Big Brother Watches Over Bristol Airport

Earlier today I drove Kasia from Exeter to Bristol Airport, to catch the Ryanair flight to Poznan. She's going back to Poland for a few weeks to see her family, and part of mine!  We left in plenty of time, just in case our previous experience of long delays on the M5 motorway was repeated. As we left I grabbed my green rucksack, still full of Contemporary Art in the Community kit from our last trip. As luck would have it, whilst there was lots of rain to contend with, there were no significant delays.  Just for a change the EasyJet queue to check-in hold luggage at Bristol was almost non-existent, but the Ryanair queue was perhaps ten minutes:

Jim in the Ryanair queue at Bristol Airport on October 27th 2011

Once Kasia was safely checked in we glanced at the big board, and her flight looked like it was going to leave on time:

Tenerife looks more inviting than Poznan at Bristol Airport on October 27th 2011

Even so we still had plenty of time to grab a coffee, and we figured if anyone else in the cafe had plenty of time to spare we'd ask them if they wouldn't mind us videoing a brief conversation about contemporary art.  Kasia turned our Handycam on me as I ordered a couple of cappucinos:

Caffeine is coming at Bristol Airport on October 27th 2011

When I returned to our table I was surprised by the sudden absence of said video camera. Kasia told me a nice lady had politely asked her to stop using it, so she'd turned it off and put it back in my rucksack. In view of this, and unusually for us, we drank our coffees without chatting to anyone on the adjacent tables:

Kasia needed that! At Bristol Airport on October 27th 2011

Once Kasia had gone to get her handbag scanned and then board that plane, I headed back downstairs to try and find someone who could explain Bristol Airport's apparent "no video" policy to me.  The following conversation ensued with two nice gentlemen I discovered behind the Bristol Airport Information Desk. I thought it prudent in all the circumstances not to record the conversation, so this is based on my (admittedly ageing!) memory about 4 hours after the events in question.

Jim – I've just been seeing my partner off on the flight to Poznan. She was videoing me buying two coffees just now, but while I was doing that she was asked to stop. I was wondering why that was?
G1 – It's for security reasons.
Jim – So nobody's allowed to film videos in here?
G1 – No. It could be terrorists "casing the joint". We don't object to people taking two or three still pictures when they're greeting or saying goodbye to their familes for example, but videos are definitely out.
Jim – Can I explain to you what we were intending to do?
G1 – OK.
Jim – We wanted to talk to someone waiting for a plane about contemporary art, and record the conversation for use on one of our websites. From what you've said that's not going to be possible inside the terminal?
G1 – No.
Jim – How about outside the building, or maybe in one of the car parks?
G1 – It's all private property. Once you're out onto the A38 it would be OK, but not anywhere on Airport property.
Jim – But there's not many people to interview on the side of the A38!
G2 – There's lots of cameras both inside and outside the terminal. You'd be spotted quickly, and asked to stop again.
Jim – OK. Would it be alright if I ran some of our questions past you guys. Obviously I won't record it!
G! – (Looking doubtful) OK then.

Jim – Thanks. It looks like you've got a computer of your own over there in the corner. Can you browse the web on it?
G1 – I think I could, yes.
Jim – OK, First can I ask what if anything the name Benedict means to you?
G1 – Nothing in particular
G2 – The liqueur. Benedictine?

Jim – OK, thanks. Have you heard of Robin Hood though?
G1 – Yes!
G2 – Sherwood Forest!
Jim – And what was he famous for?
G2 – Robbing the rich to give to the poor?
Jim – Exactly! Have you heard about the Robin Hood Tax?
Both – Shake heads

Jim – How about "Love Actually", the movie?
Both – Yes.
Jim – Have you seen the film?
G1 – It sounds like a "girly" sort of thing to me, so no.
G2 – Shakes head.
Jim – Have you heard of Richard Curtis?
G1 – Yes
Jim – He was the producer, no the director. How about Bill Nighy?
Both – Yes

Jim – He was one of the stars. Lets go back to Benedict for a moment. Have you heard of Pope Benedict?
Both – Yes!
Jim – How about the G20?
Both – Yes!
Jim – Did you know the G20 leaders are having a little get together in Cannes in the South of France next week?
Both – No.
Jim – So I guess you don't know that Pope Benedict and Richard Curtis and Bill Nighy and lots of other people around the world are suggesting that the G20 leaders introduce something called the Robin Hood Tax at that meeting next week?
Both – No.

Jim – (Shows them his Android)
It's not recording anything! Take a look.  Here's a web search I just did for "Pope Benedict Robin Hood Tax"
RobinHoodTax.org is first, and my website is second.
(clicks second link, then clicks on the video)
That's a short video by the Love Actually team about the Robin Hood Tax.
Would you be at all interested in watching it? It's only 3 minutes or so.
G1 – No, not really.
Jim – Why's that?
G1 – I've never met you before. I don't know what you want.
Jim – You could check out my website on your own computer there. Wouldn't that help?
G1 – Nope.
Jim – OK. I wouldn't say that it's likely, but would it interest you to learn that there might possibly be "a bit of a revolution" somewhere next week about all this?
G1 – Nope.
Jim – (shakes the hand of G1) OK – Thanks very much for taking the time to talk to me. Remember that if something like that does happen, you heard it here first!