Eleven years ago, when I was at Politico's, I produced a three hour video of Party Political Broadcasts. Incredibly, it became a bit of a cult hit and sold more than 6,000 copies. It even made the 'And Finally' slot on News at Ten. We wanted to call it THERE NOW FOLLOWS but we then got a letter from some idiot BBC lawyer telling us it would be breaching their copyright, as they had made a documentary a decade earlieer with that title. So we called it simply PARTY POLITICAL BROADCASTS: THE GREATEST HITS.
Tonight, Hanover Communications are sponsoring an event at the BFI which I hope to attend, which celebrates 75 years of PPBs. David Dimbleby is hosting a panel discussion I believe. You can watch an amusing 30 second trailer HERE.
A few years ago I planned to turn the video into a DVD and add some more recent PPBs, but one of the parties wouldn't give copyright permission so it never happened. However, I think I'm going to revisit the issue and see if I can't make it happen now.
Watch this space. But if we did do it, which PPBs since 1997 should we include?
UPDATE: Do visit THIS site run by Sheffield University. It has loads of PPBs on video from 1951-64.
FIGHTERS AND BELIEVERS!!!!
ReplyDeletethe tory 1999 euro one. The appalling yuppy couple discuss tony blair and then have sex.
ReplyDeleteWell now Iain, John Cleese Lib Dumbs party political broadcast 1997!
ReplyDeleteOuch, Monty Python stuff, well almost!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gv4Abt3sZU
I know I'm biased but I thought the Green Party Euro election broadcast this year was top notch
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIaqH84Yvzc
Which is only topped by the 1999 one
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgpqaHLsX6A
It was in 1979 but Mrs Thatchers first broadcast following the death of Airey Neave must be the chart topper.
ReplyDeleteThose who are really interested in this stuff may want to have a look at the following website www.sheffield.ac.uk/journalism/pebs where they can see (nearly all) PEBs from 1951 through to 1964.
ReplyDeleteI remember that video. I sent out three as Christmas presents and only one recipient failed to see the funny side. Mind you, they keep buying us goats in the middle of nowhere. Good luck with the DVD; part of the *ahem* charm of the video is that you can’t easily skip. Like the real thing.
ReplyDeletePeople will berate me I know, but you should consider at least one of Galloway's speeches in the chamber. I'm not a huge fan of his but I do think he's probably the best orator around today, and I do love listening to him. His speeches on the "myopia" of Iraq, Afghanistan and Palestine (all on YouTube) are up there with the very best.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThe Tony and Gordon show from 2005. In the snippet on the Today programme it made me laugh out loud when Tony said "he would invest in hospitals and schools. But how to pay for it?". Gordon piped up with "Through Growth. Stability and Growth".
ReplyDeleteHilarious, given our huge debt and 6 quarters of recession.
I quite like the newsreels of Baldwin by his fireside, as did the population of that time.
ReplyDeleteSquiffy obviously NOT a shade of the late HH Asquith, who had a better hold on relevant truth.
ReplyDeleteThe record continuos 12 years growth, in the face of the recession Circa 2002 into which the USA led so many did help fund the record expansion of good school buildings for example.
And our recession has been less hard than most, because our economy had grown so much, and we have lower unemployment than USA, France etc . . .
Watching, and enjoying watching party political broadcasts makes me wonder if you also enjoy being spanked at the Max Mosley House of Correction. Given your fluency with German, I wouldn't be surprised.
ReplyDeleteNo. If someone sent me this video, I would report them to the police for harassment. Watching repeats of PPBs must be like sticking pins in your eyes, only to be told they are infected with HIV.
Good point squiffy.
ReplyDeleteBrown was ignoring the fact that he was even as he was speaking running up deficits.
So basically he was lying. But the press the public were comatose, eyes glazing over at the mention of economics.
Yet all the while Brown was building up a vast structural deficit as his spending was not matched by revenues.
Sorry - not sure if this went, something funny -so post it again. I only post just so you know about it
ReplyDeletehttp://minnesotansforglobalwarming.com/m4gw/2009/11/hide-the-decline.html
'hide the decline' - when they make a movie about it no doubt that will be the title. Anyone know a producer? I will write the script.
One from Kim Il jung would be interesting
ReplyDeleteIain - my rating of you has increased. We watched that video at school - wish I'd known about the BFI event as I'm sure it would have been great.
ReplyDeleteWhat else did you do for politicos? Deeply missed shop presence that - appreciate online but not the same.
With Regards
john
I wonder why you haven't commented on question time yet iain ?
ReplyDelete2010 Labour one should be a laugh...
ReplyDeleteyou should do a special disk including some of the best US ones too.
ReplyDeleteProbably because I didn't see it.
ReplyDeleteNext?
"His speeches on the "myopia" of Iraq, Afghanistan and Palestine (all on YouTube) are up there with the very best."
ReplyDeleteWhat like Adolph Hitler you mean?
OK OK OK - I know, Godwin's Law, I have lost the argument.
Oh ...
"fund the record expansion of good school buildings"
This has in fact been funded by borrowing, or rather by what are in effect mortgages - (PFI).
This may be a good thing; it may not be.
But they have not been funded by success. Brown has still run deficits ever since he stopped following Tory spending plans.
Skuls n' ospitls are being built on wishful thinking not a successful economy.
I remember watching that video in our Politics A-level class. Uncouth louts as we were, we watched it mainly for the Natural Law Party, whose yogic flying video remains the pinnacle of political broadcasting.
ReplyDeleteHaven't you heard of the iplayer its quite good iain but the point is do you want to watch pm question time.
ReplyDeleteI sense you don't.