I’m sure I recognise his words from an Echo letter back in September (and an article on my blog in May) where I said:

“I wrote back in May on this blog, mooting this as an idea, to both open Council procedure up in an accessible manner to those who did not manage to attend the Council meetings, and to foster an ethos of accountability among Councillors who would speak in the chamber with the knowledge that ‘anything you do say may be given in evidence.’… Well done Southend Borough Council, and welcome to real democratic engagement.”

According to the article, Cllr Lesley Salter and Cllr Graham Longley are opposed to both the costs and potential low viewing figures; but this is the 21st century, and we are a democracy. Politics should be available to all, not just the retired and self employed that can amble along to the Civic Centre four nights a week in a scrutiny cycle, or the ‘hard core of politics watchers’ like myself who beseech friends to babysit for four nights on the trot in case I miss something.

If you want to engage young people in politics, a segment of our society that is by its own admission disinterested, disengaged and disbelieving of both local and national politicians, you need to start with YouTube. Just ask Nick Clegg.