 1234 Shappsgate is it Iain?
15 Members of Parliament being filmed in Parliament..... (as themselves!) Shock! Horror!
It's not as if they are sneakily pretending to be disillusioned Lib Dem activists when they are really Tory MP's now is it?
Indeed not. Not quite sure what you mean by that. But breaking parliamentary rules is indeed serious, as I am sure you are aware.
And, what about the mauling Dave Cameron got in Yorkshire from conservatives? Bob Piper has the details.
Oh come on Iain, this is verging on the embarrassing
He “”SPECULATES”” that they are for use in an election campaign - I “”SUSPECT”” that they have been filmed as a contingency for an October election. However, I find it highly debateable as to whether the Sergeant at Arms would have given permission for such videos to be filmed on the Parliamentary Estate. Perhaps a question or two should be asked
So you have some videos that you suspect will be used in an election that hasn’t even been called.
It’s highly unlikely that they are going to release campaign material in Aug for an Oct election. Iain are Tory HQ actually this fecked up. Is this the best you can do.
You make me laugh. I was linking to Dizzy's story and commenting on it. AM I not allowed to do that now in your perverted world of what blogs should be? Go and harrass Dizzy. Anyway, you must like this blog seeing as you seem to spend all day on it.
Yeah Jim, come and harass me. The IT nerd who does not work for CCHQ and spends his time wandering around the Internet.
dizzy said...
Yeah Jim, come and harass me. The IT nerd who does not work for CCHQ and spends his time wandering around the Internet.
August 09, 2007 3:15 PM
Oh dear.. maybe Im a pensioner who likes to respond to blogs, maybe Im a student who has lots of spare time, maybe Im a house husband whose kids are happy playing in the garden… of course not, Im a IT nerd who doesn’t work for CCHQ.
Well Dizzy another brilliant scoops. Why go to dizzys site, no one else does.
Iain I like you site, its very good I enjoy the banter, and it is the best of a bad bunch.
weak
Jim, I am glad you enjoy the site, but you are wrong about Dizzy. In my poll he's very very high and deservedly so. I know he gets a high level of traffic too, sompared to most blogs. IMHP his is the best Tory blog on the net.
Iain, I agree with Jim that this is a very good site, but on the list you are compiling are there any good blogs from the other parties? I can't believe tories are naturally funnier! there must be some good Labour sites now recess monkey seems part time and his labourhome feels a bit tame.
The evidence seems to show that Tories are naturally funnier than Labour - and whoever met a funny Lib Dem? But why, I wonder?
Jimbo, yes there are some very good Labour and LibDem blogs. There are 1100 blogs in the directory altogether. In the top 450 which people have voted on there are about 160 of Labour blogs and about 40 LibDem ones and 180 Tory blogs so far.
LBS...
I think it has been proven time and again that Lembit Opik has a sense of humour, or else he would have imploded under the weight of cheap jokes directed at him.
Jim,
One issue is that (iirc) parliamentary regulation require any filming within the Parliamentary Estate to have permission from the Sergeant at Arms. Here are 15 films made within the parliamentary estate... can the question not be asked as to whether permission was granted?
As for the rest, the fact that Labour MPs are preparing election material could be seen as preparation for an election. When that election will be is speculation, but if someone were planning a short-notice election then getting material ready beforehand would be a major advantage. This advantage is much smaller for an election in the distant future for which the opposition will also have a chance to prepare... so the existence of this material could be considered evidence that an early election is being planned.
Unless I'm very much mistaken, Frank Doran, one of the MPs in the videos, clarified the position on this last year:
"Two new interview points have been identified within the precincts: in the south west corner of Westminster Hall once the current works there have been completed, and on the Green in New Palace Yard, subject in the latter case to a permit from the Serjeant at Arms."
The videos are all taken in Westminster Hall. I can't be sure but I suspect that they're all in the south west corner of that hall, an area where filmed interviews can take place without permission from the S-at A.
Of course, if I'm wrong, it's only because someone hacked onto my account and pretended to be me. Must change my password...
security implications?
I have often tried to comment on Dizzy's but it never accepts my comment. Is this a glitch on my computer, or did I offend him by being me?
You have commentd on my blog more than once and successfully.
but i have had failures occasionally. i will try again.
That will be blogger be crap
Do my eyes deceive me or has this post been updated with a grudging acceptance that there was no need to ask a question or two? I do believe it has.
Gracefully done, sir.
Not at all. It is always good to ask questions. The last line is the only update unless I am going completely senile.
Ah yes, my previous comment was rather badly phrased.
To expand slightly, I generally try to find things out for myself first rather than publishing unfounded accusations in the shape of questions. Seems more decent somehow.
Still, each to their own. It is a very clever tactic. It wasn't a smear, just a question...
But at least we're now agreed that the filming of those interviews did not break parliamentary rules. That's the point I was trying to make regarding your update.
Thanks for the clarification, but I don't think we are agreed at all! I doubt very much whether these videos are authorised but I gather Dizzy is writing to the Serjeant Arms to find out. No doubt we shall find out the truth in due course.
Two words Iain.
Grant Shapps
"Iain I like you site, its very good I enjoy the banter, and it is the best of a bad bunch."
You are the saddest of sad bunch Jim. Labour idiots who hang around Conservative blogs to spout utter crap and think they're actually achieving something! Well, you are reminding people that the left are a bunch of dim-witted twats and why people shouldn't vote Labour.
I thought that "If the above videos aren't against the rules..." was an tacit acknowledgement that they weren't. My mistake.
Mr Doran is the chairman of the Administration committee and he does tell the House that the speaker has accepted that the new rules should be made permanent. Can't quite see the problem.
But as you say, we'll find out in due course.
Time has told. I got an email this morning from Westminster regarding those videos.
"Dear Mr Hamster,
Filming within Westminster Hall is permitted by the House authorities and was cleared by our office."
I'll forward it to you if you like.
Remember the last time Iain had to apologise for making dodgy accusations in the shape of questions...
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