As a recovering C-SPAN addict I'd like to ask a simple but aggravating question:
Why is it that camera's aren't allowed in Bermuda's Parliament during regular sessions but are used during joint sessions of no legislative significance?
When Parliament conducts the people's business in the House and Senate we're subjected to barely comprehendable audio over the radio, televised reports with bad quality photos and the same crappy audio overlayed. The only record the public can get is an intimidatingly boring slab of words printed in the Royal Gazette on a Saturday and Monday.
In recent memory I can recall 2 or maybe 3 televised sessions:
- Mr. Cox's tribute session
- Baroness Amos's visit to Bermuda several years ago
- The special session for late Tourism Minister Allen (I'm not certian on this one)
There's nothing wrong with televising these sessions but I do have a problem televising these while not televising regular sessions! So much for open Government.
Why do I believe we should televise Parliament? Firstly, you'd see just how few Members actually are present, even though they are marked as present! (Many are in the back rooms relaxing or having dinner, show up for a few minutes to never return for the day, or in extremely rare cases may actually be working in the library!)
Secondly, you'd see just how adept our MPs are at sleeping in really old and uncomfortable wooden chairs! You'd also witness something neither party would like you to see - opposing members sitting together and having a friendly conversation where they show a real affection for each other!
But a little more seriously, televising Parliament would be a vital step in bringing a distant legislative process closer to a detached public. People don't care! Why don't they care? Because most of us don't have a clue what goes on in the House or Senate, because there is so little access.
What are the drawbacks. Well, maybe you'd have a little more grandstanding and playing to the camera, but a good Speaker can easily keep that under control. Perhaps we'd be treated to the cheesy phenomenon you see in the US Congress of bringing in a huge visual display to ensure that you get on the evening news. I think we can tolerate that in the spirit of increased access.
Bermuda conducts our legislative process under an antiquated system or rules designed for a different time. Modern technology is available to open this up. Let's use it.
Have you ever tried to get a written transcript of a Parliamentary session? They don't exist. Ever tried to check on the attendance of your MP? Ever tried to check Parliament's website to see the orders for the day and minutes of the last session? Ever tried to check the Register of Interests? Well Parliament doesn't have a website and you have to make an appointment with the Clerk to thumb through a disorganised and outdated set of forms which make up the Register or Interests.
One of the things that should be implemented in Bermuda's Parliament is a question and answer period for the Premier, much like the Prime Minister in the UK is subjected to. Hearing someone answer a question over the radio only gives you a taste of what's reallu going on. Watching someone's body language, watching a Member squirm when a particularly pointed question is lobbed across the floor, is priceless and reveals a lot more than an audio feed.
Bermuda needs to move into the 1980s and open up the process - show the people, who our MPs work for, what they're doing.
Let's get with the times!
Posted by Christian S. Dunleavy