UPDATE 14.30 – the original video, as I suspected, has been pulled from Youtube (it was here). As I stated in my blog post at 10.08 this morning, I downloaded the video before it was removed, and hence can show it for you here.

Watch this. But probably not in the office. It’s a video on the official Youtube channel of Flemish MEP Ivo Belet. His channel is here, and the channel is linked from the footer of his official website. The woman is speaking a slavic language (can someone identify which language?) and the subtitles are in Dutch – translated as follows:

Hello darlings!

I have been asked to make a commercial for the European Parliament elections

That’s hard!

Luckily I have a little idea!

This is especially for you!

This is just unacceptable. Full stop.

I’ve downloaded a copy of the video, just in case it gets removed from Youtube, so a record is kept that a MEP was campaigning in such a way.

[UPDATE – 14.40] As he points out in the comments, I’ve forgotten to point out here that it was Craig Willy who managed to dig up this video in the first place. Apologies for not crediting you earlier, Craig!

48 Comments

  1. Global City

    The EU’s fixation with their symbols etc is truly creepy. Why did they feel the need to put their stars and colours on the girl’s hairband and dress?

    You see it draped, in EXACTLY the same way that they did with the swastika in Nazi Germany, absolutely everywhere.

    You may have not noticed until now, but just look. On tables, on chairs, on fixtures and fittings throughout every Brussels building. |on billboards along the streets, on every pamphlet…everywhere…SCARY.

  2. “Unacceptable” is one of those weasley words used by politicans and the likes. It’s not actually “unacceptable” at all. The word “unacceptable” implies that society will not tolerate something. You have no right to unilaterially decide how people are and aren’t allowed to behave.

    I believe you’re a member of the Labour Party? I personally think the last Labour government was truely vile by the way, and I think the Labour Party is a disgusting organisation in general. I think this because I remember what a Labour government actually looks like: the rich get richer and the poor get poorer in real and relative terms as the gap between rich and poor gets wider and wider. Social mobility hits rock bottom under a Labour government and the government attempts to take away peoples freedoms and civil liberties. The young got well and truely shafted by the last Labour government which I think is disgusting. Labour decided to charge for higher education and their plan for economic growth was to create a housing bubble by building less council housing than the Tories did and letting the banks operate virtually unregulated giving any amount of money to anyone prepared to lie on a self certified mortgage application. You people will start their adult life in debt and have little prospect of owning a home – this has screwed over an generation for life… Do you actually understand that?

    Yet despite all this, I’d never say that you choosing to be a member of the Labour Party was “unacceptable”. Unless SOCIETY (not some jumped up little prick) has decided something is not allowed nobody has any right to brand it “unacceptable”. Now why not pull you head out your own ass and grow up and accept that not everyone thinks the way you do nor should they be bullied into behaving the way you want them to.

  3. @Yep – thanks for the charming comment. “Fuck off, you pathetic prick. This isn’t an issue, leave people alone” you write. How am I, as an individual person blogging and expressing a personal view, doing anything at all different to what you are doing commenting? I hold no position of power and influence. You have a view, I have a view. You might disagree, but are you so authoritarian that you assume I should not be allowed to express what’s on my mind? Your choice to read the blog or not – you come here.

  4. @Doubting Rich – You say “So who appointed you to decide what is acceptable and unacceptable?” Erm, what makes you think I am doing that? My view is no more valid than your view, and I hold no position of power or influence whatsoever. It’s a blog, I have a view, I write it here. How is that imposing anything?

  5. Doubting Rich

    So who appointed you to decide what is acceptable and unacceptable? Ridiculous, authoritarian arrogance typical of the EU, the Labour Party and socialists in general.

  6. Fair play to Mr Worth for one thing (and one thing only) – he’s left the critical comments up.

  7. She didn’t even get her baps out. Storm in a B cup methinks.

    I agree with Geoff M ^^^^^

  8. Fergus Pickering

    I love it. And I love it even more because Harperson’s gang hate it..

  9. “In the past I’ve been responsible for sites such as … Harriet Harman’s campaign to become Labour Party Deputy Leader.”

    That explains everything. I concur with ‘yep’

  10. Geoff M

    He’d get my vote.

    What’s all this faux distress – it’s a laugh.

    What kind of a world would we live in if we were all forced to conform into some Calvinist, Communist tyranny from people like you.

    Grow up.

  11. Seymour

    Apart from the lie at the end, the EU is not transperant in any way whatsoever and its MEPs trough even more than UK Labour MPs, nothing wrong with it.

  12. Hoover

    Tee hee. It’s most definitely acceptable. One has to remember that the European Parliament is packed with nonentities who failed in their home country, and this sort of outbreak simply doesn’t matter.

  13. Basilthedog

    Oh please relax. The fact that you are getting so uptight about this says so much about you as an EU diehard. She’s taking the p*ss out of an organisation that most working class Brits despise. And as for Craig Willy……….don’t let him out, for God’s sake!

  14. What was the man thinking??? He’s a catholic, Christian Democrat from Belgium, and has worked for some very respectable TV programmes when working for the VRT. Now he comes up with this brainless trash? My friends from Flanders, in 2014 vote for someone with better ideas than this man.

  15. I’M OUTRAGED. THIS IS TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE.

    Nah, I don’t give a shit. I’d rather vote for somebody who has a sense of humour than some “OMG OFFENZE” cunt like you.

    Fuck off, you pathetic prick. This isn’t an issue, leave people alone.

  16. Andrew Ellis

    Some words and phrases you might like to ponder: prude, politically correct, pompous, prim, please get a life, party pooper, poor excuse for political comment. I’ve run out of Ps except for the word that ends in t.

  17. DrunkAtDesk

    Just so you know, it’s not a Slavic language, nor does it share any similarities with any Slavic languages. It’s Latvian – though my sources say it is badly spoken, probably by a Latgalan or a person of Russian origin.

    Personally I can’t see what you’re kicking up a fuss about. She doesn’t actually take her clothes off, no nudity is shown at all and given you’re not even sure what she’s saying (I speak a little Latvian, and what little I can understand doesn’t tally up with what you claim the subtitles say) I’m not really sure why you have condemned it so harshly.

  18. Its not ‘unacceptable’. Its none of your business and between him and his voters

  19. She’s speaking some sort of Latvian. I don’t speak Latvian, but I can make out “Tas ir gruti” for “That’s hard”.

    Latvian isn’t a slavic language, but there’s at least one slavic borrowing there – “miliya” for “darlings”.

  20. Ron Hughes

    Get a life. Removing a cardigan isn’t “Striptease”.

    Anyway, politicians have been screwing the electorate since time immemorial.

  21. cuffleyburgers

    what a bunch of po-faced tossers you all are!

    Another reason to despise the EU and hope fervently for an Iranian nuke in a container in Brussels some time soon.

    Cunts!

  22. adrian drummond

    Judging from your unmanly reaction, I believe you are someone who has the characteristics of someone who is euphemistically now being referred to as a “manboob.”

    http://heartiste.wordpress.com/2013/01/17/the-mind-of-the-manboob-hugo-schwyzer-case-study/

  23. John C

    Yes, a comment about legislation, but a thread about videos! I’m not the one who veered off-topic! I think YouTube videos are more likely to affect people’s stereotypes than legislation. I’m not even sure how you ‘legislate against stereotypes’, come to think of it. Ban UKIP members from owning blazers?

  24. “I am opposed because I believe in feminism and gender equality.”

    But not in a woman’s right to choose to take her clothes off on video if she wishes to. Yes, that’s certainly empowering the sisterhood…

  25. John C

    “The EU has a large scale of legislation fighting against discrimination and stereotypes.”

    What, like this…?

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g032MPrSjFA

  26. Good on her. If Harman and co. disapprove, it must be OK. By definition. Who has the right to tell others what they may and may not do? Not bloody Harman and her posse, that’s for sure. We sent the bloody Puritans to the USA to get rid of them

  27. John C – that’s poor, even by your standards. In response to a comment about legislation, you reply with a Youtube film, that was strongly condemned by people within the institutions. Yes, Science It’s A Girl Thing was stupid, but it does not render the legislation worthless.

  28. I share your outrage. Prejudiced, misogynist, and plain neanderthalian.

  29. No. Not on. The feminist discussion on pole dancing is around pole dancing gaining reputable status as a form of artistic exercise. But it will be an empowering feminist activity only once it is no longer offered to potential learners with the tag “sexy”, when classes are definitely not offered in the same places as places as women are forced to pay to perform and where going one step further is what earns the tips, and when links to traffiking are abolished. Oh and that video? That just shows why reclaiming pole dancing is such a problem- it is not just a bit of a laugh when used in this way. And I got through all of that without using the words mysoginistic or patriarchy. Almost.

  30. You’re now adequately credited Craig 🙂

    And if Ivo removes the 2006 video with the dildo, then yes, I have that one downloaded too.

  31. “Sorry Craig – just because others do it that does not make it right! If a female MEP had a man stripping and filmed it, imagine the reaction.” I don’t know, what would it be?

    Also I have to poo poo you for not mentioning whose social media research found this gem 😉

  32. Oh what a surprise… Ivo Belet has removed the video. I’ll oblige now my re-uploading it to Vimeo.

  33. Maïté Abram (@maitea6)

    The EU has a large scale of legislation fighting against discrimination and stereotypes. How can a MEP post a video that shows exactly the contrary? Unacceptable.

  34. Guys, I would like just pointing out that it is a question of gender equality, from my point of view. I’m not a prude 🙂 but I have to say that I share Jon’s views for one reason: sex is for pleasure, not for attracting voters to the polls 🙂 And yes, Europe is a difficult “bone” but is this a right movement to explain people why they should vote? I do not think so (even if the streatease was carried out by a male)

  35. Margarita

    Is that even striptease? Politics and sex have been intertwined for centuries. And this “commercial” has reached it’s purpose thanks to you. I would never have known about this guy if it wasn’t for you.
    And if woman MEP had a male stripper would’ve been even funnier and more empowering – real equality! But who cares anyway! Never took you for a prude Jon.

  36. Maïté Abram (@maitea6)

    You’re right, this is unacceptable. Maybe we should send him information about trafficking in women, about prostitution in the EU, or any other topic related to gender equality…

    At the same time, we can suggest to sign the Declaration for Gender Balance in European Decision-Making for the 2014 European Elections.

  37. I was laughing and laughing and laughing while watching the video. At the same time, I was really upset with the idea that one MEP has done something like this. I agree with you: it is simply unacceptable. It is like if Europe is just sexy for male voters. Wait a moment, is Europe sexy? By the way, do you mind if I make a post on this in my blog? Of course I would credit you…

  38. Well, it seems to comparatively decent and well produced. In Denmark, this kind promotion has been widely used for a while and with different perspectives on gender as well. Below you have three samples from past elections. As with the dutch video, all of them intented to be funny.

    A woman performs a striptease for a female candidate, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQxX-MqrIu0
    A man performs a striptease for a female candidate, accompanied with the singing of a campaign song http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JReHkerBU8c
    A man performs a striptease for a male candidate, offered as a commentary for the second video, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uE9oNmwkdnw

  39. britabroad

    ” just because others do it that does not make it right! If a female MEP had a man stripping and filmed it, imagine the reaction.”

    Yep. Imagining…… Still imagining…….Yawn…….& your point was?

  40. So what? Not exactly very good taste, but ‘unacceptable’ is truly exagerated and can only come from a stuck-up conservative. The clip is just trying to prove Mr. Belet is not one of you. This blogpost is only increasing his publicity, well done…

  41. Jon – I don’t think that using sex in political advertising is wrong as such. The way Belet did it was crass, trashy and nasty, though. Female/male politicians joking about their own sex appeal (or lack thereof) in an ad, fine (the Polish example above being a good example). And even if sex is used in a lighthearted way, fine. But this ad is just dumb and demeaning (particularly in the way it portrays central/eastern European women, as you say).

  42. Prude. Chillax.

  43. @Stijn – no, I am not opposed because I am conservative. I am opposed because I believe in feminism and gender equality. Middle aged Flemish MEP puts up a video of a young woman from a central European country (as far as I can tell) dancing suggestively? That’s demeaning.

  44. I don’t know, if you’re going to use sex in politics, then make it funny and playful, not trashy. For example, social democratic candidate Katarzyna Lenart in the 2011 Polish elections: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xlj77u_pologne-le-striptease-d-une-candidate-aux-legislatives_news#.UPku3B2w8sc

  45. Sorry Craig – just because others do it that does not make it right! If a female MEP had a man stripping and filmed it, imagine the reaction.

  46. To be honest I think this playful video is OK (at least for MEPs who don’t care much for traditional decorum). And there are precedents, at least from the Commission, which were quite liked:

    * Health Insurance Card: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GiAH45Ka_Yc
    * Sex in EU films: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrS3Zzqz5Wo

    But that 2006 video is just bizarre. From a TV show?

  47. How strange. Yes, it’s unacceptable, of course. But it’s mainly just bizarre… why in God’s name would he or his staff think this would be clever, effective or deliver any positive results?

  48. Ooof, it seems this is not the first time Belet has done this – see this film from 2006!

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