No love lost

There was a real siege feeling around the Hill today after Question Period. Maybe it was because of bikers in the news. Maybe because there's nothing much happening here but nastiness, meanness and more nastiness.

But never mind about me trying to describe it -- this transcript of a scrum with the Conservatives' chief government whip, Jay Hill, says it all. The questions are from various reporters, trying to get something out of Hill before he slammed the door on them at his office just off the Commons' foyer.

Jay Hill: I don't discuss what takes place at the Board of Internal Economy.

Question: Why, isn't that public money, isn't that public money Mr. Hill?

Question: Are you guys proud of your behaviour in there today?

Question: (inaudible) isn't that public money Mr. Hill? Isn't that public money Mr. Hill?

Jay Hill: Are you proud of your questions?

Question: Yeah. Are you proud of your behaviour? Are you, are you proud of your questions?

Question: So you're doing what you just did in there. You're going to browbeat

Question: What's wrong in asking you a question? We can't ask you questions?

Question: You're trying to browbeat, browbeat, browbeat people?

Question: Isn't that public money in this budget? Isn't that my money?

And there, the scrum abruptly ends with a slammed door. Is it summer-break time yet?

Comments

[bob ward]

I wonder when you blogged this account you realized how childish both the whip and the reporters looked.

Yeah it is time for summer

[bert]

I would have done more than slam the door.I would have given them a wedgie and ran them right out the front door of the parliament building.Reporters have no business on the hill,they are nobodies and they had better start to realize that.When they start acting like they have a job and honestly need information for their columns and stop acting so high and mighty and attacking in mobs,the cowardly press will get answers.This goes the the almighty Delacourt who is so biased that you would just love to slap that smirk off of her face.