Hybrid sessions may reveal too much: The dangers of MPs being technologically naÏve are all too evident
Being technologically savvy is not a prerequisite for elected office.
By ET Bureau | Updated:
ANI
As the Monsoon Session of Parliament looms in the era of Covid-19, social distancing and work-from-home (WFH) options, a mix of actual and virtual presence of members of Parliament is being considered. Hopefully, the Hon’ble Speaker of the Lok Sabha and Chairman of the Rajya Sabha will take note of the pitfalls of such sessions, as revealed by two recent incidents.
First, there was the Irish member of the European Parliament (MEP) Luke ‘Ming’ Flanagan, whose unclothed lower extremities were in full view while he spoke from home on the agriculture policy at a session telecast live a month ago as he inadvertently put the computer camera on portrait mode rather than landscape. And just last week, a municipal councillor in northern Spain decided to take a shower during a session with fellow elected officials that had already taken up most of the morning, thinking that minimising the screen would be enough. It was not, and besides his colleagues, assorted journalists and other citizens who had also joined the web session were treated to his ablutions too.
Being technologically savvy is not a prerequisite for elected office and meetings of all kinds (not necessarily legislative) do tend to become prolonged because of the relaxed WFH norms. So, the dangers of being multitasking MPs in this private-public grey area are all too manifest.
First, there was the Irish member of the European Parliament (MEP) Luke ‘Ming’ Flanagan, whose unclothed lower extremities were in full view while he spoke from home on the agriculture policy at a session telecast live a month ago as he inadvertently put the computer camera on portrait mode rather than landscape. And just last week, a municipal councillor in northern Spain decided to take a shower during a session with fellow elected officials that had already taken up most of the morning, thinking that minimising the screen would be enough. It was not, and besides his colleagues, assorted journalists and other citizens who had also joined the web session were treated to his ablutions too.
Being technologically savvy is not a prerequisite for elected office and meetings of all kinds (not necessarily legislative) do tend to become prolonged because of the relaxed WFH norms. So, the dangers of being multitasking MPs in this private-public grey area are all too manifest.
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