A few pretenious twits and senile old men - great fun! (BBC Parliament)

Member Name: KathrynE

Product:	BBC Parliament
Date:	10/08/00 (39 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Informative notes put up on screen

Disadvantages: Have to be into this politics lark to begin with really...

Awww, I felt so sorry for BBC Parliament, what with all the stick it's received so far, I thought it was only fair that I wrote in its defense.

The channel offers something you can't find elsewhere on TV - almost continuous coverage of the most important debates happening in the Lords, Commons and select committees. I can understand how dull this concept must be to those with no interest in the subject, but it is virtually the only way, for example, constituents may be able to follow their local MP from their own front room, or for politics students like myself to get an idea of what goes on in the unedited world of Parliament. Besides, we have round-the-clock coverage of such pointless sports as cricket, and surely being able to keep an eye on our politicians is slightly more important to the democracy of the nation?

BBC Parliament's coverage is accompanied by notes along the bottom of the screen to identify which member is speaking and the area in which they represent, along with key points about the history of that particular debate.

It can also make really rather amusing viewing as we see pretenious (and often star-struck) MPs fall flat on their faces, and the rare occasion of actually seeing a member of the Lords awake is surely worthy of a drinking game. Great fun.

Summary: