Protestation contre le Traité de Lisbonne

Protestation contre le Traité de Lisbonne
From YouTube. Probably the worst camera-work you'll ever see on a home movie. It'll probably make you feel seasick. However, this is perhaps understandable, for reasons which become clear as the movie progresses. Also worth posting for historical reasons, as the official EU TV footage of this event was apparently heavily doctored to remove all evidence of the protests by MEPs calling for a referendum, and ushers tried their utmost to stop any unofficial record from being made. http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=vCBIst10H-k

I don't approve of censorship in any situation. The captions on the video are sickeningly shameless progaganda, though. The comments are worse, and, in the vast majority of cases, extremely badly informed.

The captions on the video are actually pretty factual and non-propagandistic until about 1/3 of the way through, when they start ranting about freedom and democracy - and become quite helpful again later on in explaining what is going on. I do agree with the comment made by rexStuartus (couldn't possibly have been you, could it?) that the dispute is about democracy but not about freedom. However, many people use freedom in a somewhat wider sense than individual personal freedom, and I'm not as confident as you about simply calling that a mistake or a misrepresentation. I certainly don't find the captions 'sickening' which seems a strange adjective to use even if you don't agree with the sentiments expressed. I don't use YouTube very often, so I was baffled by your remark about the comments being worse. I'd totally forgotten that videos could have comments added. Having scrolled down and found them, I thought some were over-excitable but I find the anger expressed quite understandable. There were also a handful which were plainly by fascists - who no doubt want to exploit that anger for their own ends. So having dealt with the captions and comments left by the powerless and the angry... I'm glad we agree about the censorship.

The captions on the video are actually pretty factual and non-propagandistic until about 1/3 of the way through, when they start ranting about freedom and democracy - and become quite helpful again later on in explaining what is going on. I do agree with the comment made by rexStuartus (couldn't possibly have been you, could it?) that the dispute is about democracy but not about freedom. However, many people use freedom in a somewhat wider sense than individual personal freedom, and I'm not as confident as you about simply calling that a mistake or a misrepresentation. I certainly don't find the captions 'sickening' which seems a strange adjective to use even if you don't agree with the sentiments expressed. Yes, that was me. I find blatant propaganda sickening, especially when it makes claims about "freedom" which are patently absurd. I don't use YouTube very often, so I was baffled by your remark about the comments being worse. I'd totally forgotten that videos could have comments added. Having scrolled down and found them, I thought some were over-excitable but I find the anger expressed quite understandable. There were also a handful which were plainly by fascists - who no doubt want to exploit that anger for their own ends. So having dealt with the captions and comments left by the powerless and the angry... I'm glad we agree about the censorship. Yes, although I rather imagine it's done because of contractual obligations with regard to the distribution of video footage of Europarl procedings. The Europarl is probably required to remove unauthorised video equipment.

Yes, although I rather imagine it's done because of contractual obligations with regard to the distribution of video footage of Europarl procedings. The Europarl is probably required to remove unauthorised video equipment. I don't know, but that sounds quite plausible. I reckon if you started waving a video camera around in the House of Commons the ushers might get shirty there, too. However, if that is the case, then it would put even more of a responsibility on the people shooting the 'official' coverage to fairly present what actually happened rather than editing it to fit some official script. Editing out a protest by a sizeable minority of MEPs turns the official coverage into propaganda itself - and tax-funded propaganda, too!

I don't know, but that sounds quite plausible. I reckon if you started waving a video camera around in the House of Commons the ushers might get shirty there, too. However, if that is the case, then it would put even more of a responsibility on the people shooting the 'official' coverage to fairly present what actually happened rather than editing it to fit some official script. Editing out a protest by a sizeable minority of MEPs turns the official coverage into propaganda itself - and tax-funded propaganda, too! Well, yes. My suspicion is that "editing out" is propaganda in itself. After all, the event is what's happening at the front so naturally that's what gets the official coverage. It'd be like the House of Commons cameras continually watching Eric Martlew MP (Lab, Carlisle) regardless of who was speaking. It may be interesting to see the reaction of Labour backbenchers to various speeches but it certainly isn't more important than covering what's actually going on. It's possible that there's an element of editing, though to some extent that could be justified to reduce the length of a clip if there are gaps in procedings etc etc. Of course, if it were done just to cut out protests (incidentally, the protests were pretty undignified) then that would be wrong.

Of course, if it were done just to cut out protests (incidentally, the protests were pretty undignified) then that would be wrong. So far as I can see from the video, the protests consisted of groups of MEPs standing around at the back chanting and holding signs reading "Referendum". To me, that seems pretty dignified. 'Undignified' would be if they had chucked beer cans or bared their bums at the camera!

So far as I can see from the video, the protests consisted of groups of MEPs standing around at the back chanting and holding signs reading "Referendum". To me, that seems pretty dignified. 'Undignified' would be if they had chucked beer cans or bared their bums at the camera! Chanting and holding signs is not particularly dignified behaviour for a Parliament - certainly not by British standards. In our Parliament clapping is considered bad form.

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