An Opportunity Too Good To Pass Up…

I wasn’t going to bother with blogging about Jacqui Smith’s latest tawdry scheme to get her name in the media and thereby in the public eye, mainly because others, like the Grim Reaper, have already produced superb posts, and also because it felt like shooting fish in a barrel.

But then I read this, and I was unable to resist the temptation to take a bead on this particular Eptatretus goliath after all:

Eyeing my fellow passengers on the Tube heading for the Erotica show at Olympia last November, I wondered just what I was letting myself in for. BBC Radio 5 Live had asked me to make a documentary about the UK porn industry, so where better to start than its trade fair?

No better place to start, Jacqui? Are you sure?

It’s chock full of gems, actually, especially when Jacqui Does Pornstars:

I didn't expect to find much in common with those who make and act in porn films, but they were surprisingly honest and friendly.

Yeah. Like politicians, eh, love?

There is a gender pay gap – refreshingly, women earn more than men.

Oooh, does that conform to EU rulings, Jacqui?

Of course I understand that I was talking to those at the most "legitimate" end of the industry. I know from experience that there are many other women in the broader sex industry who are far from willing participants.

How many? I notice you don’t put a number on it. Is that because all the numbers produced so far have been, shall we say, massaged? And there's no happy ending (for you and your ilk)?

However, in the documentary, both philosopher Alain de Botton and relationship counsellor Simone Bienne make the important point that it is precisely because porn is so physically pleasurable that it can lead to addiction and a blurring of reality and fantasy. Pornography could be likened to gambling or alcohol or even shopping. A small amount can be fun and probably not too damaging.

Shopping..?!?

But the easy availability of porn for people who might already have other problems in their lives can lead to addiction, damaged relationships, distorted views of sex and dangerous attitudes towards women.

Only towards women. Never towards men. Has Jacqui not bothered with any gay porn?

Despite the claims of realism in the UK porn industry, the stories never show women really liberated or powerful.

As I pointed out to the porn director who showed me a film set based in a hospital ward, why are there never any women consultants or senior administrators in the hospital scenarios?

You want to see a quota system there? Have you been sharing your experiences with Harriet?

I favour an approach which means you have to positively opt in to have porn coming into your home. I'm pleased that Government ministers are taking this seriously, but I wonder how long we can wait for voluntary action from internet service providers.

I’d hope the coalition’s answer would be ‘We can wait a lot, lot longer than your lot ever did!’ but I suspect there’s a fag-paper’s difference between you…

The current regulatory framework covers DVDs and pay-per-view TV. It doesn't work in an era of free internet and smartphones.

And most people view that as a good thing. One less thing you interfering control-freak NuPuritans have managed to gain control over..

The drinks industry set up and funds the Portman Group to promote responsible alcohol marketing and sensible drinking.

There's a real opportunity for some social responsibility from the porn industry. Why not fund some real sex education in our schools, promote some safe sex messages and invest in relationship counselling for those who really can't tell the fantasy from reality?

Who wants to take the lead?

'Take the lead'? Just what sort of films have you been watching anyway?