The UK’s fantastically expensive overhaul of 9 Downing Street’s press briefing room has left much to be desired, panned by early viewers as a setting for “dictator-like party-political broadcasts” and by others as “a bit cheap.”
Set against a background of bright blue, the speaker’s podium – flanked by four Union Jacks – could be swapped out for a two-person particleboard table. A mammoth flat-screen dominated one wall, flashing a coat of arms.
Adding insult to injury, the Cabinet Office reportedly claimed the makeover cost a tidy £2,607,767.67 in response to a Freedom of Information request filed through the Press Association.
The blue and brown prevent journalists from asking critical questions.The blue gives the speaker behind the desk the image of a trustworthy person.The uncomfortable chairs against the blue background makes the journalists feel unimportant and members of government very important
The Daily Mail claimed to have gotten to the bottom of the mystery, declaring“much of the equipment used in the briefing room was installed by a Russian-owned company with links to state broadcaster Russia Today.” A company called Megahertz was said to have been hired to “install microphones, control desks, cameras and computers” – few of which were actually visible in the preview shots of the hideous briefing room.
EXCLUSIVE: We've been leaked the first pictures from inside Downing Street's new £2.6m media briefing room. The blue TV set includes four Union Jack flags and was built with the help of a Russian-owned firm.
MP Chris Bryant pronounced the “new vanity project” to be “dodgy” in an interview with HuffPost, which confirmed Megahertz had done “crucial work” to prepare the cheesy setup to receive timeless words of wisdom from PM Boris Johnson and his spokeswoman Allegra Stratton. Why the UK would employ a company seemingly controlled by a nation awaiting designation as London’s “biggest state-based threat” to construct its briefing setup was not explained. However, despite the temptation of the low-hanging “blame Russia” fruit, Stratton told the Daily Mail that “all the correct processes have been followed,” insisting “it’s absolutely not something we would ever cut corners on.”
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