I’m looking forward to the end of the Zoomification of politics

John Rentoul on the deadening effect of remote contributions to parliamentary debate

The Commons has had to make some adjustments during the Covid pandemic (AFP/Getty)

So many MPs speaking via video have what a former television executive friend calls “the dead-eyed expression of autocue slaves”. They read their speeches from a laptop screen just below the camera, so that they are looking down and reading the words without thinking about them. The effect is deadening.

What is worse is the MPs who have a piece of paper or a second screen to one side, which means they are constantly looking sideways, which makes them look specially shifty. Even when they were in the chamber, they were not supposed to read their speeches or questions, although that has become increasingly common in recent years. It was something that was enforced more by MPs collectively than by the speaker: if an MP kept their head down, speaking from notes, there would be mutterings of “Reading!”

But what is merely poor speaking style in the House of Commons becomes intolerably dull via Zoom – or any other video service. It is harder for other MPs to heckle or to intervene, which is something that gives some life to physical proceedings, but it is also easier for the speaker to disengage brain and simply read out the text in front of them. If we wanted our politics to be like that we would have all moved to the US already.

One or two MPs have bought a simple home autocue, using a tablet to reflect the words on a mirror in front of a camera, which allows them to look directly at the viewer. Jonathan Reynolds, the shadow work and pensions secretary, used one, and it is so much better – although he is a good speaker anyway.

And he writes well, too, which is important. Reading naturally from an autocue is a skill, demanding a conversational style of writing and a sing-song voice, varying pace and tone. But so much better is simply speaking naturally, whether looking directly at the camera or standing in the chamber, referring occasionally to short notes as reminders.

Then there are the distracting backgrounds that MPs choose. “If you give an audience somewhere to look, don’t be surprised when they look there,” my friend says. He reminded me of a scene from Wood and Walters. One of them said to the other: “Did you see the Nine O’Clock News last night?” “Yes,” said the other: “Nasty blouse.”

MPs may be proud of their kitchens, pictures, pianos and cats, but they do not need to display them while they are talking.

There are many reasons for looking forward to the end of the lockdown, but getting back to live speaking in politics is certainly one of them.

Yours,

John Rentoul

Chief political commentator