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I think I’ve found a use for daytime TV

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I don’t normally watch daytime television but yesterday as I was pretty immobile I was stuck in front of the box for most of the day.
Flicking through the channels I found a one called: Parliament. It seems to have a mixed genre of programmes: at midday there was a very crowded room full of people asking some serious and often dumb questions. They were shouting at each other and almost baying for blood. The little man in the middle tried to keep “order” but all the taller children ignored him.
Suddenly most of the room upped and left and the atmosphere became serious as sensible statements were being made and questions about being asked and answered. This was intriguing, it was the same people who were doing the work, and yet they seemed so different. They weren’t even arguing.
As the day progressed so too did the quality of debate increase. Manners improved, questions were asked and answers were given. Interruptions were requested and politely accepted This was a whole new dimension for the way they were working when compared to the first programme at midday.
The truth of course is that the midday programme was Questions to the Prime Minister, the main bearbaiting battleground of the week, whilst the afternoon was a serious debate about the phone tapping allegations of the News of the World. This was followed by an even more serious debate around the future role of troops in Afghanistan where people with experience in Foreign Affairs, Afghanistan and military operations spoke wisely in a fashion that sought consensus.
The afternoon debates were truly stunning whilst the lunchtime affair of Question to the PM is a pointless game played with no purpose, Sadly it is the pointless game that most people relate to our Parliament rather than the sensible work of the afternoon.
Maybe there is some good in daytime TV after all.

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