Jo Swinson MP has welcomed news that MPs are now allowed to post clips of Parliament on YouTube, but said the public must also have that right.

Jo Swinson’s campaign to end the ban on clips of Parliamentary proceedings being posted on YouTube enjoyed a small victory this week as Parliamentary rules were changed to allow MPs to post clips on video-sharing websites. However, Jo Swinson has said that members of the public must also be allowed to share and comment on clips, and called for the conditions attached to posting the videos to be relaxed.Jo Swinson MP: East Dunbartonshire

Under the new rules, MPs are allowed to upload videos of Parliamentary debates to external searchable website subject to a list of conditions, including:

* The video must not be downloadable or available to embed on other third party websites
* Any comments on the video must be moderated
* No advertising should appear alongside the video
* Video clips must not be edited
* MPs may not post clips in which they themselves do not speak, and written permission must be sought from other MPs speaking in the video

Commenting, Jo Swinson said:

“This change in the rules is a step in the right direction, and I am pleased that the Parliamentary authorities are beginning to see that changes need to be made in this area. However, I believe that everyone should be able to share video clips of Parliamentary debates, and I will continue to work toward that aim. Giving MPs such tight control over the sharing of videos of themselves makes public scrutiny more difficult. Sharing and commenting on political debate is all part of living in a democracy, and I will certainly be taking this campaign forward to bring about further changes to the rules.”

Notes:

You can join the Axe the Parliamentary YouTube Ban Facebook group here:

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/pages/Axe-Parliaments-YouTube...