Parliament, photos and the press gallery
June 27th, 2007 at 2:47 pm by David FarrarThe only thing more feral than a lioness defending its cubs is the Parliamentary Press Gallery united to defend a “right”. The last mass uprising was in the 1990s when Ruth Richardson wanted to charge then rent for their free office space. This was the end of democracy we were told.
Now I admire the excellence of the Press Gallery campaign – it has been hilarious, defiant and effective. And the MPs who did put together the new guidelines for photography did so in a very clumsy and idiotic way by making it look like they are trying to ban satire.
Defending the intent of the MPs is probably the most unpopular position one can take, but I will do so (to some degree). People need to remember that Parliament is more than the one hour a day of the noisy intense question time. It sits until 10 pm some nights on very boring legislation, and MPs rostered on have to be there. Now it is one thing to have cameras on you for an hour a day, but how many people think they could spend around seven hours a house day being filmed and not during that time yawn, blow your nose, scratch your balls, text message etc etc. One would have to be inhuman not to.
What the MPs (very clumsily) are trying to do is say hey don’t take out of context images which show these things as if that is representative of all we do. MPs deliberately provide enough material for satire that one doesn’t need to take say an MP yawning out of context to ridicule them.
But the MPs are onto a hiding to nothing (despite the fact in some areas they have liberalised the rules). Look at the stories.
Dom Post: MPs claim they need protection
Dom Post: This picture is banned.
Dom Post: Shortsighted MPs harm themselves
So that is three stories plus a picture in just one day from one newspaper. I mean you would think this is the biggest issue facing the country.
Colin Espiner has a blog entry on the issue. Now I agree that the satire rule should go out. It is a red rag to a bull. And it was ridiculous that TV3 got bagged for showing Ron Mark doing the fingers, rather than Mark himself. But this isn’t quite the Kremlin cracking down on dissent and the media should consider how impartial they are reporting on themselves.
To some degree it will be be immaterial once Parliament is broadcast live over the Internet. I imagine many bloggers will be keeping copies and doing their own satire and lampooning. So the genie will be out of the bottle.
No tag for this post.
June 28th, 2007 at 6:35 am
Great stuff the unconscious Maori tele-puppy gets to a chance to get of the dole and do a semester or two in parliament however, she is effective as a rotten railway sleeper !
Vote:June 28th, 2007 at 6:48 am
I think there are two underlying causes here: the new rules which were always going to be seen as a provocation, and Cullen’s staggeringly patronizing and incendiary comments made to the gallery on their release, which must have had his Comms advisors tearing out their hair in open-mouthed horror.
The gallary were always going to be upset about this, but Parliament has Cullen to thank for the extensive, lavish and cruel nature of the coverage.
Vote:June 28th, 2007 at 7:12 am
If politicians expect the masses to take them seriously, the debating chamber is the one place they could make a difference.
Vote:Public perception of politicians is normally very low, and the behaviour in the chamber only supports that perception.
If my employees were seen to be asleep on the job, denigrating and abusing one another the way this lot do in full view of the public ewye, they would be out on their collective ear.
June 28th, 2007 at 7:13 am
If politicians expect the masses to take them seriously, the debating chamber is the one place they could make a difference.
Vote:Public perception of politicians is normally very low, and the behaviour in the chamber only supports that perception.
If my employees were seen to be asleep on the job, denigrating and abusing one another the way this lot do in full view of the public ewye, they would be out on their collective ear.
June 28th, 2007 at 7:33 am
They will lose on this one and I can see Michael Cullen’s fingerprints all over it. What they were trying to control is if an MP is sleeping or making a rude gesture then that brief moment will become the headline to the distraction of all else. Well too bad. Mps need to know how to behave. I think it was serious news value to have publicity of Ron Mark making that offensive gesture. It shows what an oaf he is especially when in Parliament.
Vote:June 28th, 2007 at 7:48 am
I agree with the sentiments of Dave and tim. I for one think that MPs spend too much time in parliament and should spend more time in the electorate.
The fact that they are falling asleep in parliament indicates that the system is not working. Not every parliamentary matter interests/affects every MP, yet there is a requirement to sit through hours and hours of sometimes boring debate. MPs should only have to attend debates that concern them directly. They can keep in touch with other matters via internet/conference link/e-mail/txt and should be able to vote from without parliament.
It is time to change how parliament works and this controversy is the first step.
Vote:June 28th, 2007 at 8:25 am
I hope (literally) that she was sleeping, cause it is a sackable offence as Auckland man Walter Richard found out.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/4103685a10.html
But ofcourse there are different rules for politicans.
Vote:June 28th, 2007 at 8:47 am
DaveC pretty much nailed it IMO.
Thought I would post anyway on this purely because it is an auspicious occassion when I get to agree with Danyl & Tim.
Finally a post to unite blogland.
Sorry DPF, I know what you are saying, but this is a loser. Persception is reality.
Besides, if they had not made themselves so damn hard to like or even respect, they might not get such a hard time.
Vote:June 28th, 2007 at 9:00 am
The alleged corruption that exists in Parliament is glossed over by the Dom Post, but the words speak for themselves
The Auditor-General condemned illegal practices by MPs in the last election, and Speaker Margaret Wilson’s called for MPs to tidy up election spending rules.
“Presented with a choice between a clear set of rules, open to public scrutiny and overseen by an independent body and a murky system riddled with loopholes, it is clear politicians prefer the latter”.
Vote:June 28th, 2007 at 9:30 am
What the MPs (very clumsily) are trying to do is say hey don’t take out of context images which show these things as if that is representative of all we do. MPs deliberately provide enough material for satire that one doesn’t need to take say an MP yawning out of context to ridicule them.
Excuse me? Sorry for picking on David Benson Pope, but I think it’s very much “in context” that a Minister of the Crown was unconscious during a debate on a bill that, if my memory serves, actually touched on his ministerial responsibility.
I’d also note that there numerous cultural ‘contexts’ where yawning, scratching your arse, pulling faces and making wank gestures, ostentatiously passing around a bag of sweets, or reading a newspaper while someone else is speaking is not only plain bloody rude but offensive and insulting.
Vote:June 28th, 2007 at 9:44 am
Full points, DPF. First rule to stay sane as an MP; learn to microsleep. My old man taught Roger Douglas how to doze, so I don’t have a problem with any other MPs getting some shut-eye during their 20-hour days.
Sorry for picking on David Benson Pope, but I think it’s very much “in context” that a Minister of the Crown was unconscious during a debate on a bill that, if my memory serves, actually touched on his ministerial responsibility.
Jeez, Craig. Using that rationale Michael Cullen would need a vast galaxy of uppers to keep him at the height of perkiness every minute he’s in the House. Everything touches on the finance portfolio, but one does not expect him to be an Eveready Bunny 24/7.
The principle at work on all this is much the same one as the limits on the media for reporting suicide. Yes, it would be all fine and dandy if the media could report things as they are. But with the MSM going gooey over Paris Hilton and Millie Holmes et al, you could understand why the MPs aren’t letting the media go open slather when they’re vulnerable.
Vote:June 28th, 2007 at 10:03 am
Come on Zippy. If the likes of Cullen are so tired from the long hours, how effective can they be? As their employer, I demand that they take appropriate breaks and look after their health. Then maybe they will actually make good decisions and be effective at their jobs.
Loved the photo of Trevor in the Herald this morning. Is he on leave or “working”? I imagine he is on full pay during his junket to Spain, so he should be in a suit. I’ll let him off wearing a tie due to the location!!
Poor boy must be knackered from his 20 hour working days in the Med.
Vote:June 28th, 2007 at 10:05 am
Jeez, Craig. Using that rationale Michael Cullen would need a vast galaxy of uppers to keep him at the height of perkiness every minute he’s in the House.
Zippy, I personally think Cullen — the bitchiest straight man in creation — needs downers and to switch to de-caf, not more speed. And if he wants to join the likes of Mallard and Maharey in being an obnoxious arsehole in the Chamber with monotonous regularity, he can wear the consequences. There are a few MPs who might improve with more embarrasing ‘satire and denigration’, not less IMO.
I’d also note Cullen has tax-payer funded accommodation while in Wellington (presumably with a reasonable comfortable bed and sofa), and a rather nice office where he can nap, read, have a snack etc. if he feels the need.
As for your last par., I’d note any MP who feels particularly hard done by by the media has exactly the same recourse to the Press Council and the Broadcasting Standards Authority as anyone else. No more, but certainly no less. I guess the only issue there is that they’re not too sympathetic to wounded egos.
Vote:June 28th, 2007 at 10:42 am
When you paint a target on your forehead as these tossers have then expect to get shot at. Most of them are just legends in their own lunchtime. Big egos with nothing to be big about. Like that pompouse twit Shane Jones. And Maharey and Cullen and the list goes on especially the Socialist lot.
Vote:June 28th, 2007 at 10:42 am
Regarding the picture of Turiana asleep. Parliament must be pretty boring at times.
Vote:June 28th, 2007 at 10:50 am
I disagree with the view that MPs are special and need protection from the camera lens in a public institution.
Its not hard to sit and look interested – many people in their jobs have to sit through boring meetings every day, and manage to do so without the need to text message, knit, nod off, or yawn.
MPs are no different. They are paid to do a job, and need to do it.
Vote:June 28th, 2007 at 10:56 am
I do think it’s an important issue, restrictions on media reporting in the house are a bad thing.
Vote:Regarding MP’s behaviour, I’m with DaveC also, but I’d add if MP’s don’t appear to take seriously what occurs in the house & cannot leave the house for personal matters, then how as the “public” are we supposed to take seriously what occurs in the house, I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to state that MP’s standards in the house is directly related to perception of the importance of the house & perception of MP’s in general.
I say fix the problem with time spent in the house so you don’t have MP’s going to sleep in there, don’t mask the symptoms of that problem.
June 28th, 2007 at 11:07 am
Craig R, I agree that the office is a better place to snooze. However, as DPF points out, the choice is not theirs but the whips’. As for taking complaints to the Press Council or BSA, that would apply outside the House only. Parliament is a law unto itself. This is not a fault, but the basis of how a representative democracy works. Like select committee evidence, House proceedings are different.
CraigM, in a few years time you can level the exact same criticisms at Bill English or Gerry Brownlee. It is the nature of the job.
Vote:June 28th, 2007 at 11:49 am
Zippy; it wasn’t a criticism, it was a piss take. Not a big fan of Trevor’s.
Yes, it comes with the territory and good luck to them. Having lived that life for many years, they are welcome to the constant long haul flights and hotels.
Vote:June 28th, 2007 at 11:57 am
How’s this for some labourspeak, from the herald yesterday.
Dr Michael Cullen to the Press Gallery:
…”I think you are taking yourselves a bit too seriously,” he said
Ok, lets get this one straight. Cullen wants to stop photo’s being taken in the house so they can’t be used for satire and criticism, and it’s the *press* who take themselves to seriously?
Nice one. Go the deputy Prime Minister!
Vote:June 28th, 2007 at 1:38 pm
helmet the really sad thing is that Cullen wouldnt have seen the irony in what he said.Refer my comments above on ego.
Vote:June 28th, 2007 at 2:08 pm
I wonder if the next banning will be the caricatures we see in the Herald etc, depicting politicians as the dickheads they are.
Oh, and they may have to close “The Backbenchers” pub. You know, the one with all those great political puppets hanging off the wall.
Vote:June 28th, 2007 at 2:24 pm
Craig R
NO apology required for referring to Benson Dope, that aresehole deserves a lot more than he is geting and talking of Dunedin I under stand the PCA is getting Guthrie Bwron to deliver them a truck load of whitwash!!
Vote:June 28th, 2007 at 3:49 pm
In my view the reason they drift off to sleep is that they have eaten too well and their seating is too comfortable just as some people drift off too sleep after tea in front of the TV. The English and Australian Parliaments seem to have members sitting on confrontational benches which seems far more businesslike.
Vote:June 28th, 2007 at 5:47 pm
I approve of live streaming of Parliament on the internet. Screw the newspapers, we’ve got it covered.
Screencaps ahoy!
Vote:June 28th, 2007 at 6:29 pm
As for taking complaints to the Press Council or BSA, that would apply outside the House only. Parliament is a law unto itself.
Which is exactly the problem… but I need to correct you on one point. I’m sure someone will leap to correct me if I’m wrong, but the media only enjoys qualified privilege when reporting proceedings in the House. That does not trump (say) a braodcaster’s obligations under the Broadcasting Act. AFAIK, quoting Hansard or running footage from a Parliamentary feed isn’t a complete defence against a defamation suit either.
Vote:June 28th, 2007 at 6:44 pm
New Zealand politicians = wimpoohs , what a load of shit , what gutless mongrels , what scum of the earth , what jellyfish .
Vote:June 28th, 2007 at 8:14 pm
People if you look closely ,the lady wasnt asleep ,(she had noticed a $1 coin on the floor out of the corner of her eye and was sliding down to pick it up), ,plus when we abuse our rulers, selma never posts.,i notice these things
Vote:June 28th, 2007 at 8:39 pm
Yep, it is qualified privilege. It’s also good that the press gallery have maintained discretion on some occasions when an MP, um, hasn’t been themselves.
Vote:June 28th, 2007 at 9:09 pm
It’s also good that the press gallery have maintained discretion on some occasions when an MP, um, hasn’t been themselves.
Oh, let’s not be too coy – you mean barely sober enough to walk through the lobby door and cast a vote under their own steam.
Vote:June 29th, 2007 at 12:25 am
Mrs Turia on that photo, looks like she has been visiting Folole Muliaga regularly prior to her death for a feast of Corned Beef.
Vote:June 29th, 2007 at 7:22 am
Isn’t taking the piss the Kiwi way?
These people are trying to curtail our culture.
It will start with something small, like no satire, then before we know it we won’t even know who’s in Government ,as it won’t be in OUR interests to know.
Stop this now people.
Rise up
Take the piss out of your local MP at every opportunity loudly and openly.
Stand hard for YOUR culture Kia kaha
Vote:June 29th, 2007 at 2:31 pm
The best way to treat these baffoons is to simply ignore them. Paul Henry appears to be incensed at the idea and is leading the charge. Fuck them, I say. We pay these arrogant pricks and they seem to miss the point that the electorate is becoming older, and will tolerate less and less, some of the bullshit eminating from this self-serving group of pigs, who feed at the public trough.
Vote:June 29th, 2007 at 7:11 pm
Quite right Paul. These pricks have no problem in passing laws that let local councils set up cameras on every street corner to spy on the peasants. If it’s good enough to watch the public’s every move the public should have the right to watch these aholes, oops sorry, that should be self serving pigs.
Vote: