Comments on: Comments on 18784

Post number 18784

liam — Tue, 30 Jul 2002 06:37:03 -0800

The UK Parliament Site gets a new design, with live webcasting. They want it better to serve "grazers" as well as "hunters". For comparison, the US House and Senate, and the French Assembly and Senate.

By: nedrichards

nedrichards — Tue, 30 Jul 2002 07:04:39 -0800

Well it's not exactly validating not is it totally accessible but it's a bit better than what was there before. Oh and we've had live webcasting for a few months already, it just wasn't linked on the main Parliament page. And as is traditional with UK Govt. sites they run on the exciting IIS, there's somewhere that they could keep their pledge to use more Open Source quite easily. I'd like to see their 'best value' accounting on that choice. [p.s. I can understand exactly the reasons why they did it, i'd just prefer that they hadn't] So two cheers.

By: MiguelCardoso

MiguelCardoso — Tue, 30 Jul 2002 07:27:36 -0800

As a House of Commons junkie, I thank you. There really isn't another one as lively and exotic, thanks to all the constituency bumf and the lack of procedural guff, compared to the rules-obsessed and excessively formal French-inspired counterparts. Now off to read those riveting "Deferred Divisions"...

By: Marquis

Marquis — Tue, 30 Jul 2002 07:45:37 -0800

Question Period is a guilty pleasure for me... but everyone thinks I'm nuts.

By: thewittyname

thewittyname — Tue, 30 Jul 2002 08:03:13 -0800

I would love to see the Question Period make its way over the pond for two reasons: 1) Re-enforce just how incapable Bush is. He couldn't handle it without copious amounts of avoiding the question or Ashcroftian "only terrorist-supporters question my policies" bombast. Sunday morning shows like "Meet the Press" just doesn't have that same spotlight effect that a Senate cross-examination would. 2) To an idealist like myself, a Question Period involving the President and his Cabinet would be a great way of forcing the Executive Branch to listen to (hopefully) valid criticisms and respond with reason. However, that's probably very wishful thinking. That being said, the US House website is stuck in the Newt era, with the Senate site being a little, but not much, better.

By: riviera

riviera — Tue, 30 Jul 2002 08:22:29 -0800

'Question Period'? Is that like 'Question Time', but only once a month? (sorry, cheap dig, I know.)

By: MiguelCardoso

MiguelCardoso — Tue, 30 Jul 2002 09:00:57 -0800

Yes and they pay tribute to the menarch rather than the monarch. (couldn't resist either, Marquis!) ;)

By: Summer

Summer — Tue, 30 Jul 2002 09:02:18 -0800

If you're talking about Prime Minister's Question Time thewittyname then I think you'd be disappointed. All the questions are known in advance and a team of minions dig up the appropriate responses and back-up info. Apparently Blair hates it and thinks it's just a pantomime, hence the move to 'meet the press' type sessions. Well he would think that I suppose.

By: haqspan

haqspan — Tue, 30 Jul 2002 09:11:37 -0800

Plus, they've getting a curry house. The UK rawks.

By: thewittyname

thewittyname — Tue, 30 Jul 2002 09:13:48 -0800

Summer...I thought as much. The whole idea struck me initially as a very good idea that doesn't translate into reality very well. Kind of like Communism and Spam that way.

By: i_cola

i_cola — Tue, 30 Jul 2002 09:37:14 -0800

haqspan: We groove actually ;-)

By: Marquis

Marquis — Tue, 30 Jul 2002 09:43:59 -0800

Thanks for the derision and scorn, gents, but I was referring to the Canadian Question Period, not to some fantastical misnomer of my own imagining. Humph.

By: MiguelCardoso

MiguelCardoso — Tue, 30 Jul 2002 09:58:39 -0800

Hey, Marquis - next time post a WARNING, will ya? Who is that bitter, reproachful dwarf holding his gnarly knees in his hands? ;)

By: Marquis

Marquis — Tue, 30 Jul 2002 10:28:29 -0800

:) Um. Maybe him?

By: Dan Brilliant

Dan Brilliant — Wed, 31 Jul 2002 06:57:56 -0800

All the questions are known in advance and a team of minions dig up the appropriate responses and back-up info. This is not true. All the questions are not known in advance although you do get despicable Labour back bench stooges, toadies etc asking trivial questions and maybe the occasional Alastair Campbell-orchestrated plant.