“LIGHTS, camera, action! No! Cut! Cllr Charon needs more foundation, darling, and can someone put a dash more bronzer on Cllr Grower? And do something with Theo Stratton’s beard, pur-lease! This isn’t Pirates of the Caribbean for heaven’s sake! All of you, stop blowing those air kisses! Make-up! Be quick! We’re about to roll!”

So Bournemouth Council is proposing screening their meetings on the internet. And why not? (After all, the TV’s Mad Men has proved a big hit.) The screening of council deliberations could give the unsuspecting electorate an insight into how local politics works. Worthwhile if not exactly fun.

The trouble is that instead of the public simply having access to what a councillor called “the dry minutes”, they will have the chance to view the whole dry proceedings instead. Some of which, I fear, could be used as a punishment for hardened criminals, if not infringing on their human rights.

Still, who knows? On the occasions when the subject debated is a lively one and the orators hamming it up, who’s to say that meetings won’t draw a big audience? (Perhaps to maximise ratings they could model it on Britain’s Got Talent? After every screening, the public could vote off the least impressive performer. It would be cheaper than the current electoral system and enjoy a 54-meeting run before just one star member remained. What a journey!) So I’m all for filming the often droll proceedings. I don’t expect screenings would get many internet hits, and the public will always prefer a crisp Echo report, but screened meetings can do no harm. So long as they were not edited by themselves.

After all, we wouldn’t want to spare the councillors’ blushes. Or, indeed, their blushers.