British Films: now it gets serious…
Boris Johnson has an article in today’s Telegraph attacking the new cultural test for British films.
You can read this week’s debate on the cultural test HERE. At the very end, Woodward admits the Government put through the original test in March while still negotiating with the Commission…and if you are really fascinated, you can read the debate HERE in March when the Government put forward their own test - before they had checked with the Commission!
simon said on December 14th, 2006 at 11:54 am:
Ha! i was laughing like a drain reading Boris’ column! That just about sums up living in ‘modern’ Britain and Europe today! What’s even funnier is that the berk coming up with these very ‘helpful and practical’ guidelined thinks they are commiting a public service! What’s less funny is that our taxes are paying this berk’s wages, and the ‘guidelines’ will end up doing sweet FA for our film industry except giving film makers a headache!
UK Daily Pundit said on December 14th, 2006 at 3:05 pm:
Which berk are you referring to, Boris Johnson or the other berk?
cityunslicker said on December 14th, 2006 at 11:58 pm:
It is activities like this that make me wonder why Nu Labour seem keen at random to return to the world of Citizen Smith at random moments.
Simon said on December 15th, 2006 at 12:01 pm:
Pundit- the berk i’m referring to is the inane bureaucrat who came up with the ‘definitions’ of what makes a British film….. Anyway, i’m a fan of Boris- a non-politicians politician! Says what he thinks without being terrified of giving a ‘measured political party line comment’. I cringe when i see previously ‘independent’ MP’s when elevated to a front bench giving non-comments to questions, terrified that they will say something against the official party line.
Manjit said on December 19th, 2006 at 1:39 am:
But Simon do’nt you think it’s understandable that parties employ the whip system and impose the ‘party line’, most opinion polls show that the public want united parties. Divided parties are not going to win elections i.e Major’s Tories. Interestingly MP’s are much more independent than they are often given credit for one only has to look at the amount of backbench rebellions that Tony Blair’s Government has suffered. But what is the alternative to the ‘offical party line’?
Simon said on December 19th, 2006 at 11:52 am:
Let’s be blunt Manjit- it is not possible to know every facet of ‘party policy’ of whichever party anybody represents! Also, the fact that not everybody in a political party can agree with every dot and comma of ‘official party policy’. I think in the conservatives most of us can believe in economic freedom for the individual(low taxes), and fair/free trade between countries; a strong defence; a strong police force;the belief that the welfare state is a safety net and an enabler into work- not a ‘life choice’ for people to get out of working. As long as MP’s argue constructively without personal abuse- i’ve got no problem whatsoever with MP’s circumventing the ‘official’ line (take Frank Field for Labour for example).